Events
Tuesdays at 7pm
Reading Group
Are you eager to explore questions of faith, pluralism, and charitable public engagement? Our undergraduate Reading Group meets Tuesdays at 7pm in the Library. Join us for student-led conversations on readings that encourage deeper reflections and understanding of what it means to live a faithful life within a broader community. Contact crc@leeuniversity.edu for more information!
This group connects students to conferences and scholarship opportunities both on and off of campus, as well as providing free books and light refreshments.
October 18-19, 2024
Intercollegiate Symposium
“American Identity”
This year, the CRC’s programming theme is “American Identity” — thinking through what it means to be “American” and how our experience of citizenship can be mediated by our diverse backgrounds. Our annual symposium will consider how race informs American citizenship. The symposium will consist of several socratic-style discussion seminars, as well as a keynote lecture by Dr. Nicholas Buccola, the Elizabeth and Morris Glicksman Chair in Political Science at Linfield College.
The event is open to high school students and teachers, undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and members of the broader community. Please contact Audrey Haley at crc@leeuniversity.edu with questions or early register here.
Past Events
September 13, 2024
Constitution Day Quiz Bowl & Lecture
Our 14th Annual Constitution Day Quiz Bowl! teams of high school students from across the state compete at Lee University on questions about the American Founding and Constitution. This Quiz Bowl is based on round-robin style elimination, concluding in a championship round between the top teams. Lee undergraduates are involved in all aspects of the event, including serving as mentors for participating high school students.
If you are a high school student or teacher, and would like to participate in the future, please contact Dr. Ana Shippey at ashippey@leeuniversity.edu for more details.
August 26, 2024
Discourse Dinner
To start the semester, a small group of Lee students, alumni, faculty, and members of the community met over a shared meal. The discussion brought together persons from diverse disciplines and demographics to discuss various perspectives on visions of American Identity.
May 29-31, 2024
“Founding Civics Institute”
Lee University
Seminar
We hosted our first annual Founding Civics Institute for Tennessee educators over the course of three days. The seminar brought together 25 regional middle and high school teachers. We discussed primary sources from the American Founding with a view to their continued relevance. The conversations were led by the CRC’s director, Dr. Thomas Pope, Dr. Mark Scully, and Dr. John McBride (a Chattanooga native and recent co-author of A Teacher’s Guide to Land of Hope: An Invitation to the Great American Story. Readings included selections from Land of Hope, James Madison’s Notes from the Constitutional Convention, the Federalist Papers, the Declaration of Independence, and speeches from Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglas.
June 3, 2024
Summer Seminar
“Persecution & Perseverance”
Through a mixed cohort of undergraduates and regional high-school students this day-long Socratic style seminar used literature to emphasize the formal and informal institutions that shape modern liberal democracy. This year our theme was “Persecution & Perseverance” as we reflected on the role of faith in modern society through the lens of Graham Greene’s classic novel, The Power and the Glory. Participants received a copy of the book, lunch, and a $50 gift card.
March 22, 2024
“Lincoln & America’s Civic Faith”
5-6:30pm ET, Humanities-104
Guest Lecture
Continuing our year’s theme of “Faith in the Public Square,” the CRC is welcoming Dr. Zachary German from ASU to speak on “Lincoln & America’s Civic Faith”. This lecture will explore the character of America’s civic faith as Lincoln presents it, the role of religion in Lincoln’s efforts to foster that civic faith, and the questions that Lincoln’s example poses for us. Dr. German majored in Political Science and Government at Lee University before going to the University of Notre Dame where he earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science.
February 26, 2024
Guest Speaker
“Public Servants as Agents of Common Grace”
7-8pm ET, Humanities-207
As part of our “Modeling Civic Leadership” series, UTC’s Dr. Chris Horne explored how Christian calling can frame a life of public service. This was a curricular opportunity for Honors students to discuss our year’s theme with faculty and peers from across campus. While this event took place as part of the Honors program, the event was open to all students and faculty.
February 23-24, 2024
“The Political Thought of Flannery O’Connor”
Belmont Abbey College, NC
Intercollegiate Symposium
This spring our friends at Belmont Abbey College (BAC) in NC are hosted a 2-day symposium on the Political Thought of Flannery O’Connor. We read and discussed several of O’Connor’s short stories focusing on the theme of faith in the public square. The symposium included several small discussion groups led by faculty from BAC as well as other participating institutions.
January 22, 2024
Discourse Dinner
In the spirit of its mission, the Center for Responsible Citizenship began the semester with a common meal and conversation. While enjoying each other’s company, we also chatted about some tricky (yet important) questions, pertaining to our programming theme this year.
