PhD in Intercultural Studies
Description
The PhD (Intercultural Studies) Program provides an opportunity for those with significant intercultural ministry experience to develop research and leadership skills in the field of evangelism, missions, mission education, and missiology through intensive resident course work and research. The program trains evangelists, missionaries and world leaders for significant leadership positions in global ministries. Our mission is to help leaders develop their God-given abilities to serve Christ by proclaiming his gospel to every nation.
Intercultural Studies Defined
Intercultural studies represents a broad category of scholarly inquiries related to the differences and commonalities across cultures. Human commonalities are understood to be based on the oneness of humankind and differences to be the outgrowth of historical, geographic and sociopolitical variability. The scholarly task in this field of doctoral studies is to grasp with knowledge and wisdom those matters of diversity that impinge on human relationships and understandings of reality, and to evaluate these in the light of biblical teaching.
 Dr. Robert Priest, Program Director |
Socioanthropological inquiry is used to help understand the nature of intercultural relationships and to develop substantial awareness, knowledge of the skills of analysis and interpretation, and theoretical comprehension of the nature and consequences of sociocultural diversity. Effective human relationships and communication of ideas and images from one culture to another require an understanding of intercultural dynamics.
The foundation of the program is evangelical Christian theology, which provides the basis for the evaluation of the interaction between a given culture and the gospel in such areas as evangelism, church planting, and theologizing. The field of intercultural studies explores in scholarly modes the tasks that demand the proper contextualization of the biblical message and focuses on the missiological purposes of God in the world.
Purpose and Nature of the Program
The purpose of the Doctor of Philosophy (Intercultural Studies) is to assist in the development of specialists in evangelism and mission-related strategy, research, and teaching for church, parachurch, and institutional ministry. Students are usually well established in intercultural ministries connected with the world mission of the church, whether at home or abroad. Participation in the program links them with a broad-based community of scholars and provides tools to promote lifelong learning. Many of Trinity's PhD/ICS students participate in the program during sabbatical or other educational leaves from Christian mission organizations, colleges, seminaries, and churches. The admission requirements presuppose that the student has completed one or more graduate degrees and has had substantial recent experience in a mission-related ministry. Relatively few students are in major career transitions.
All PhD/ICS students take a common core of required courses. Each course and seminar is conducted so as to encourage diversity and to provide opportunities for a wide range of research interests and needs. Furthermore, the program allows flexibility in the design of a personal program of study that best serves the professional and academic needs of the individual participant.
The program is designed for academic development of experienced persons in higher educational leadership development in institutional, church, and parachurch missions leadership. It is an academic doctorate with requirements and expectations comparable to American university and seminary research PhD standards. Comprehensive examinations and the formal presentation of the dissertation proposal take place during the second or third year.