Honors Guest Lecture

By Amanda Holmes

I’ve been in the SXU Honors program for the past three and a half years. It has been one of the best resources for me during my undergraduate career here.

The Honors Program provides students with a more engaging academic environment by offering challenging courses and an interested community of peers.The Honors Program also offers funding for special projects and conference trips. It requires students to complete a Junior Fieldwork Project and a Senior Honors Project.

Though these requirements are a bit tedious and require a lot of extra work, they have both helped me to pursue my academic interests outside of the classroom and have taught me how to do self-directed projects. My own Junior year Fieldwork Requirement was satisfied during my sophomore year when I studied abroad in Alicante, Spain. And I am currently working on my Honors Senior Project, a paper on Spinoza’s political philosophy.

One of the other things the Honors Program offers is an Annual Honors Program Guest Lecture. This year's lecturer will be Justice Anne Burke, who serves on the Illinois Supreme Court. Her professional and civic career has been committed to protecting the rights of those least able to defend themselves, including children and the physically and mentally challenged. This event is one of the cultural activities scheduled to explore the current theme of our Honors Program seminars, “And Justice For All.” The lecture, which is part of the Squeaky Weal lecture series, will be held in the Butler Reception Room at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 23.

Justice Burke’s lecture is titled “Public Servant/Private Catholic: A Jurist Reflects on Faith and Profession.” She will discuss the dynamic and sometimes stressful relationship between her personal beliefs and the obligations and pressures inherent in her public roles. Her reflections will speak to all who seek a balance between faith and profession in their own lives.” (I lifted this off of the notification e-mail I received about the lecture)

So, hey, come out for the Honors Program Lecture!

Amanda Holmes is a senior philosophy major from Atlanta, GA. She is vice president of the Philosophy Club. Consideration for the student bloggers is provided by Saint Xavier University.