LCSR Program Director
Dr. Peggy Pittas
Lynchburg College
1501 Lakeside Drive
Lynchburg VA 24501
(434) 544-8652
LCSR Assistant Director
Dr. David Freier
(434) 544-8083
Steering Committee
Peggy Pittas, Director
Lesley Friedman (Philosophy)
Katherine Gray (English)
Maria Nathan (Business)
Sabita Manian (International Relations)
Marleen DeLauder (Nursing)
Jim Owens (History)
Will Briggs (Computer Science)
Delane Karalow (Art)
Interested in applying?
Visit our Admissions page.
Senior Symposium
The Class
Established in 1976 the Senior Symposium brings significant texts, questions, and ideas to bear on various contemporary issues. Students from across the disciplines meet weekly to listen as a group on Mondays to a public lecture, and on Wednesdays in smaller class sections of usually no more than 24, to engage in student led discussions.
The senior symposium is required of all students for graduation, except for Westover students who may choose it as one of their optional seminars. It is offered in the fall, spring, and summer sessions to students who have accumulated at least 75 credit hours. Normally in the spring and fall the total enrollment will be between 150-200 students. The procedure for instruction can be divided into 4 main categories:
1. Reading
• Each week the assigned readings will provide at least one perspective on a topic. Students are encouraged to challenge or confirm the validity of the perspective(s).
2. Lecture
• On Mondays, all class sections meet together in the Memorial Ballroom of Hall Campus Center to hear a lecture on a topic that relates to the weekly reading assignment.
3. Discussion
• On Wednesdays, students meet in their smaller groups to discuss and debate the issue at hand. Students lead these discussions.
4. Papers
• Weekly writing assignments enable students to demonstrate their ability to establish, support, and organize their thoughts in written form using references from the reading(s), and lecture.
The Goals
The Senior Symposium is designed to have Lynchburg College seniors utilize weekly lectures and Symposium Readings to examine issues of contemporary significance, in the process integrating the material with their personal views while dealing constructively with a wide variety of positions. The course work requires seniors to combine understanding taken from the symposium readings with an appreciation for current related issues and developments, as covered in weekly lectures and class discussions. The course is intended to help students bridge the gap between their established positions appropriate to students, and a mature, independent point of view essential to educated adults. The Senior Symposium stresses the oral and written performance of the students.
The Objectives
1. Be familiar with a wide range of readings from the classics, dealing with issues that have contemporary significance.
2. Develop the ability to analyze texts and make connections among them, the lecturers, and personal experiences.
3. See the classics as a way of understanding and appreciating diverse views from all cultures.
4. Develop critical thinking skills that are commensurate with upper-level students.
5. Hone writing skills by writing effectively on the readings and the lectures.
6. Develop an ability to speak publicly by participating in weekly discussions and by leading a class discussion.
7. Synthesize the material learned throughout the semester in both written and oral forms.
8. Make connections between various major fields of study and the readings.
Senior Symposium Readings
Volume I - Addressing Education: Purposes, Plans, and Politics
Volume II - Freedom, Authority, and Resistance
Volume III - Shaping Truth:Culture, Expression, and Creativity
Volume IV - Society, Solitude, and Community
Volume V - War, Peace, and Empire
Volume VI - Mathematics and the Development of the Physical Science
Volume VII - Income Inequality and Social Stratification: Causes and Consequences
Volume VIII - Shaping the Environment: Science, Technology, and Society
Volume IX - Science and Human Nature