AMY ROGG
Staff Writer
Great Books wouldn’t be the same without great professors.
Dr. Paul Contino is a loved and cherished Great Books professor at Pepperdine University. Hailing from the East Coast, Contino came to Pepperdine in admiration for the school’s church-related mission and exceptional academics.
“We wanted to move to California because we have many family members here and wanted our children to see them on a regular basis,” he said. “We love our home on Baxter Drive (faculty condo on campus) …the view of Point Dume from our window is beautiful.”
Having taught 12 years in the Humanities Division at Valparaiso University in Indiana, Contino entered Pepperdine with great insight to how a Great Books program should run.
“I taught Great Books 1 and 2 my first three years at Pepperdine,” he said. “And just last year, I started Great Books 3 and 4.”
In addition to the four Great Books classes, Contino also teaches a Russian Novel class, which features some of his favorite literature, including his most prized book of all time, “The Brothers of Karamazov” by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.
“It is a wonderful narrative depiction of the possibility of active, Christ-like love in the midst of terrible difficulties,” he said. “A crucial character, Zosima, says that active love is a harsh and dreadful thing compared with love in dreams.”
Contino exudes a unique teaching philosophy that aims to seek the truth through collaborative inquiry.
“An ideal class is when students and their professors try to understand a great work and one in which everyone speaks, contributes and raises questions,” he said. “Then everyone feels they have come closer to the truth of matters.”
Contino’s approach to teaching is also complemented by his Christian faith.
As a practicing Catholic, Contino and his family are active parishioners at Our Lady of Malibu where they worship and provide pastoral leadership. On campus, Contino serves as the faculty mentor for the Catholic Student Association.
“Paul has nurtured the community around him, building a foundation for Christian learning and social interaction,” said Dr. Donald Marshall, a friend and fellow Great Books professor. “He has a deep Christian commitment to scholarship and teaching, which is perfect here at Pepperdine.”
Contino’s students can easily agree.
“Not only does Dr. Contino help students seek their vocation, he has a vision for Pepperdine by helping the school achieve the highest academic and spiritual standards,” said junior Heather Killpatrick.
In addition to being a professor, Contino is also the co-author of a scholarly journal entitled, “Christianity and Literature,” along side his wife and Humanities Chair, Maire Mullins. The journal, published four times a year, has been regarded as one of the most prestigious in its field. Contino is also active at the Center for Faith and Learning on campus, which conducts faculty seminars on various issues, books, and themes related to faith and learning.
“Not only is he a Great Books professor, but a dynamic human being who really pursues his passions through various modes in the Pepperdine community,” said junior Molly Carroll.
In the coming years, Contino wants to initiate new classes and an honor society.
This semester, he teaches two sections of Great Books five and Asian Great Books, which focuses on works from the Hindu, Confucian, Taoist, and Buddhist traditions from India, China, and Japan.
“Next semester I will teach a section of a new first-year seminar, called Faith and Reason,” he said.
Contino also leads the effort to recognize Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest and most prestigious honor society.
A researcher at heart, Contino has been working collaboratively on finishing a book about contemporary Catholic writers including Andre Dubus, Tobais Wolf, and Alice McDermott.
“We are looking at and reflecting upon themes of perennial human concern, ones that each writer engages in a different way,” he said.
Although teaching is central to Contino’s life, nothing is more valuable to him than his family.
“I love my wife and children deeply,” he said. “I can’t imagine life without them.”
Contino and his wife have two daughters, Mai Rose, 8, and Teresa Marie, 6.
At seven months of age, Mai Rose was adopted from Chengdu, China.
“It was one of the most gracious moments of our lives,” he said.
An eclectic lover of music, Contino’s Ipod contains artists ranging from Bruce Springsteen, The Beatles and John Coltrane to Johnny Cash, Bach and medieval chant.
Since stepping foot on Pepperdine’s campus, Contino has inspired and touched the lives of his students, family, and colleagues.
“I am so blessed to be here,” he said. “I have a very rich and challenging life with my family and a rewarding professional responsibility.”
Contino wants to eventually write other books and continue making a positive influence on the lives of his students.
“I don’t want my students to remember me as much as the community of the class as a whole, the work and ideas we discussed and the experience we had in class,” he said. “I hope my students carry away insights from the class and from the reading that will help them to live meaningful and purposeful lives.”
04-16-2007
