Nyack Christian Education | Intercultural Studies Major (B.A.)

Intercultural Studies

Intercultural Studies Major (B.A.)

Primary Faculty: Scott Reitz, Mary Cloutier

The Intercultural Studies major is designed with the academic and professional equipping needed for international and intercultural service. The courses in this curriculum will acquaint students with the social, economic, religious, and cultural diversities of the world’s peoples and the principles of development and change that affect world cultures.

Students in the Intercultural Studies major will be equipped to work in a variety of cultural contexts, to cope with cultural changes, to communicate with people of other worldviews, and to understand those whose life situations have forced them to cross cultural lines.

Concentrations may be taken in Global Outreach, TESOL, Urban Context, Community Development, Leadership and Administration and Global Entrepreneurship.

Students in the Intercultural Studies major are required to take a one semester of immersion language school and a twelve-week internship internationally during the fall semester their junior year and are encouraged to engage in various courses offered by Nyack College and its partners during their time at Nyack.

126 credit hours, distributed as follows, are required for the Bachelor of Arts degree:

Liberal Arts and Science Core Component 49*
*Foreign Language Component (12 credits)
2 years (4 semesters) of the same language

Bible and Ministry Minor Curriculum 15

Major Field Component (33 credits)
ANT 201 - Cultural Anthropology 3
ICS 224 - Introduction to Global Engagement 3

LIN 343 - Culture and Communication 3
PMN 346 - Personal Spiritual Formation (Worldview requirement) 3
ICS 346 - Intercultural Adjustment 3
REL 314 - World Religions (Worldview requirement) 3
ICS --------Intercultural Teams and Communities 3
ICS 470- Intercultural Senior Seminar 3
ICS --- – Intercultural Internship 3

2 Electives from the following Anthropology courses:
ANT 222 - Peoples and Cultures of Southeast Asia
ANT 223 - Peoples and Cultures of Sub-Saharan Africa
ANT 224 - Peoples and Cultures of Latin America
ANT 225 - Peoples and Cultures of the Arab World
ANT 255 - World Cultural Geography 6

1Elective from the following Religion courses:
REL 344 - Catholicism and Orthodoxy
REL 442 - South Asian Religions
REL 445 - Islam
REL 446 - History of Judaism
REL 448 - East Asian Religions 3

Concentration Component 15

Liberal Art Electives 14

Total credits required 126

Concentrations

Community Development: Designed for students with a desire to work with international NGO’s this course of study addresses the physical, economic, sociological and spiritual implications of poverty, disease and war. With emphasis on international work, this concentration approaches community development through both macro and micro lenses, examining problems and solutions from global policy to grass roots movements. May be taken both as a terminal program and as preparation for graduate studies.

Global Entrepreneur: Designed for students who look to develop a business cross culturally. With an emphasis on crossing cultures, students will be equipped through business courses with globally-minded faculty. Internship placement will be with international business partners. May be taken both as a terminal program and as preparation for graduate studies.

Global Outreach: Designed for students who desire to specialize in a ministry of evangelism, disciple making, and church planting. May be taken both as a terminal program and as preparation for graduate studies.

Leadership and Administration: Designed for students who feel desire to be equipped for leadership and administration in the global community. A special focus is given to the development of the young leader. May be taken both as a terminal program and as preparation for graduate studies.

TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) : Designed for students who wish to work cross-culturally by teaching English as a second language. May be taken both as a terminal program and as preparation for graduate studies.

Urban Context: Designed for students with a clear vision for work in the Urban Context. Theological and sociological implications for urban ministry are emphasized throughout the course of study. May be taken both as a terminal program and as preparation for graduate studies.