How do I get involved?
So glad you asked! Alcuin Study Center is different from many student groups in that we don’t have a single meeting for everybody, but rather a sort of menu of opportunities.
One-off lectures
From comedy to computer science, the problem of evil to the benefits of boredom, or music to medicine, we offer a variety of lectures and discussion for those interested in what it means to human.
Check the calendar and sign up for our Week-At-A-Glance email to stay updated.
Short Film & Discussion
Thanks to our friends from Windrider Summit at Sundance Film Festival, we have access not only to some of the world’s best short films, but also to interviews with the writers, directors, and actors. These films are only about 12 minutes long on the average, but the discussions they inspire could go on for hours.
Check the calendar and sign up for our Week-At-A-Glance email to stay updated.
Reading Groups
These are typically semester-long groups that read and discuss a piece of classic literature chapter-by-chapter, week-by-week. Our discussions often focus on the theological and philosophical implications of the work, and the human themes in the narrative. Past works have included The Odyssey by Homer, Macbeth by Shakespeare, A Tale of Two Cities by Dickens, Augustine’s Confessions, The short stories of Flannery O’connor, and Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis.
Check the calendar and sign up for our Week-At-A-Glance email to stay updated.
Biblical Literacy
This is our most popular course. Meeting about eight times over as many weeks, Brian Allred takes us deep into the biblical text on journey for the mind as well as the heart. These are seminary-type studies without the homework. The discussions are rich. Past topics have been The Miracles of Jesus, David: God’s Chosen King, the Meaning of the Crucifixion, and Proverbs among others.
Check the calendar and sign up for our Week-At-A-Glance email to stay updated.
Guest Speakers on Campus
ASC loves to collaborate with other student groups. Often those collaborations result in bringing nationally known speakers to campus. In the past we’ve worked with BSU’s Institute for the Study of Political Economy to host jazz vocalist & composer and Frederick Douglass scholar, Ruth Naomi Floyd; and with a variety of campus ministries to bring former Indiana Fever President, Dr. Allison Barber to the Student Center ballroom.
Check the calendar and sign up for our Week-At-A-Glance email to stay updated.
Library
Our Library is open to all and has over 1000 volumes in circulation. Are you a Christian student looking for legit scholars in your field of study who have considered it through the lens of historical Christianity? Or maybe a faculty member doing the same? Do you want a good novel, play, or book of poetry to excite and form your imagination? Perhaps you are skeptical of faith and would like to better understand why it is so important to others?
Open Hours / Study Tables
Our space is welcoming, and we always offer free seltzer water, Oreos, and coffee. Come to study. Come to chat. Come to check out the library. Our open hours may vary depending on availability of hosts, but we post them each week.
Check the calendar and sign up for our Week-At-A-Glance email to stay updated.
Seasonal Events
Concerts, writing workshops, BBQ & cornhole, and lots of other stuff.
Check the calendar and sign up for our Week-At-A-Glance email to stay updated.
Letter Writing
Find us in the AJ Atrium or the North Dining Hall writing letters. We provide the fancy paper and envelopes…and even the stamps! If you’ve never written a letter or addressed an envelope, we’ll help. No catch. We just think that hand-written communication—especially to family and loved ones—is a worthwhile and very human endeavor.
Check the calendar and sign up for our Week-At-A-Glance email to stay updated.
ASC Student Advisory Board
Are you looking for opportunities to grow in Christian thinking and leadership? The Alcuin Study Center Student Advisory Board has three main purposes: 1) to grow as Christian thinkers, 2) to be ambassadors to Christian ministries and other student groups on campus, and 3) to plan and execute programming.
