Intercultural Studies Program Summary

Program Summary

Department of Intercultural Studies

Southwest Baptist University offers the Intercultural Studies B.A. degree program (ICS) and has pioneered in offering a six-month semester abroad field experience. This degree purposes to prepare students intentionally for a cross-cultural ministry. These symbols illustrate the preparation process:


Bible & Theology		Discipleship		Skills	Cross-cultural Ministry

At the very minimum, ICS majors will:

Become servant leaders, knowing who they are and how to serve others instead of themselves,
Appreciate and adapt to cultures different from their own,
Learn in the context of relationships to speak a foreign language,
Read from the history, strategies, mistakes, and successes of previous cross-cultural workers,
Study the worldviews of the major world religions,
Communicate the gospel cross-culturally, especially in story form,
Research a people group and develop an evangelism strategy for that group,
Develop a secular or market skill as a platform for cross-cultural ministry.

The motivation and passion of the ICS major is that the nations would worship and serve God through Jesus Christ. This major is only for those serious about servanthood and cross-cultural ministry.

Our ICS graduates will assume roles in at least four areas of professional service:

Appointment with sending agencies as cross-cultural evangelists, disciplers, translators, etc.
Secular international platforms, such as, ESL teachers, community development advocates, education consultants, sports directors, business leaders, etc.,
Cross-cultural ministers among North America's ethnic communities or urban poor,
Church staff and college ministries which train and mobilize others to serve cross-culturally.

ICS DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

In addition to courses required for General Education and SBU Graduation, the ICS major offers three groups of courses:

The INTERCULTURAL STUDIES CORE (32 credit hours) emphasizes cultural understanding, personal growth, cross-cultural communication, and theological truth.

ICS 2013 Cultural and Global Awareness
BIB 2093 Method of Biblical Interpretation
ICS 2911 Cross-cultural Service Project
ICS 3033 World Christian Foundations
PHI 4023 World Religions
ICS 3073 Storying and Discipling

ICS 3043 Spiritual Prep for Service
ICS 4121 International Platforms
Elective from Bible or Phil. of Religion
Christian Doctrine or Church History
Elective from ICS, Bible, Philosophy or Theology
ICS 3053 Survival Abroad

The SEMESTER ABROAD (16 credit hours) immerses the student in language, culture, cross-cultural service and research projects. The Semester Abroad is six months (June to December) and will occur in the student's senior year. Cost for this incredible experience is about $5,200 plus the regular SBU tuition. Students must take a good laptop computer. If the ICS student is married, spouse and family must participate in this overseas experience as well.
- ICS 2118 Barefoot Language Learning places the student in a month-long homestay with a national family, where he/ she learns language and culture within these social relationships.
- ICS 2911 Cross-Cultural Service Project and ICS 4982 Apprenticeship Practicum engages the student in projects such as ESL or sports under the direction of a career cross-cultural worker.
- ICS 4082 Ethnography and Strategy will lead the student to research a people group.
- BIB 4063 Intercultural Theologizing examines how cultures interpret the Bible differently.
The MARKET SKILL PLATFORM (at least 15 credit hours) equips the student with a secular market skill. Having such a skill may help the student enter a restrictive country, and having such a skill will always be useful in cross-cultural service. The least-intensive Platforms (requiring as little as 15 credit hours) are: Business Management, Computer Science, Education, English as a Second Language, Health Care, Sports Management, Social Work, and a Customized Platform. However what is most recommended is that the student take a second Major or a Minor in some discipline outside Theology and Ministry (such as Art, Music, Education, Biology, Theater, Sociology, Communication, Business), which then satisfies this Market Skill requirement.

FACULTY: The ICS program is part of the Redford College of Theology and Ministry, which has a strong reputation for excellent academics and conservative theology. Dr. Rodney Reeves is the Dean, and Dr. Jim Frost is the Faculty-Director of the ICS program. ICS majors will have many courses both in the Redford College as well as the University as a whole. Special two-week classes are also offered, such as, "Islamic Studies", "Indigenous Christian Community", "Children of the World at Risk", "International Platforms", and "Global Health."

MINOR IN INTERCULTURAL STUDIES (22 credits). Students, interested in cross-cultural ministry but who major in another academic discipline, may still complete a Minor in Intercultural Studies. The Minor includes most of the ICS Core but does not include the Semester Abroad.
ICS 2013 Cultural and Global Awareness
BIB 2093 Methods of Biblical Interpretation
ICS 2911 Cross-cultural Service Project
ICS 3033 World Christian Foundations
PHI 4023 World Religions
ICS 3073 Storying and Discipling Cross-culturally
Two electives from Bible, Theology, Philosophy or Intercultural Studies.

Please browse through the pages listed in the navigation menu on the left for other ICS information, including student overseas journals.

For enrollment or information, contact Admissions, Southwest Baptist University, 1600 University, Bolivar, MO 65613, at 1-800-526-5859, or email admitme@SBUniv.edu.

Southwest Baptist University is a Christ-centered, caring academic community preparing students to be servant leaders in a global society.