Master of Arts in Intercultural Commerce

Missiological Anthropology
This course explores cultural anthropology with special attention to the impact of culture on understanding and receiving the gospel message. Critical elements of political, social, religious, economic, kinship, and other areas of anthropology are included to prepare students for cross-cultural ministry. The course provides a framework for cross-cultural workers to understand forces that shape people’s beliefs and behaviors and to understand the transformational power of God’s contextualized word in their own lives and the lives of those they serve in a cross-cultural setting.

Applied Anthropology
This course explores cultural anthropology with special attention to the impact of culture on working cross-culturally. Critical elements of political, social, religious, economic, kinship, and other areas of anthropology are included to prepare students for cross-cultural work of various types. The course provides a framework for cross-cultural workers to understand forces that shape people’s beliefs and behaviors as they interact with those of other cultures.

This course provides a biblical overview of leadership models illustrated in Scripture with the focus on demonstrating how servant leadership is the preferred model. The course also establishes the basis for participants to begin building their own theological rationale for how they view and practice leadership, including an understanding of leadership emergence, leader empowerment, and team dynamics. The course also explores the dynamics of servant leadership and these same issues in cross-cultural settings and with multiple cultural representatives in team effort.

Mission Theology
This course focuses on developing a theology of Mission (Missio Dei) for field engagement and ecclesial development. Focusing on the “Story of Scripture,” or Scripture’s “metanarrative,” the course uses narrative theology to develop an understanding of God’s historical engagement with people to establish current insight into his approach to the peoples of the world today. Special emphasis is given to the word of God as it engages different contexts.

Global Philosophy and Religion
This course focuses on developing a clear understanding of the impact of religion and global philosophical trends, arising from ancient historical writings through today’s global interaction.

Missionary Formation
Missionary Formation addresses issues involved in personal and familial growth in spirituality while engaged and immersed in the pressures and dynamics of a cross-cultural ministry. The course develops strategies and continuing practices required to satisfy the needs of both children and parents under the stress of working in a context that demands high levels of change in family, social integration, and cultural isolation. Issues of conflict resolution and relationship building among team and family members are also addressed as a beginning to cross-cultural worker care.

Dynamics of Cross-Cultural Growth
This course addresses issues involved in personal and familial growth while engaged and immersed in the pressures and dynamics of living and working cross-culturally. This course develops strategies and continuing practices required to satisfy the needs of both children and parents under the stress of working in a context that demands high levels of change in family, social integration, and cultural isolation. Issues of conflict resolution and relationship building among team and family members are also addressed as a beginning to cross-cultural worker care.

Living & Working in the Muslim World
This course enables students to develop a deeper understanding of a chosen area of Muslim context in today’s world. Special attention is given to the religion of the area, cultural differences, and communication barriers and bridges.

Animism and Folk Religions
This course examines the unique problems and strategies for communicating effectively in cross-cultural animistic contexts. Special attention is given to the student’s personal role in intercultural communication, including language, behavior, and sensitivities needed to bridge cultural boundaries.

This course innovatively establishes the fundamental concepts, principles, and tools necessary for social entrepreneurship. Combining development, business, and missiological theory in order to respond to the needs of a community, this course moves beyond business as mission and examines criteria for starting, building, and running a project that makes an impact for Christ and is a developmental asset to the local community.

This course examines business from a multinational perspective concerning the global, economic, political, cultural, and social environment within which firms operate. Students will synthesize research and application to develop a framework of analysis for global business planning.

This course examines micro and macro economic forces in organizations and throughout the economy. The student gains insight into how the markets function, including an understanding of how individual managers and consumers generate the fundamentals of market supply and demand, governing the prices and quantities sold in all economic transactions.

Students explore the strategies of how a company decides what to sell, identifies its target market(s), and determines the best method(s) of reaching them. An emphasis will be placed on developing a marketing plan for a profit or nonprofit organization.

Microfinance for Missions
This course introduces Christian leaders to concepts and approaches to microfinance, as well as to dynamics of customer expectations. It facilitates approaches to designing new culturally appropriate and relevant products, along with methods of distribution suitable to the context. Students explore ways to develop seed lending and financial resources, regulate assets and expenses, and assess sustainability.

Microfinance for Development
This course introduces development leaders to concepts and approaches to microfinance, as well as to dynamics of customer expectations. It facilitates approaches to designing new culturally appropriate and relevant products, along with methods of distribution suitable to the context. Students explore ways to develop seed lending and financial resources, regulate assets and expenses, and assess sustainability.

This course presents major theoretical concepts that identify sustainable ecological, economical, and sociological system resources toward the end of setting them in balance with real human needs. It equips the Christian developer to approach development projects biblically, theoretically, and in a way that sustains long-term viability.

Working in close conjunction with faculty, students engage in a self-designed project on a given field. Faculty interact with students to facilitate project planning, engagement, and management. This serves as a concrete assessment of the student’s ability to function in the field.