In Global Perspectives courses, students first explore Western traditions and their Christian influences, and build the skills to communicate in a foreign language. They develop a deeper understanding of modern American and European cultures. This background provides a context for the study of other cultures and the analysis of selected systems that are based upon these diverse cultures. Through Global Perspectives courses, students learn to:

• Identify the plurality of worldviews, perspectives, and values
• Analyze cultures from a biblical perspective
• Compare mutual influences among nations, peoples, faiths, and cultures
• Analyze relationships and inequality within and between societies
• Engage in conversations about meanings and traditions
• Communicate and collaborate effectively with diverse individuals

Why study Global Perspectives?

Our world is becoming smaller through advances in transportation and communication, the United States is increasingly diverse in culture, language, and religion, and the church is growing worldwide, with the majority of Christians living outside of North America and Europe. To serve wisely, sensitively, and competently, we must be able to:

• Recognize the ways in which the past influences the present
• Appreciate the plurality of worldviews
• Understand how cultures are transmitted
• Place our own culture in the context of those cultures that are significantly different from it
• Understand systems that organize people's common life

Courses & Course Categories

• GES130 Christianity & Western Culture*
• CATEGORY: Second Language (S)
• CATEGORY: Contemporary Western Life & Thought (L)*
• CATEGORY: World Cultures (U)
• CATEGORY: Comparative Systems (G)
• CATEGORY: Cross-cultural Experience (Z)

*This course is integrated into the Humanities Program for students in that track.