Published on August 25, 2025 by Gunnar Sadowey  
CoreTextsBooks

Samford Students will experience a new approach to Core Texts through a pair of campuswide lectures that align directly with assigned readings in the curriculum. The events beginning this fall highlight an initiative to enhance learning by creating shared academic experiences outside the classroom.

Organized by the Core Texts Program, the lecture series is designed to help students explore enduring ideas, connect them to larger intellectual traditions and reflect more deeply on the works they study together.

“These lectures give students a shared academic experience that builds on their classroom work,” said Annie DeVries, associate professor of history and director of Core Texts at Samford. “For the first time, all Core Texts classes will be reading authors like Plato, Aristotle and Augustine at the same time during the same semester, and these lectures will deepen their understanding of the authors’ ideas and historical contexts.”

The first lecture, “The Legacy of the Polis: Power, Persuasion and Philosophy,” will take place Thursday, Sept. 11, at 10 a.m. in the Wright Center. Led by Andrew Montgomery, associate professor of classics and philosophy, the session will examine ancient Greek culture and philosophy with attention to how values related to place and citizenship continue to influence Western and Christian thought. Students in Core Texts courses will be reading Plato and Aristotle during this semester.

The second lecture, “God, Law and Humans: What’s Law Got to Do with It?” is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 23, at 10 a.m., also in the Wright Center. Rony Kozman, assistant professor of biblical and religious studies, will lead students through key themes in early Christianity and the natural law tradition, laying the groundwork for a transition to medieval texts later in the curriculum.

Both lectures are open to all students and are eligible for convocation credit. A third lecture is planned for spring 2026.

“These lectures aren’t just for freshmen,” DeVries said. “Since nearly all Samford students take Core Texts, sophomores and upperclassmen can also attend and see the lasting value of their Core Texts education.”

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Located in the Homewood suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks with the second highest score in the nation for its 98% Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.