Dr. Paul McClure, an associate professor of sociology, is the University of Lynchburg’s 2026 recipient of the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges Mednick Fellowship.
McClure will use the funds awarded to travel to Denver in October for the annual Society for the Scientific Study of Religion conference. There, he’ll present a research paper, “Prompt Sampling: New Approaches for Understanding Generative AI and Large Language Models in the Sociology of Religion.”
“I’m interested in the variations between language models like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Llama, and DeepSeek and what kinds of religious or secular assumptions are embedded in these technologies,” he said.
“With the rise of AI, people want to know what kinds of questions to ask chatbots. This paper investigates how chatbots respond to religious questions.”
The paper is currently under review.
“Attending this conference and presenting this paper should provide me with much-needed feedback, since it’s still a work in progress,” he said. “I hope to return to Lynchburg with more direction and expertise in the fields of AI, culture, and religion.”
McClure’s paper also aligns with a new science, technology, and society major that’s being developed at Lynchburg. The faculty will vote on it this fall, and the first students would enroll in Fall 2027.
McClure said the interdisciplinary major would pull from the humanities and liberal arts to study the impact of science and technology on society, as well how science and technology emerge in specific social and historical contexts.
He added, “I hope to play a major role in launching and recruiting students to this major, and I hope this paper positions me better to help lead that initiative.”
The Maurice L. Mednick Memorial was created in 1967 in honor of a young Norfolk industrialist who died from accidental causes and whose family and business associates wished to perpetuate his name by establishing a memorial that would emphasize his and the donors’ strong interest in higher education. Administration of the Mednick Memorial Fund is vested in the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges to encourage the professional development of VFIC college teachers and improve their academic competence through fellowships for research and advanced study. The VFIC encourages each of its 17 member schools to select one deserving faculty member each year.
