Bachelor of Arts in Intercultural Studies

Our BA degree will prepare you to effectively minister in any culture. In four years you will gain a deeper understanding of the Word of God, grow in your own walk with the Lord, and develop an international and intercultural perspective on life and ministry.

As a BA degree student your first two years of study will consist of pre-field training, focused on biblical and theological studies, personal spiritual development, and courses in missions and ministry. After pre-field training you will be ready to head overseas! You will spend the next 16 months on Global Internship, living and studying in another country with a team of fellow students. Global Internship is an outstanding catalyst to explore culture, participate in a variety of real life ministries, and find out how you personally fit into God’s plan for the world.

At the end of Global Internship your team will return to the Minnesota campus for a final semester designed to help you process and integrate all you have experienced. You will graduate from Bethany with an understanding of your personal strengths and spiritual gifts, ministry-focused career options, contacts in the US and abroad, and a tangible plan for the next step God has for you.

Minor Concentrations

Students pursuing the Bachelor of Arts in Intercultural Studies have the option within the program structure to pursue the following minors:

Kingdom Justice

The concentration in Kingdom Justice allows students to focus their Intercultural Studies program on issues directly related to seeing the presence of God’s Kingdom on earth
exemplified in responding to issues created by human injustice such as racism, oppression, human trafficking and persecution. Students will examine biblical perspectives of justice, and
historical patterns of injustice as well as the Church’s historical and contemporary response to injustice. This concentration will prepare a student to work in partnership with others in
intercultural environments to bring Kingdom principles to bear on issues of injustice in the world today.

The objectives of this concentration are:

1. Define issues of human injustice and the cultural and worldview issues which contribute to their cause and perpetuation.
2. Describe the contrast between humanistic approaches and Kingdom approaches to human injustice.
3. Describe historical and contemporary responses of the Church to issues of social injustice.
4. Describe Kingdom-oriented opportunities and approaches to dealing with injustice in intercultural settings.
5. Define and apply issues of partnership and collaboration to the discovery of solutions to injustice.

Social Entrepreneurship

The concentration in Social Entrepreneurship allows students to focus their Intercultural Studies program on bringing social change through the use of innovative partnerships and entrepreneurial business models to collaboratively identify problems and define solutions. Students will examine historical and contemporary roles of international businesses and
non-government organizations (NGOs), the concept of building social capital, and a basic overview of macro and microeconomics. This concentration will prepare a student to work in
partnership with others in intercultural environments to identify issues and create solutions for social change.

The objectives of this concentration are:

1. Define issues of human need and social change as related to contemporary world issues and the impact of social crises such as war and displacement.
2. Describe historical and contemporary approaches to social change.
3. Describe a basic understanding of macro and microeconomics as they relate to social change situations.
4. Define the concept of social capital and relate it to issues of social change.
5. Describe biblical approaches to dealing with social change in intercultural settings.
6. Define and apply issues of partnership and collaboration to the discovery of solutions for social change.

Early Childhood Development

The concentration in Early Childhood Development allows students to focus their Intercultural Studies program on the specific needs of younger children. Students will gain a
foundational understanding of theories of how children develop and learn and will examine the planning and implementation of learning activities for young children in areas of practical
life, language development, science, art, mathematics and culture. This concentration will prepare a student to work in partnership with others in intercultural environments to minister
directly to the needs of pre-school age children.

1. Define developmental and learning needs of young children and describe specifically the Montessori approach to meeting these needs.
2. Demonstrate the ability to plan and implement the basic Christian Montessori Curriculum in intercultural settings.
3. Describe biblical opportunities and approaches to meeting the needs of young children and their families.
4. Define and apply issues of partnership and collaboration to the creation of learning opportunities for young children in intercultural settings.

*The individual minors and concentrations are in development and are therefore subject to change.

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