Asbury University’s interdisciplinary liberal arts curriculum, Foundations, is required for every undergraduate student. This curriculum is rooted in rigorous inquiry and pursued in the light of Christian faith and practice.
We know the value of liberal arts courses: they develop useful skills that are in demand across a wide variety of careers and fields. This prepares graduates for success in the workforce. The Asbury Foundations program is organized around 5 key conceptual areas. Explore these and the sample courses and texts that our students are exposed to as a part of each focus.
Develop life-long Biblical literacy and theological understanding that will inform human life.
Sample courses:
Attend Chapel three times each week with your classmates.
Sample texts used in these courses include:
Sandra Richter, The Epic of Eden: A Christian Entry Into the Old Testament
Keith Drury, Soul Shaper: Becoming the Person God Wants You to Be
John Perry, A Dialogue on Personal Identity and Immortality
Rebecca DeYoung, Glittering Vices: A New Look at the Seven Deadly Sins and Their Remedies
Use art, history, music, literature and philosophy to interpret the human condition.
Foreign languages offered:
Annie Dillard, Teaching a Stone to Talk
Willa Cather, My Antonía
Fyodor Dostoevsky, Notes from Underground
Yaa Gyasi, Homegoing
Demonstrate how key concepts from the social and behavioral sciences help to identify and address the human experience.
Experience immersion into a diverse culture through a required cross-cultural engagement experience.
Sample texts include:
Myers and DeWall, Psychology in Everyday Life
James Bradley, Flyboys : A True Story of Courage
Susan Ferguson, Mapping the Social Landscape
Lee Hamilton, How Congress Works: And Why You Should Care
Think critically and problem-solve through the interpretation and analysis of data.
Viewing Life Mathematically: A Pathway to Quantitative Literacy
Use the scientific method to engage in an exploration of the natural world, and closely examine practices that promote environmental stewardship and personal well-being.
Sciences offered:
Complete a course on wellness and fulfill a physical activity requirement.
Richard Wright, Biology Through the Eyes of Faith
Matthew Johll, Investigating Chemistry: A Forensic Science Perspective
Hoeger and Hoeger, Fitness and Wellness
Foundations is a transformative experience. It challenges you to explore life’s most important questions.
Through your academic life at Asbury, you will learn how to think, and how to live and flourish in a complex world; you will gain expertise in your area of study and a foundation of knowledge to prepare you for the rapidly changing world. Asbury University will prepare you for jobs that haven’t been invented yet and we’re confident that AU’s integrative academic programs will give you a passion for a lifetime of learning, and for professional and career success.
Why are we so confident? Because Foundations train you to connect your major with other disciplines and engage with multiple perspectives. You’ll leave AU with a deep understanding of your field and the ability to approach it from any direction.
You will be equipped to meet the challenges of the contemporary world with robust Christian faith, passion, intelligence, creativity, civic responsibility and moral courage.