The Lumen Christi Institute is firmly committed to the life of the university at all levels of scholarly pursuit. With this in mind, the Institute endeavors to enable greater acquaintance with the vigor of Catholic thought by sponsoring lectures and conferences, hosting visiting scholars, and organizing graduate and undergraduate courses, symposia, seminars and faculty roundtables. Our hope is that the riches of the Catholic intellectual tradition may be unearthed, explored and brought to bear at the heart of university life. And because the desire to understand always holds claim to a certain natural integrity, the relationship of the Lumen Christi Institute to the University can and should be complementary and challenging. Our University Program, the primary avenue through which this relationship is realized, comprises the following core offerings:
The Yves Simon Lecture Series
The lecture remains one of the most important forms of academic exchange and is an important component of our University Program. The Yves Simon Memorial Lectures are designed to complement courses in the humanities, social sciences, and other areas of the University of Chicago core curriculum. Normally, we host two or three lectures each quarter, many of which address important Catholic thinkers, questions or themes in Catholic thought, and the place of the Church in world history. Offered by scholars of the highest academic reputation, these well-attended lectures have become a staple of university life.
Yves Simon, whose memory is honored by this lecture series, was a philosopher in the University of Chicago’s Committee on Social Thought from 1948 until his death in 1961. Prior to joining the faculty at Chicago, he taught at the University of Notre Dame and in Paris. He was author of twenty books, including Philosophy of Democratic Government, Foresight and Knowledge, A General Theory of Authority, and The Metaphysics of Knowledge.
We welcome you to browse the range of previous lectures in this series, some of which are available in audio or print format.
The Visiting Fellows Program
Through its Visiting Fellows Program, the Lumen Christi Institute invites academics to the University of Chicago from other universities in the United States and abroad. Its institutional and financial support enables visiting fellows to conduct research at the University, to lead Lumen Christi Institute seminars or colloquia and, where arrangements have been made, to teach for-credit courses at the University of Chicago. Beyond making available for Catholic scholars a wealth of resources at the University of Chicago, the Visiting Fellows Program also facilitates collaboration with other scholars at the University. Students benefit significantly from exposure to new avenues of Catholic thought not otherwise available to them in a single university setting.
Current and Upcoming Courses and Seminars
Through the autumn, winter, and spring quarters, the Lumen Christi Institute hosts a weekly non-credit course to foster an appreciation for the development of Christian thought. The Thursday evening series features lectures by area scholars on major Christian thinkers, from the Patristic period to the modern era. The program for the Autumn 2010 course will be available in late August.
