Asbury Brings Innovative Digital and Global Courses to History Program

March 21, 2024

This fall, the Asbury University Social Science & History Department will launch a renewed History major and minor that brings an innovative and timely new focus on global topics and digital methods.

“Our revamped major and minor ensures students have a more global perspective while also offering them the chance to gain some marketable skills in data science and front-end development,” said Assistant Professor of History Dr. Alex Mayfield. “Our history students are already well-prepared for graduate school, law school, or careers in public history, museums, libraries and more. These changes make them even more competitive.”

The renewed program provides a stronger focus on subjects, methodologies, and skills that prepare students for our interconnected world and help them thrive in the global marketplace.

“We are one of a handful of schools in the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities offering a history program that teaches digital methodologies,” Mayfield said. “A lot of students in the U.S. do not have the chance to learn these skills at other universities, which makes our program unique.”

Asbury History professors continue to publish research. In November, Mayfield published a book, The Kaleidoscopic City: Hong Kong, Mission, and the Evolution of Global Pentecostalism. To learn more about the book, listen to Dr. Mayfield’s recent episode on the “This Is Asbury” podcast. Mayfield also serves as a co-investigator for the China Historical Christian Database, the largest dataset on historical Christianity in China: https://chcdatabase.com/.

Also in the Asbury History Program, Professor of History Dr. David Swartz plans to publish two books within the next year: To Live and Die in Dixie: A Kentucky Town Wrestles with Memory, Identity, and Its Confederate Statue and Red-Light Rescue: American Evangelical Antitraffickers in Southeast Asia. Learn more: https://davidrswartz.com/.

“Ultimately, these changes are about ensuring students will continue to gain knowledge and skillsets that prepare them for whatever career path they choose after graduation,” Mayfield said. “The liberal arts teach students how to think critically about concrete problems while also making connections between areas that might seem unrelated. That sort of thinking can help students manage companies, run ministries, and succeed in various fields.”

New minors announced  

Two new minors in the Social Science & History Department include Human Trafficking Studies and Pre-Law for students to customize with electives in various areas including business, equine, computer science, and more.

“When it is done well, history makes you a critical thinker and a compassionate person,” Mayfield said. “Today’s world needs people who can be empathetic and who understand other people’s perspectives. Without that perspective, we will never be able to realize our own limitations or recognize the possibility of what the world could be.”

The Asbury University Social Science & History Department offers four majors (History, Political Science, Social Studies Grades 8-12, and Sociology) and three minors (History, Political Science, and Sociology). Learn more: https://www.asbury.edu/academics/departments/social-science-history/.