Read below for a quick menu of the most recent episodes of season five of Callings, NetVUE’s highly popular podcast. Typically lasting 45 minutes, each episode is not only a potential tool for your work with students; it can also serve as a reminder of old and new vocational insights for yourself.
A Pilgrimage of Pain and Hope | Emmanuel Katongole
Published January 3, 2025
Emmanuel Katongole is known for his work on violence and politics in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as theologies of peacebuilding and reconciliation. As a Catholic priest in Uganda and professor of theology and peace studies at the University of Notre Dame, he confronts the complexities of callings in various contexts. He describes his vocational journey as having carried him across different kinds of boundaries, causing him to ask questions such as “where is home?” and “who are my people?” Such questions sometimes create confusion, or even bring us face to face with pain; but they can also lead us to a more expansive understanding of ourselves and the world—and to a deeper sense of joy and hope.
The Double Edge of Calling | Bonnie Miller-McLemore
Published December 6, 2024
Bonnie Miller-McLemore’s new book, Follow Your Bliss and Other Lies About Calling, brings forward the nuance and complexities of vocational discernment. She explores the ways our callings can be fractured or blocked, relinquished or conflicted, missed or unexpected. By grounding calling in the realities of everyday life, she reminds us of the importance of being kind to ourselves and practicing forgiveness for self and others. As we realize the myriad ways our callings may be difficult, we continue to find that they are worthy of pursuit and consideration.
Stories and Ideologies | Jason Blakely
Published October 30, 2024
Jason Blakely is a political philosopher at Pepperdine University and author of Lost in Ideology: Interpreting Modern Political Life. In this episode, he reflects on his own vocational journey while helping us think about this tumultuous time in modern political life. Through it all, he reminds us that vocations are always based in stories and that political “science” has more in common with literature and the liberal arts than is often assumed.
Read below for a sample of the latest NetVUE blog posts from colleagues across the country.
Hope through Connection II: Called beyond Career | By Deirdre Ryan-Egan and Caroline VanSistine
Published January 20, 2025
In this post, Deirdre Egan-Ryan and her student Caroline VanSistine continue their reflections on a gateway course that Deirdre redesigned for English majors at St. Norbert College. Deirdre describes the power of hosting a panel of graduates, as well as an interview assignment she designed—both meant to foster deeper vocational exploration and discernment for her students. These activities engaged students’ desire for career preparation, while moving them beyond career concerns to a much deeper form of vocational exploration. Caroline shares her perspective as a student, illustrating the powerful impact of these activities for her evolving sense of calling.
Our Students’ Vocations and the Gift of (Un)Gendered Language | By Kiki Kosnick
Published January 15, 2025
Learning and using our students’ pronouns have become important ways of respecting their gender identities and fostering a sense of gender justice in our classrooms. These efforts are necessary if we are to support our LGBTQIA+ students’ vocational exploration and discernment and to promote their flourishing. But this practice can also be complicated and may not always support our queer students in the ways we imagine. In this post, Kiki explores alternative ways to engage questions around pronouns, encouraging us to explore more deeply our assumptions about gender, language, and identity as we accompany our students in their vocational journeys.
Vocational Calendars and Teaching the Giftedness of Time |
By Paul Burmeister
Published December 4, 2024
Pausing to reflect after the latest round of academic advising, Burmeister invites readers to consider different frameworks and functions of time in our work with students (and indeed for all of us). He contrasts a life driven by the academic calendar with one that cultivates intentional seasons of “fast time” for action, “slow time” for reflection, and patterns of scheduling that align with our spiritual practices. Reflecting on Rowan Williams’s Being Human, this post reminds readers that time is not only a framework for religious ritual, but also a necessary—if often overlooked—vehicle for vocational reflection.
The second deck of NetVUE Conversation Cards has arrived! The ENGAGE deck encourages students to reflect on practices for thoughtfully engaging the world around them as they discern personal, academic, and professional goals.
Every member campus will receive two decks (sent to each institution’s NetVUE Campus Contact) and, upon request, may receive up to 14 decks free of charge. Need even more? Campuses will be able to order additional decks through their Campus Contact; if you are interested in obtaining more, please work with that person to do so. A third deck (ENVISION) is in preparation. The conversation card project is overseen by Krista Hughes, NetVUE director of resource development, at khughes@cic.edu.