Core Texts

Understand the human condition, the meaning of justice and our place in the cosmos through Samford's Core Texts Program.

For books are more than books, they are the life, the very heart and core of ages past, the reason why men worked and died, the essence and quintessence of their lives. Marcus Tullius Cicero

The Core Texts Program is a two-semester experience taken during the first year at Samford and serves as a cornerstone of the Samford Commons. In these courses, students engage classic texts of major cultural significance while exploring enduring questions about the human condition, justice, meaning and humanity’s place in the world.

Through close reading, thoughtful discussion and guided conversation with expert faculty, students develop the habits of critical thinking and reflection that shape their entire college experience. Rather than prescribing what to think, Core Texts challenges students to think deeply, ask better questions and engage ideas that continue to shape Christian faith and the modern world. This shared academic experience lays a strong intellectual foundation that supports every major and encourages lifelong curiosity and wisdom.

Our Philosophy

Four words summarize our philosophy in the Core Texts Program: Quaestio, Disputatio, Fides and Ratio.

Inquiry (Quaestio)

We teach you how to ask questions.

Discussion (Disputatio)

We believe dialogue and discussion foster intellectual engagement.

Faith (Fides)

We believe in the Christian faith to understand our nature, hope and purpose.

Reason (Ratio)

We work to develop students’ capacity to reason well and think critically.

Inquiry, discussion, faith and reason reveal what makes us human. From its earliest inception, higher education pursued questions and answers that transmitted values from generation to generation. Many contemporary college and university curriculums neglect this pursuit. Samford's Core Texts Program equips our students with an intellectual narrative that will help them navigate the modern world's complicated marketplace of ideas. Additionally, we connect that rich narrative to the Christian intellectual tradition so that students are better able to see faith and reason as interconnected parts of the human experience.

Transformative Experiences

The Core Texts Program offers enriching learning opportunities that encourage your intellectual development in your first year of college.

Core Texts London

Rising sophomores nominated by faculty are invited to apply for this selective program, which offers the opportunity to study and discuss foundational works in history, philosophy and literature while exploring the vibrant historic city of London, where many of these ideas were written and debated. Your generosity can help support exceptional students as they engage in this transformative academic and cultural experience. By supporting the Core Texts London Program, you are investing in future leaders who will draw from this life-changing opportunity throughout their lives and careers. Donations directly support student scholarships, faculty engagement and the preservation of unique learning opportunities that align with Samford’s mission of fostering knowledge, faith and purpose.

Support This Program

Athens and Rome

Samford's Howard College of Arts and Sciences Department of Classics and Philosophy offers a spectacular three-week educational experience in Greece and Italy, where students can immerse themselves in the cultures that shaped the foundational literature of Western civilization. Through this program, students are introduced to the history and culture of Greece and the Greco-Roman world by exploring the geography, physical remains, and museum artifacts of these historic regions. By participating, students gain a deeper understanding of the ancient world and its enduring influence on modern society while engaging in a transformative academic and cultural journey.

"We read about specific events that occurred in London, and afterward, we would tour the real-life locations where those events took place. You cannot get that experience with any typical history-related course."—Jose Ocampo '25

Fall Curriculum

During the fall semester, you are introduced to great thinkers from the Greeks, the Romans, Early Christianity, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation. Central texts include:

Greece and the Ancient World

Homer, The Iliad
Greek Tragedy: Aeschylus, Euripides, Sophocles, Aristophanes
Herodotus, Histories
Plato, Republic, Death of Socrates
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Politics

Rome and Early Christianity

Vergil, The Aeneid
Cicero, Defense Speeches
Seneca, Selected Letters
Augustine, Confessions, The City of God
The Passion of Perpetua and Felicitas

Middle Ages

Benedict of Nursia, Rule of Saint Benedict
Selections from The Quran
Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica
Marie de France, The Lais
Julian of Norwich, Revelations
Dante, The Divine Comedy

Renaissance and Reformation

Giovanni Pico Della Mirandola, Oration on the Dignity of Man
Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince
Martin Luther, Concerning Christian Liberty
John Calvin, The Institutes of the Christian Religion
Teresa of Avila, The Interior Castle

101 Asian World Core Texts

Confucius, The Analects
Siddhartha Gautama, The Path to Enlightenment
Buddhist Nuns, Therigatha
Lao Tzu, Tao-te Ching

Spring Curriculum

Spring semester takes you through the age of European explorations, the Scientific Revolution, the Enlightenment and the ideological foment of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Central texts include: