Non-traditional & Distance Education Courses

Cannot come to Dallas? No problem! There are many Distance Education offerings at Dallas International University. Click on each tab below to learn about each type of non-traditional course.  Always check the latest Course Schedule to see what courses are being offered during coming terms. Occasionally we are not able to offer a course during the term it is normally offered.

All Distance Education courses at DIU (including Synchronous Learning [SL], Online [OL], and Intensive [IN] courses) are fully equivalent to their traditional classroom counterparts for filling any program requirements.

Non-Texas Residents Welcome

Dallas International University has been approved to participate in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA).   For more information, view our State Authorization for Distance Education page.

Synchronous Learning (SL) courses allow students to attend Dallas International courses virtually. SL students attend class with on-campus students using video conferencing software. Attendance during scheduled class time is required. Assignments and other activities can be submitted via Dallas International Online.

DIU uses Zoom’s videoconferencing software for our Synchronous Learning courses. To use Zoom, you will need Internet access and a compatible device.  Zoom has very modest Internet bandwidth requirements and is compatible with Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android devices. View Zoom’s System Requirements page for more details.

AA4170a Cultural Anthropology (research supplement) (By arrangement) (1 undergraduate credit)

This course emphasizes ethnographic research methods and analysis. After completing this course, students will have satisfied DIU’s requirements in this regard.

AA4305 Second Language and Culture Acquisition (Spring/Summer/Fall) (3 undergraduate credits)

This course introduces students to learner-directed second language and culture acquisition with an emphasis on the beginning stages. Throughout the course students explore and examine perspectives on language and culture learning and develop strategies for dealing appropriately with cultural differences. The course includes a lab component which provides practical experience in learner-directed second language acquisition in a small group, non-instructed setting with a native speaker of another language.

AA4350 Language and Society (Spring/Summer/Fall) (3 undergraduate credits)

This course considers the relationship between language and society. After successfully completing the course, students will be able to articulate the multilingual nature of the world’s societies, the function(s) of language(s) in nations, and how different languages are used alongside one another, including the idea of diglossia. They will also be able to identify the factors influencing the choice among language varieties for national and educational use. In addition, students will be able to explain how language attitudes and domains of language use influence the long-term maintenance and/or shift of language(s) in society. They will be able to discuss how all the aforementioned may possibly affect an applied anthropology program for a given linguistic community.

AA4357 Genres of Oral Tradition (Fall) (3 undergraduate credits)

Oral traditions, especially storytelling, may include aspects of entertainment, but they are art forms and a discipline of academic study.  This introductory course will integrate information from various disciplines and include topics that contribute to and are related to the general field of oral traditions. The course examines four broad genres of oral traditions: proverbs, riddles, verse, and stories. For each of these four genres, the course covers three approaches: How to collect/observe the genre; How to analyze the genre; and How to apply the genre in ways that benefit the community.

AA4370 Cultural Anthropology (Spring/Fall) (3 undergraduate credits)

This course is an introduction to cultural anthropology with emphases on application and several research methods. The main assignment is a practicum or research project that includes having students make at least four study-visits outside class hours to a Dallas/Fort Worth-area cross-cultural social situation.

AA4372 Political and Social Systems (Spring) (3 undergraduate credits)

This course is an introduction to political and social systems worldwide. Subjects treated include basic types of political organizations, concepts and practices of authority, power, law, and decision-making.

AA4387 Training in Cross-Cultural Contexts (Spring) (3 undergraduate credits)

The course reviews adult learning theory. Students design and teach learning sessions to people of their own culture and to people of another culture, and analyze some of the cultural factors affecting learning and teaching.

AA5151 Cross-Cultural Teaching Seminar (Spring/Fall) (1 graduate credit)

The Cross-cultural teaching seminar allows students to analyze a teaching process from the perspective of both learning and teaching styles, and identify factors relevant to teaching cross-culturally.

AA5190 Thesis Writing (Spring/Fall) (1 graduate credit)

This course covers techniques and skill development for researching and writing a thesis. Topics include distinction between quantitative and qualitative research and the uses, advantages and disadvantages of each, Word style sheets and use of a thesis template to enforce the required style sheet, common parts of a research paper/thesis, description and implementation of the proposal writing process, ethical perspectives and implications for research, and problem areas in technical writing and critical thinking.

Note: This course is graded P/F. Completion of the course will count as one hour of thesis credit but will not trigger the requirement for continuing registration. For applied linguistics see AL5190.

AA5323 Multicultural Leadership (Fall) (3 graduate credits)

This course explores the implications multi-cultural settings have for leadership, specifically the impact cultural values, beliefs and worldviews have on leadership definitions, leadership styles, communications, authority and accountability dynamics, decision-making procedures, conflict management and ethics. Attention is given to biblical input for faith-based organizations in wrestling with the multi-cultural arena as well as dealing with practical cultural expressions which often reflect conflicting assumptions and allegiances. Suggestions are made for constructive responses to a variety of multi-cultural issues. A student who has taken this course and its prerequisites will be able to lead people who are working together from a variety of cultural backgrounds.

AA5324-SL Foundations of Global Migration and Diasporas (Fall) (3 graduate credits)

Global migration and diaspora peoples are both a biblical and historical reality. Understanding the forces driving global migration and the physical and spiritual context of diaspora peoples is essential for the Church as it seeks to commit resources towards the fulfillment of the Great Commission. This course explores the context of global migration and diaspora from historical, political, social/cultural and biblical perspectives. Additionally, students will be challenged to consider appropriate gospel responses to diaspora peoples that address both immediate and long-term needs.

AA5325 Multilingualism in Diaspora Contexts (Spring) (3 graduate credits)

Migrants respond to new linguistic contexts in a variety of ways. This course investigates the specific sociolinguistic dynamics of various multilingual diaspora communities. Attention is given to the various factors influencing language choice including economic factors and social pressures. Generational differences in language choice will be examined along with the emergence of hybridized identities and the resulting blended language approaches in some multilingual contexts.

AA5326 Anthropology of Migration (Fall) (3 graduate credits)

Anthropological examination of population movements around the globe, including voluntary and forced, migration, displacement, diaspora, and refugee flows. Students will analyze the underlying political, economic, and social dynamics of both internal and international migrations, and they will examine the personal and cultural experiences of movement. Students will assess international policies and efforts to address mobility. They will also consider connections between conflict and humanitarianism, urban displacement, the effects of climate change, the formation of refugee identities, and the social and economic relations of diasporas with their home countries. Students will use ethnographic methodologies to explore and better understand a diaspora community.

AA5327 Diaspora Economic Development (Spring) (3 graduate credits)

Migrants and refugees face unique economic challenges. This course focuses on the distinct economic challenges that diaspora groups face. There are varying diaspora contexts such as urban slums, transitional refugee camps, long term refugee camps, internal migration contexts, international migration, cyclical migration, remittance-based livelihoods, and others. Skills will include identifying the unique economic challenges of specific groups and the proposal of context-specific approaches to assist diaspora families and or communities to move toward sustainable economic stability.

AA5329 Diaspora Scripture Engagement (Spring) (3 graduate credits)

Begins Spring 2024. Diaspora communities often exist in religiously complex contexts. This course will provide an overview of home country religious expression. It will consider the challenges of contextualization within the unique experiences of migrant and refugee communities. Consideration will be given to language use, modalities, and felt needs related to Scripture engagement. Methodologies most appropriate to various diaspora contexts will be explored. (This course combines relevant components of AA5373 Religion and Worldview, AA5374 Christianity Across Cultures, and AA5355 Scripture Engagement Strategy and Methods but narrow the content by focusing on direct application to diaspora contexts.)

AA5330 Language Acquisition and Teaching (Spring) (3 graduate credits)

This course introduces students to learner-directed second language acquisition for the purpose of helping diaspora learners navigate new language contexts. Throughout the course students explore and examine perspectives on language learning and develop strategies for dealing appropriately with different contexts. Language learning environments include designing multilingual education for children and for adults and working in cooperation with local or national educational structures.

AA5333 Principles of Literacy (Summer/Fall) (3 graduate credits)

Students in this course study principles of culture and language relevant to working with language communities to plan literacy programs and prepare literacy materials. The course involves not only studying ideas, but also hands-on creating of a spelling system, literacy primers, and transition literacy materials. The course also covers training of teachers, funding, and program sustainability.

AA5340 Ethnographic Research Methods (Spring - Even numbered years) (3 graduate credits)

A wide variety of field methods for collecting ethnographic data is explored. Students have the opportunity to engage in a practicum in which to apply field methods to particular social contexts, demonstrating their ability in specific field methods.

AA5341 Social Science Research Design and Methods (Spring - Odd numbered years) (3 graduate credits)

This course helps researchers to learn the application of basic principles of the scientific method to the design of a research project. Topics and practical application of topics include research questions, variables related to research questions, testable hypotheses, and data-gathering instruments and methods.

AA5342 Statistical Methods (Fall - Even numbered years) (3 graduate credits)

Appropriate statistical methods for research in linguistics and related areas are considered. Course discussion includes the claims that can and cannot be made with statistics.

AA5343 Principles of Multilingual Education (Fall) (3 graduate credits)

Discussion in this course begins with the intersection of education and multilingualism in developing countries. Included are major perspectives on bilingualism, cognitive dimensions of bilingualism, and educational consequences of bilingualism. Comparison of various models of multilingual education with their strengths and weaknesses is considered. The question of what we can learn from major experiments in multilingual education launched in the last 40 years is a discussion topic. A key element of the course is consideration of implementation-related issues involved in organizing a multilingual education program, especially in a developing country.

AA5352 Program Design and Management (Spring) (3 graduate credits)

This course engages students in strategic planning procedures for working with speech communities to design and manage language development programs. Students will learn to differentiate key contextual factors, interpret community-based stakeholder input, and collaboratively formulate a program plan. Students will learn to appraise indicator data, deduce lessons being learned, and use their conclusions to revise the original program plan. The course will highlight the management skills crucial for collaborating with local community based organizational stakeholders, including a program goal to improve their capacity for managing language-development program activities.

AA5353 Language Development and Planning (Spring) (3 graduate credits)

The course addresses language-planning principles from an interdisciplinary perspective and applies these in language-development projects. The many topics included are status planning, involving language choice, policy and use decisions at the international, national, and local levels; corpus planning, involving graphization, standardization, and modernization; acquisition planning, involving the provision of opportunity and incentive to adopt innovations; and ethical issues relating to language rights and language ecology.

AA5354 Language Contact (Fall) (3 graduate credits)

The purpose of this course is to discuss phenomena which occur when speakers of different languages come in contact with each other, including such areas as multilingualism (societal and individual), creolistics (Pidgins and Creoles), and obsolescence (language maintenance, shift, and death, language-contact-induced language change, reversing language shift, etc.).

AA5355 Scripture Engagement Strategy and Methods (Fall) (3 graduate credits)

This course focuses on the sociolinguistic, socioeconomic, sociopolitical, and socio-religious factors that either hinder or foster the use of vernacular literature. Practical strategies and activities that promote the use of Bible translations in public and private venues are central.

Note: For those participating remotely, meeting times are flexible. The instructor will reasonably accommodate time zones availability and other availability issues.

AA5357 Oral Tradition and Literature (Fall) (3 graduate credits)

The course examines four broad genres of oral traditions: proverbs, riddles, verse, and stories. For each of these four genres, the course covers three approaches: 1)   How to collect/observe the genre, 2) How to analyze the genre, 3) How to apply the genre in ways that benefit the community. Each student will select a community/area to study during this course. The student will study proverbs, riddles, verse, and stories in the area of their choice and write a paper about each. At the end of the course, each student will propose at least two ways to apply the community’s oral arts in a way that benefits the community.

AA5361-SL Principles of Language Survey (By arrangement) (3 graduate credits)

Students study the linguistic and sociolinguistic criteria that can be used to define language and dialect boundaries. They learn to form appropriate research questions and choose appropriate research tools to discover ethnolinguistic identity, determine linguistic similarity, measure inherent intelligibility, assess bilingual proficiency, and describe language attitudes and patterns of language use. To implement these ideas, each student selects a particular language community in the world and prepares an appropriate survey proposal for that community.

AA5362-SL Language Survey Methods (By arrangement) (3 graduate credits)

Students study a variety of survey tools, then construct their own examples of these tests, implement them by using them with real people, and then write reports about their results.

AA5366 Theory and Practice of Sociolinguistics (By arrangement) (3 graduate credits)

Students study and discuss sociolinguistic variation at the level of a single language. Topics include such matters as the theory of variation; dialectology; ethnography of communication; pragmatics (power, solidarity, politeness); language and gender; social factors (time, generation, social class, social network, and identity); and standard and non-standard usage.

AA5370 Advanced Anthropology (Fall) (3 graduate credits)

This course provides students with both a breadth of instruction and focus of specific data analysis applicable to research and applied work across all subdisciplines in anthropology. Students will learn organize, classify, analyze and interpret anthropological data.

AA5372 Political and Social Organization (Spring) (3 graduate credits)

The course is an introduction to social and political organization worldwide. Subjects treated include social groups of various kinds and their principles of recruitment and organization – e.g., kinship, descent, marriage, residence, age, and choice. Also treated are various kinds of social and political relations, rites of passage for both persons and groups, basic types of political organization, concepts and practices of authority, power, law, and decision-making.

AA5373 Religion and Worldview (By arrangement) (3 graduate credits)

The course is an introduction to the range of religious systems of minority peoples worldwide, including universal religions and their folk varieties. Subjects treated include how religion has been defined by anthropologists and treated within anthropology. There is comparison and contrast of Christian and secular anthropological approaches to religion. There is a certain focus on witches and witch ontologies and how they compare to biblical idols.

AA5374 Christianity Across Cultures (Fall) (3 graduate credits)

The emergence of World Christianity and the growth of the church in the southern hemisphere has shifted the focus of mission toward questions concerning the components of Christianity that are variable across cultures. The course will explore questions of cultural context and tradition, the world Christian movement, the meaning and expression of contextualization and syncretism, and the cross-cultural embodiment of Christianity through conversion, ritual and worship, incarnational ministry, and church models. Through the analysis of case studies students will explore how Christianity is challenged to address social values, needs, and behaviors across a wide range of cultures, ethnic groups, and religious traditions.

AA5377 Area Studies (By arrangement) (3 graduate credits)

The course is an introduction to the geography, history, cultures, language families of interest, and other aspects of one area or sub-area of the world. Cultures are emphasized. Areas may be all or significant parts (not single countries) of sub-Saharan Africa, the Americas, Asia, Eurasia, or Oceania, depending on instructor availability.

AA5387 Training Across Cultures (Spring) (3 graduate credits)

To prepare for teaching and training people of different cultures, this course introduces students to adult learning theory, and equips them to analyze cultural factors affecting teaching and learning.

AA5398 Seminar in Applied Anthropology (TBA) (3 graduate credits)

This course has a unique Applied Anthropology topic and syllabus for each offering. It may be repeated when topic changes with permission of your graduate advisor.

May be repeated when topic changes, with permission of graduate advisor.

AA5399 Independent Study (By arrangement) (3 graduate credits)

This course is used for an individual student/s to study with a professor outside of the regularly scheduled course offerings. An Independent Study Permission form must be completed and submitted to Academic Affairs.

AC1305 Basic Biblical Hebrew (Fall) (3 undergraduate credits)

This course introduces students to the basics of Biblical Hebrew, focusing on reading, writing, and vocabulary. Identifying key verses from the lectionary cycle helps students navigate scripture as displayed in a Torah scroll. To practice skills, students will work with partners. Together the class will develop a variety of activities to stimulate interest in Hebrew learning.

AC2305 The Art of Hebrew Cantillation (Spring) (3 undergraduate credits)

This course introduces students to the Hebrew trope marks used to identify accented syllables, pauses and phrasing, punctuation, and the application of cantillation melodies for public reading of the Torah.

AC3305 Foundations of Torah (Spring) (3 undergraduate credits)

This course provides an in-depth understanding of the first five books of the Bible. More than law, Torah is “Instruction” for how a people can live and prosper in covenant relationship. Students in this class practice telling the Torah meta narrative according to this portion-based organization and prepare an in-depth presentation to feature a section of particular interest.

AC4305 Introduction to the Hebrew Scriptures (Fall) (3 undergraduate credits)

As an introductory survey of the history, literature, and message of the Old Testament, this course explores the unfolding of over-arching themes, narrative storyline, and intertextual relationships as understood by the history and historiography of the Hebrew scriptures. How Jewish, Christian, historical critical and post-modern approaches have shaped the reading of the canon will be a focus of class discussions.

AC4306 Introduction to the Greek Scriptures (Spring) (3 undergraduate credits)

As an introductory survey of the history, literature, and message of the New Testament, the course traces the unfolding of over-arching themes, narrative storyline, and intertextual relationships as experienced in its religious Jewish context within Greco-Roman society. How Christian, rabbinic and historical critical approaches shaped the reading of the canon will be a focus of class discussions.

AC4310 Introduction to Islam (Fall - Even numbered years) (3 undergraduate credits)

This course introduces students to basic elements of Islamic societies in their diverse expressions, including origins, historical developments, beliefs, practices, worldviews, and cultural and religious patterns. Particular emphasis is given to understanding common barriers to communication and approaches for bridging worldview, cultural, and religious differences for purposes of transformation.

AC4311-SL Communication and Service in Muslim Contexts (Synchronous) (Spring - Even numbered years/Summer - Odd numbered years) (3 undergraduate credits)

In light of scriptural and anthropological principles, this course explores the nature, dynamics, scope, challenges, and approaches in appropriate and effective service in Muslim contexts. The class meets virtually at a time mutually agreed upon by each of the enrolling students.

AC4322 Storytelling in Abrahamic Communities (Fall) (3 undergraduate credits)

This course introduces a collection of shared stories found within Jewish, Christian, and Muslim sacred texts. By comparing faith traditions and visual art representations, students identify points of commonality as well as divergence. Storytelling, the practice of oral communication, enhances effective communication both within and across Abrahamic communities.

AC4341 Arabic 1 (Fall) (3 undergraduate credits)

This course introduces the student to Modern Standard Arabic and Arab culture. Students will learn the Arabic alphabet, basic grammar, and a vocabulary of 400 words in acquiring basic speaking and reading proficiency.

AC4342 Arabic 2 (Spring) (3 undergraduate credits)

This course is the second step toward learning Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). It will help the student to achieve advanced beginner-level proficiency in speaking, reading, listening, and writing, accessing a vocabulary of 800 words. The student will also be introduced to important aspects of Arab culture.

AC4343 Colloquial Arabic (Spring) (3 undergraduate credits)

This course enables students to speak a dialect of Arabic at a beginning level using either traditional classroom methodologies or else a Growing Participatory Approach (GPA). If the latter, then students will meet in small groups with a native-speaker language consultant, under the instructor’s guidance. The dialect offered will depend upon the language consultants that are available for the course.

AC4344 Reading Arabic (Fall/By arrangement) (3 undergraduate credits)

This course is the third step toward learning to read Arabic. It will enable students to read significant Abrahamic texts in classical and Modern Standard Arabic.

AC5241 Arabic 1 (Fall) (2 graduate credits)

This course introduces the student to Modern Standard Arabic and Arab culture. Students will learn the Arabic alphabet, basic grammar, a vocabulary of 400 words and basic speaking and reading proficiency.

AC5242 Arabic 2 (Spring) (2 graduate credits)

This course is the second step toward learning Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). It will help the student to achieve advanced beginner-level proficiency in speaking, reading, listening, and writing, accessing a vocabulary of 800 words. The student will also be introduced to basic aspects of Arab culture.

AC5243 Colloquial Arabic (Spring) (2 graduate credits)

This course enables students to speak a dialect of Arabic at a beginning level using either traditional classroom methodologies or else a Growing Participator Approach (GPA). If the latter, then students will meet in small groups with a native-speaker language consultant, under the instructor’s guidance. The dialect offered will depend upon the language consultants that are available for the course.

AC5244 Reading Arabic (Fall/By arrangement) (2 graduate credits)

This course is the third step toward learning to read Arabic. It will enable students to read significant Abrahamic texts in classical and Modern Standard Arabic.

AC5305 Historiography of the Hebrew Canon (Fall) (3 graduate credits)

Introduction to the history, literature, and message of the Old Testament. The course explores the over-arching themes, intertextual relationships, and unfolding narrative storyline of the Hebrew Scriptures. Students will compare Jewish and Christian ways of organizing the Hebrew canon.

AC5306 Greek Scriptures in First Century Context (Spring) (3 graduate credits)

As an introduction to the New Testament in its first century context, this course traces the unfolding of over-arching themes, narrative storyline, and intertextual relationships as understood by various Jewish and Gentile audiences in the first century of the Roman Empire. Special attention is given to communicating over-arching themes through storytelling.

AC5309 Hermeneutics of Translation (Fall) (3 graduate credits)

This course explores translation studies at the intersection of applied linguistics and exegesis. This course will provide resources for students to develop methods for assessing and improving biblical translation at hermeneutical levels.

AC5310 Core Components of Islam (Fall - Even numbered years) (3 graduate credits)

This course examines core elements which must be dealt with in relating to Muslims—worldviews, values, symbol systems and other cultural expressions of Muslim peoples. Specific attention is given to the major influences that shape assumptions, allegiances, and diverse social and religious expressions of contemporary Islam. Attention is also given to surmounting relational and communication barriers with Muslim peoples.

AC5312 Islam in the 21st Century (TBA) (3 graduate credits)

This course explores practical and ideological variations within Islam’s current social, anthropological, political and economic concepts and structures, noting struggles with contemporary development needs, modernization, and relations with the West, in general. Insights that can facilitate understanding, communications, and relationship building between East and West will be noted and emphasized.

AC5314-SL Modern Islamic Religious and Political Movements (TBA) (3 graduate credits)

This course focuses on contemporary Islamic reform and revitalization movements, their rise and development, current status, and impact for Muslim self-understanding. Individuals of strategic importance and their specific contributions will be noted. Attention is also given to Muslim-Christian communications about human rights, freedom of expression, democracy, religious minorities, and Christian religious activities in Muslim areas.

AC5315 Abrahamic Monotheism: Abrahamic faiths, their origins and interactions (TBA) (3 graduate credits)

This course explores the origins and characteristics of monotheism including ways that religious cultures with no prior history of this concept have adopted it.  The course considers “Abrahamic” and “non-Abrahamic” forms of monotheism within cultural life, individual identity and cross-cultural encounter.

AC5316-SL Dynamics of Contextualization (Synchronous) (Spring - Even numbered years/Summer - Odd numbered years) (3 graduate credits)

This course seeks to explore the nature of culturally sensitive service (contextualization), noting its scriptural basis, history, challenges, successes and failures. Attention is given to honor/shame dynamics, mysticism, spiritual powers, popular versus formal religion, and religious idiom translation. While special emphasis is given to the Islamic religious tradition, accommodations may be made for those interested in other religious traditions. Appropriate guidelines for effective service will be explored. The class meets virtually at a time mutually agreed upon by each of the enrolling students.

AC5318 Understanding the Qur'an (Spring) (3 graduate credits)

This study of the Qur’an examines its organization, structure, history of compilation, manuscript issues, literary style, and major themes. Students will become familiar with the major approaches to its interpretation, the historical subtext of the Qur’an, and how this affects interpretation of key texts in light of the Jewish and Christian scriptures. Practical issues of etiquette, characteristics of various English translations, how to read the Qur’an and use it in dialog will also be studied.

AC5319 Abrahamic Messianism (TBA) (3 graduate credits)

The symbol of the messianic (for savior and eschatological figures) has emerged as one of the most transferable of cultural and religious categories. This course serves as a basis for understanding some of the profound theological, cultural, and political implications of the symbol in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam into the modern era. Connections to non-Abrahamic traditions will also be studied.

AC5322 Abrahamic Shared Stories (Fall) (3 graduate credits)

This course explores hermeneutical issues central to the understanding and interpretation of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim sacred texts, examining stories shared by all three traditions. The approach to each narrative is to describe its components, explain its Abrahamic worldview context, and then use intertextual analysis to reformulate shared themes and retell the story in new cultural contexts.

AC5355-SL Perspectives on Interreligious Engagement and Localization (Summer) (3 graduate credits)

Drawing from the fields of anthropology, communication, history, linguistics, philosophy, and religious studies this course will enable each participant to think holistically about how culturally embedded perspectives shape individual and corporate approaches to interreligious engagement and localization.

AC5399 Independent Study (By arrangement) (3 graduate credits)

This course is used for an individual student/s to study with a professor outside of the regularly scheduled course offerings. An Independent Study Permission form must be completed and submitted to Academic Affairs.

AL4201 Principles of Sign Languages Phonetics (Summer) (2 undergraduate credits)

This course introduces the theory and practice of sign language phonetics. It provides intensive practice in the recognition and production of a wide range of manual and non-manual phonetic elements that are used in natural sign languages, along with terminology for describing those elements precisely. It also teaches reading and writing one or more notational systems that are useful in recording phonetic details when conducting research on sign languages. This course is taught in American Sign Language and written English.

AL4207 Field Data Management (Spring/Summer - Even numbered years/Fall) (2 undergraduate credits)

With a focus on methodology and good praxis, this course instructs students in the use of computational tools for managing and presenting phonological, textual, and lexical data collected in linguistic field research.

AL4302 Principles of Articulatory and Acoustic Phonetics (Spring/Summer/Fall) (3 undergraduate credits)

Using an augmented subset of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), students will be able to identify, mimic, and transcribe sounds and prosodies in normal human speech and to describe the mechanisms by which a speaker produces these sounds.  Students will also be introduced to basic techniques of acoustic analysis.

AL4303 Principles of Phonological Analysis (Spring/Summer/Fall) (3 undergraduate credits)

This course provides practice in recognizing the difference between phonetic (etic) and phonological (emic) data through numerous practical exercises. Theoretical topics of focus include the use of distinctive features, natural classes, phonetic plausibility, complementary distribution, free variation, contrast in identical/analogous environments, phonological processes, common conditioning environments, typological universals, tone analysis, and morphophonemics. This is an ideal course for field-workers preparing to help develop or revise an orthography for any language.

AL4304 Introduction to Language Structure (Fall) (3 undergraduate credits)

This course provides a basic introduction to language sounds and structures. It will enhance students’ ability to learn another language as they use natural language data to discover and analyze word and sentence formation in a variety of different languages. Students will also have the opportunity to identify, pronounce, and transcribe the most common sounds found in the world’s languages.

AL4341 American Sign Language 1 (Spring) (3 undergraduate credits)

This beginner-level course introduces students to American Sign Language (ASL) and basic knowledge of Deaf culture. Emphasis is on the acquisition of comprehension, production, and interactional skills using basic grammatical features with respect to use of ASL in the context of everyday life experiences.

AL4342 American Sign Language 2 (Fall) (3 undergraduate credits)

ASL2 is a continuation of ASL1. This novice-level course is designed to continue development of American Sign Language expressive and receptive skills, grammar, vocabulary, cultural awareness, and related terminology. It expands the range of communication skills, with special emphasis on being able to convey prior knowledge in the new language.

AL4406 Field Methods and Linguistic Analysis (Spring/Summer - Even numbered years/Fall) (4 undergraduate credits)

Working with a speaker of a non-western language, students in this course elicit data which they then use to analyze the phonological system and produce a mini-lexicon and a grammar sketch of the target language.

AL4410 Principles of Grammatical Analysis (Spring/Summer/Fall) (4 undergraduate credits)

This course introduces students to techniques for analyzing and describing basic morphological and syntactic issues in natural languages. By working through numerous practical exercises from a large variety of languages, students gain confidence in their ability to determine word classes and allomorphy and to deal with inflectional and derivational morphology. Students also learn to analyze different types of phrases, clauses, and sentences. This course serves as a prerequisite for several graduate linguistics courses.

AL5106 Digital Technology for Sign Language Research (Summer) (1 graduate credit)

This course introduces specialized hardware and software tools for researching sign languages, including recording, documenting, analyzing, and presenting textual, grammatical and lexical data. This course is taught in American Sign Language and written English.

AL5190 Thesis Writing (Spring/Fall) (1 graduate credit)

This course covers techniques and skill development for researching and writing a thesis. Topics include distinction between quantitative and qualitative research and the uses, advantages and disadvantages of each, Word style sheets and use of a thesis template to enforce the required style sheet, common parts of a research paper/thesis, description and implementation of the proposal writing process, ethical perspectives and implications for research, and problem areas in technical writing and critical thinking.

Note:  This course is graded P/F.  Completion of this course will count as one hour of thesis credit but will not trigger the requirement for continuing registration. For Applied Anthropology, see AA5190.

AL5207 Field Data Management (Spring/Fall) (2 graduate credits)

With a focus on methodology and good praxis, this course instructs students in the use of computational tools for managing and presenting phonological, textual, and lexical data collected in linguistic field research.

AL5301 Morphosyntax (Spring/Summer/Fall) (3 graduate credits)

This course introduces students to techniques for analyzing and describing basic
morphological and syntactic issues in natural languages. By working through numerous practical
exercises from a large variety of languages, students gain confidence in their ability to determine
word classes and allomorphy and to deal with inflectional and derivational morphology. Students
also learn to analyze different types of phrases, clauses, and sentences. This course serves as
foundational for several graduate linguistics courses.

AL5303 Foundations of Translation (Spring/Fall) (3 graduate credits)

Students develop an understanding of translation through history, including changing perspectives about translation through different epochs. Students compare and contrast translation theories and practices by exploring key theorists.

AL5304 Advanced Phonological Analysis (Spring) (3 graduate credits)

This course introduces students to advanced analyses and descriptions of the phonology of human languages from various theoretical perspectives, including Optimality Theory. Analytical and descriptive skills will be developed through the study of phonological data from a variety of natural languages, focusing on morphophonemics. Readings are designed to provide a solid introduction to several important issues in phonological theory and argumentation.

AL5305 Principles of Sign Language Phonology (Summer) (3 graduate credits)

This course introduces universal trends in sign language phonology and how the basic phonetic elements in a natural sign language function together in the language’s phonological system. It provides practice in applying various theoretical frameworks to analysis of specific sign languages. It considers the interaction between phonology and morphology. This course is taught in American Sign Language and written English.

AL5308 Oral Translation (Spring - Even numbered years/Summer - Odd numbered years) (3 graduate credits)

This course introduces students to orality and its implications for translation. The concepts of teaching within an oral framework and the internalization of a pericope are explored along with the process of oral drafting. Students explore ways of transforming a passage into an artistic product suitable for another linguistic and cultural environment and discuss means of appraising the quality of an oral translation. Finally, students participate in an oral translation project which produces a high-quality oral draft appropriate for a specific audience.

[NOTE: Students should expect to meet with their team to work on the group project daily.]

AL5310 Advanced Sign Language Grammatical Analysis (Summer/Fall) (3 graduate credits)

This course focuses on morphological and syntactic properties that are characteristic of sign languages and which distinguish them from spoken languages. These include: grammaticalization of space (including deixis and agreement), verb classes, borrowing (particularly fingerspelling and mouthing), nonlinear morphology, classifiers, and nonmanual markers. Students will be taught the principles of analysis of such features, including glossing conventions, theoretical frameworks, analytical procedures, and appropriate means for presenting grammatical analysis. This course is taught in American Sign Language and written English.

AL5311 Relevance Theory (Fall) (3 graduate credits)

Beginning with the historical and theoretical roots of relevance theory, this course explores relevance theory’s account of the principles and mechanisms of human communication. Building on that theoretical foundation, students explore implications of the theory for our explanation of tropes, linguistic analysis, and interlingual communication.

AL5312 Discourse Analysis (Spring/Fall) (3 graduate credits)

This course is designed to help students understand how languages structure texts and how the resulting structure influences communication and translation. The course focuses on the discourse structure of narrative texts, with a brief survey of the structure of nonnarrative texts. Students practice analyzing texts for various discourse features such as sentence structure, macrosegmentation of texts, the use of particles and conjunctions, and information structure. Salience schemes, transitivity, participant reference, and paragraph analysis are some of the other topics included.

AL5313 Advanced Grammatical Analysis (Spring) (3 graduate credits)

This course provides a survey of recurring syntactic patterns across languages and introduces tools and strategies that can be used to analyze and describe the grammatical structure of individual languages. Topics covered include voice and valence alternations, complementation, control, raising, relativization, morphological causatives, and serial verbs.

This course is required for all students in the Descriptive Linguistics concentration and is a prerequisite for AL5395 Current Issues in Descriptive Linguistics.

AL5315 Semantics and Pragmatics (Spring/Fall) (3 graduate credits)

This course examines the relationship between form and meaning in human language. We consider the rules for combining word meanings to derive sentence meanings in a predictable way, and we explore the principles which allow speakers to communicate more by uttering a sentence than is contained in the sentence meaning itself. We apply these concepts not only to content words but also to grammatical morphemes such as tense, aspect, and modality markers. This course is required for the MA in Applied Linguistics.

AL5316-SL Theory and Practice of Translation (Spring/Fall) (3 graduate credits)

Building on a theoretical understanding of translation, students explore the implications of translation theory and standard practice for addressing several translation issues commonly encountered by Bible translators. Students learn these principles and procedures through reading, discussion, and assignments.

AL5317 Language Documentation (Summer) (3 graduate credits)

This course involves reading and synthesizing major concepts in the foundational literature, as well as more recent publications in documentary linguistics. The readings are augmented by training in the core technical tasks of a language documentation project, including project planning, audio and video recording, metadata management, and archiving. A final project working with language consultants brings together the theoretical concepts and the technical skills in a small documentary corpus.

AL5319 Biblical Backgrounds (Fall) (3 graduate credits)

This course is an investigation into the key historical, political, religious, and ideological environments for understanding the bible. As the background to the Old Testament, students will explore the civilizations of the Ancient Near East, particularly those in Mesopotamia, Syria, Egypt, Canaan, and Israel. The New Testament’s first-century context depends both on the second-temple era Jewish religious environment and the broader Greco-Roman world.

Offered Fall, odd-numbered years with Ancient Near Eastern lectures and even-numbered years with Greco-Roman lectures.

AL5320-SL Translation Consulting Skills (Spring) (3 graduate credits)

This course contributes to students’ professional growth in the consulting skills and attitudes needed to successfully function as translation advisors and consultants. Students develop a personal growth plan for translation consultants. Class sessions involve discussion that incorporates each participant’s knowledge and experience. Students put into practice the skills and attitudes that are discussed.

AL5321 Greek 1 (Fall) (3 graduate credits)

This course introduces students to the grammar and vocabulary of Biblical Greek with a focus on reading, studying, and translating the Greek New Testament. It offers a quick and efficient path into reading the Greek New Testament. The course is designed for anyone wanting to become a Bible translator and desiring to learn Biblical Greek.

AL5322 Greek 2 (Spring) (3 graduate credits)

This course is built in tandem with AL5321. Students continue studying Koine Greek with a focus on syntax and fluent reading of the Greek New Testament. This course is available for any student who has successfully completed AL5321 and has good reading comprehension of the Greek Text.

AL5323 Greek Discourse Features (Fall) (3 graduate credits)

Note: This course will be offered in Fall 2022, then offered again in Spring 2024.

This course is designed to enable the student of the Greek New Testament to better understand the text, going beyond basic grammatical analysis. To that end, the course considers the discourse function of connectors in the Greek New Testament. Other topics covered include framing devices, emphasis, points of departure, and other issues in information structure. Forward pointing devices, thematic highlighting devices, and constituent structure are additional topics.

AL5324 Greek Textual Analysis (Fall) (3 graduate credits)

Note: This course will next be offered in Fall 2023.

This course is concerned with discovering the meaning of a New Testament text as intended by the original author. As an aid in that discovery process, students are introduced to textual criticism. Also covered is how to best do lexical studies. The course looks at issues in grammatical analysis, background studies, and how to proceed in various genres of texts: narrative, epistolary, and apocalyptic. The use of the Old Testament in the New Testament is surveyed as well as the use of biblical theology in interpretation. Finally, each student puts all the elements together to produce an exegetical paper over an assigned text.

AL5325 Hebrew Textual Analysis (Spring) (3 graduate credits)

In this course students learn the steps needed to evaluate and understand the original author’s intended meaning of Old Testament passages. As part of this process, students learn how to evaluate lexical and syntactical issues, interact with textual criticism, perform background studies, and interact with the various genres of the text. These steps enable students to interpret the original meaning and underlying theology in order to translate well and to apply the text, which students demonstrate in an exegetical paper over an assigned text.

AL5326 Hebrew 1 (Spring) (3 graduate credits)

This course introduces students to the foundational features of Classical Hebrew. Beginning with the basics of phonology, the course then moves into foundational morphology and grammar, including nouns, prepositions, and verbs. This introduction to the language is the first step in enabling the student to become a competent translator of the Hebrew Old Testament.

AL5327 Hebrew 2 (Fall) (3 graduate credits)

This course continues where AL5326 left off. It continues introducing students to the basic morphology and grammar of Classical Hebrew. Once the foundational elements are understood, the course introduces students to the translation of large portions of text over a variety of genre types. This course (along with the previous one) provides a solid foundation for understanding the basic features of the language and prepares students to move into the following course which teaches the more complex features of interpretation.

AL5328 Hebrew Discourse Features (Fall) (3 graduate credits)

Note: This course will next be offered in Fall 2023.

Through this course students move beyond traditional grammatical analysis to an analysis and evaluation of the various discourse features of the Hebrew Old Testament. The types of discourse features studied include: discourse types, participant reference, coherence and cohesion, information structure, and many other features. The field of Hebrew discourse analysis is flourishing, and this course is updated every year to include the most recent advancements in the field.

AL5329 Readings: Hebrew Poetry (Spring) (3 graduate credits)

Students develop their language skills by reading extended passages of Old Testament texts of different genres in Hebrew. In this class students will focus on developing their skills in analyzing complete poems in Hebrew in order to explain the functional meaning and pragmatic effect of the Hebrew text. Completion of this course will include translating a text from the Hebrew Bible, writing explanatory notes highlighting points of interest in the exegesis and translation process, and transforming the passage into an artistic product suitable for another linguistic and cultural environment.

AL5331 Translation Advising (Spring) (3 graduate credits)

Students apply linguistic and translation knowledge to translation tasks in a non-western language. They will increase their abilities to identify and solve translation problems, and to evaluate translations in light of the linguistic norms of the target language. Students will also gain experience training and mentoring a speaker of the target language by doing translation alongside them. This course provides students with interpersonal and intercultural training that will help them develop facilitation skills.

AL5333 Tone Analysis (Spring - Odd numbered years/Summer - Even numbered years) (3 graduate credits)

A majority of the world’s unwritten languages are tonal, and this course will prepare those hoping to do language development work in these languages. The course includes extensive practice and coaching in hearing and transcribing tone, review of phonological theory that especially applies to tone, surveys of tonal phenomena by geographical area, and a multi-week project of tone analysis of a specific language that will cover beginning transcription, analysis, and a paper about the system.

AL5395 Current Issues in Descriptive Linguistics (Fall) (3 graduate credits)

(Fall term, even-numbered years for syntax and semantics topics and odd-numbered years for phonology topics) 

This course serves as a cap-stone seminar for students in the Descriptive Linguistics concentration, providing an opportunity to integrate knowledge from preceding courses through intensive study of some issue of current interest for linguistic analysis and description. The course aims to develop basic skills of linguistic scholarship through reading and critically discussing a variety of articles on the selected topic(s), and through writing and presenting a paper related to the issues discussed in the seminar.

This course has a grammar topic in even numbered years and a phonology topic in odd numbered years.

AL5398 Seminar in Applied Linguistics (TBA) (3 graduate credits)

This course has a unique linguistic topic and syllabus for each offering. It may be repeated when topic changes with permission of your graduate advisor.

May be repeated when topic changes, with permission of graduate advisor.

AL5399 Independent Study (By arrangement) (3 graduate credits)

This course is used for an individual student/s to study with a professor outside of the regularly scheduled course offerings. An Independent Study Permission form must be completed and submitted to Academic Affairs.

AL5406 Field Methods and Linguistic Analysis (Spring/Fall) (4 graduate credits)

This course serves as the capstone course for the Certificate in Applied Linguistics. Working with a speaker of a non-western language, students in this course elicit data which they then use to produce a mini-lexicon, a phonological description, and a grammar sketch of the target language.

IS1309 Foundations of Scripture (Fall) (3 undergraduate credits)

A survey of the contents of Christian Scripture with special attention to the nature of progressive revelation. Students will learn to read the Bible with attention to patterns, prophecy, fulfillment, inner-biblical interpretation, and an overarching historical framework.

IS1312 History of Christianity (Fall) (3 undergraduate credits)

This course is an overview of the entire sweep of Christian history. Pivotal events will be discussed in detail, and we will attempt to discern how those events are relevant to present-day world Christianity, both in terms of their effect on the present, and how they can inform a Christian interpretation of our times. Some turning points in the history of cross-cultural missions will be included.

IS1321 Introduction to Ethnopsychology (Fall) (3 undergraduate credits)

At our core, do all individuals think, feel, and behave in the same ways? How do psychology and culture interact? In this course, we will look at several major concepts in traditional psychology and consider the extent to which they may apply across cultures.

IS1341 Introduction to Writing (Fall) (3 undergraduate credits)

This course introduces students to the mechanics of writing clear and coherent essays and presenting them orally. Special attention is given to the process of planning, writing, and revising. Students read a variety of texts from different genres in order to expose them to the rich possibilities of English prose.

IS1350 Dynamics of Religious Experience (Spring) (3 undergraduate credits)

An introductory study into concepts of spiritual formation and the various ways people deepen their understanding of and relationship with the supernatural. Emphasis is given to approaches to a covenantal life, the nature and consequence of religious practices and rituals, and the motivations for a worldview integrating religious faith.

IS1361 Introduction to Statistics (Fall) (3 undergraduate credits)

This course is designed to introduce undergraduate students to statistics.  Mathematical concepts basic to an understanding of statistics will be reviewed. Descriptive and inferential statistics and their application to social sciences research will be introduced.

IS2322 Psychology of Suffering and Resilience (Spring) (3 undergraduate credits)

Grief and trauma are part of the human condition.  In this course, students will study the universal psychological impact of suffering and begin to develop their own personal theology of suffering.  They will also discuss the importance of resilience as a building block of successful cross-cultural service.

IS2331 Introduction to Political and Economic Systems (Fall) (3 undergraduate credits)

Throughout history, societies have organized themselves into a variety of political and economic systems. Those who work cross-culturally may live and interact within a political or economic system different than one to which they are accustomed. This course introduces the student to basic political and economic ideas and systems, with the goal of equipping the student to understand them better and to operate more effectively within them.

IS2341 Logic, Critical Thinking and Rhetoric (Fall) (3 undergraduate credits)

Learning valid forms of arguments, standard fallacies, how to draw inferences, and how to arrange arguments are crucial skills for thinking critically and communicating effectively about any issue. This course will teach students how to think well, how to understand and critique arguments using the basic elements of logic, and how to arrange ideas effectively.

IS2352 Globalization (Spring) (3 undergraduate credits)

This course will examine the role of linguistics in globalization with particular attention to the role of the West in cultural, economic, and political harmonization around the world.

IS3311 Research Writing (Spring) (3 undergraduate credits)

This course is designed to teach students to gather and evaluate information from a variety of sources and to incorporate ideas from these sources into the writing of a research paper.

IS3317 World Religions (Spring) (3 undergraduate credits)

This course is an introduction to the history, beliefs, and practices of the world’s major living religions.  Religions studied include Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Indigenous Cultures, Islam, and Judaism.

IS3325 Introduction to Contextualization (Fall) (3 undergraduate credits)

This course provides an overview of topics related to the theory and practice of Christian Missions including the biblical/theological basis of missions, the history of missions as well as cultural and practical issues that relate to cross-cultural ministry.

IS3351 Dynamics of Cross-Cultural Service (Fall) (3 undergraduate credits)

This course explores the theory, purpose, and dynamics of cross-cultural service, multi-cultural team building as well as issues of personal living in a cross-cultural setting.

IS3361 Introduction to Historical Linguistics (Fall) (3 undergraduate credits)

All languages change over time, and one language can, given enough time, develop into many different daughter languages. Often these related languages provide the only surviving clues about their ancestral language. This course is an introduction to the techniques of linguistic reconstruction, and to the basic concepts underlying the genetic classification of languages. Both the comparative method and internal reconstruction will be taught. The emphasis will be on developing the practical skills of linguistic reconstruction, rather than on theoretical issues.

IS3364 Theory and Reality of Development (Fall) (3 undergraduate credits)

This course explores issues of poverty, economic development, education, and primary health care within the developing world. An emphasis is placed on examination of both successful and unsuccessful methods.

IS4309 Hermeneutics (Spring - Even numbered years) (3 undergraduate credits)

An introduction to issues in biblical and theoretical hermeneutics with a focus on interpretation of written texts. Special attention is given to influences from literary, linguistic, philosophical, and religious perspectives.

IS4311 Greco-Roman Religious World (Fall - Even numbered years) (3 undergraduate credits)

The New Testament is full of ancient documents by ancient authors, but their context is still largely accessible to us today. In order to better read, interpret, and apply the New Testament, students will learn about the historical, religious, and cultural environment in which Christianity arose.

IS4312 Ancient Near Eastern Civilizations (Fall - Odd numbered years) (3 undergraduate credits)

Students will explore linguistic, historical, socio-cultural, political, and religious contexts of Ancient Near Eastern civilizations. Specific focus is given to epic, social, and religious texts from civilizations of the Ancient Near Eastern world, particularly those of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Canaan, and Israel.

IS4344 Chinese I (Fall) (3 undergraduate credits)

An introduction to modern standard Chinese, commonly called Mandarin, which is the official language of China and is the most widely used variety of Chinese in the world. This course is for beginners. The emphases will include pronunciation, acquiring core vocabulary in both spoken and written forms, and beginning conversation skills. There will also be an introduction to the lifelong process of learning the Chinese writing system.

IS4361 Cross-Cultural Communication (Spring) (3 undergraduate credits)

Students will learn factors relevant to cross-cultural communication. They will be able to identify concepts from intercultural communication that can facilitate or impede communication in a cross-cultural context.

IS4398 Seminar in International Studies (TBA) (3 undergraduate credits)

This course has a unique International Studies topic and syllabus for each offering. It may be repeated when topic changes with permission of your academic advisor and the course instructor.

IS4399 Independent Study (By arrangement) (3 undergraduate credits)

This course is used for an individual student/s to study with a professor outside of the regularly scheduled course offerings. An Independent Study Permission form must be completed and submitted to Academic Affairs.

Note: With permission of your academic advisor and the course instructor.

IS4646 Chinese 2 & 3 (Spring) (6 undergraduate credits)

Building on the foundations laid in Chinese 1, students will achieve a basic level of competence in conversation and reading and be able to write short compositions.

WA4382-SL Survey of World Arts (Spring) (3 undergraduate credits)

This course looks at various artistic traditions from communities around the world, showing how these artistic expressions perform important cultural functions and serve as markers of identity. The course uses experiential activities and media resources to expand the students’ appreciation of the complexity and significance of various world art traditions.

WA4387 Area Studies for World Arts (Spring) (3 undergraduate credits)

Through this course, students will develop preliminary skills for researching and analyzing artistic genres within their cultural context. Student research will focus on an ethnolinguistic group of the student’s choice, including diasporic groups.

WA5190 Thesis Writing (Spring/Fall) (1 graduate credit)

Techniques and skill development for researching and writing a thesis. Strongly recommended for all students writing a thesis at the master’s level in World Arts.

Note: This course is graded P/F. Completion of this course will count as equivalent to WA5191 Thesis, but will not trigger the requirement for continuing registration.

WA5339 Research Methods for World Arts (Fall) (3 graduate credits)

In this course, students will investigate, describe, and interact with the people and processes involved in a community’s creativity and performance. Course assignments include daily readings, class discussions, and reflective and academic writing. Students will also be assigned an in-depth field research project with local arts practitioners, offering opportunities to improve skills in planning and performing research tasks, interviewing, participant-observation, note-taking, and audio- and video-recording. These field methods lead students to find answers to questions such as: What kinds of arts exist locally? What are some solutions to common difficulties in field and library-based research? How have scholars and practitioners conceptualized artistic expressions? In what ways do arts communicate within and beyond a community? How are new innovations in established traditions developed and integrated into a society?

WA5382 Applied Arts (Spring) (3 graduate credits)

This course prepares students to work with a local community to catalyze the creation of new vernacular Scripture-based and community-development messages in indigenous forms of artistic communication. Students learn to encourage sustainability and integrate these expressions into local community life by designing interactive, dialogue-based learning activities for arts-discovery and arts-creation workshops; mentoring local artists; promoting the dissemination of indigenous Christian works; and encouraging the positive self-identity that these forms may engender.

WA5384 Expressive Form Analysis (Fall) (3 graduate credits)

This course trains students to perform initial structural analysis of musical, verbal, dramatic, dance, and visual features of an ethnolinguistic community’s artistic genres. Such analyses contribute vitally to local communities’ efforts to address their needs and aspirations. Instructional methodologies include participation in these arts.

WA5398 Seminar in World Arts (TBA) (3 graduate credits)

This course has a unique World Arts topic and syllabus for each offering. It may be repeated when topic changes with permission of your graduate advisor.

WA5399 Independent Study (By arrangement) (3 graduate credits)

This course is used for an individual student/s to study with a professor outside of the regularly scheduled course offerings. An Independent Study Permission form must be completed and submitted to Academic Affairs.

Online (OL) courses at DIU allow students to learn the same content at different times, or “asynchronously.” Online students have the freedom to work at any time of day with no or infrequent meetings with their instructor or other classmates. Online courses are not self-paced as students are required to meet deadlines for assignments and activities. Some online courses (particularly OL courses in the World Arts department) do require periodic Zoom meetings with the instructor that are scheduled at the student’s convenience.

AA4321-OL Dynamics of Multicultural Teamwork (Fall) (3 undergraduate credits)

This course is an introduction to working in a multicultural team and in cooperative activities in small groups of people. Students will consult a variety of resources including writings of western and non-western authors and case studies. Students will create two oral presentations based on research into topics of specific interest. Christian perspectives on teamwork underlie the philosophy of this course.

AA4370-OL Cultural Anthropology (Summer) (3 undergraduate credits)

This course is an introduction to cultural anthropology with emphases on application and several research methods. The main assignment is a practicum or research project that includes having students make at least four study-visits outside class hours to a cross-cultural social situation.

AA5150-OL Special Topics in Tropical Agricultural Development (Spring) (1 graduate credit)

TBA

AA5321-OL Multicultural Teamwork (Fall) (3 graduate credits)

This course addresses issues relating to forming practical, cooperative programs that depend upon people from different cultures working together as teams or as full partners. The course draws upon writings of western and non-western authors, case studies, lectures, and group activities. Upon completing this course, the student will be able to form teams and partnerships, effectively work in teams, and train others in teamwork and partnership. In this course, the term “teamwork” refers not only to closely-knit teams but to many kinds of cooperative action that requires groups of people to work together toward a common goal. Christian perspectives on teamwork underlie the course.

AA5356-OL Current Issues in Scripture Engagement (Spring) (3 graduate credits)

What are the major issues influencing Scripture engagement below the surface? This course encourages the student to analyze motivations and causal elements that underlie many of the Scripture engagement choices people make. Using a partially student-designed approach, course participants select specific Scripture engagement issues and skills they are interested in exploring more comprehensively. Emerging topics related to Scripture engagement are debated and students propose original contributions to the field of Scripture engagement. Students also develop skills in consulting and workshop design.

Note: Online versions of this course require access to an internet connection capable of supporting video conferencing at least once a week.

AA5392-OL Scripture Engagement Practicum (Fall) (3 graduate credits)

Students learn to research a people group’s religious worldview and help provide the most appropriate materials and activities that enhance the community’s engagement with Scripture.  They work with local authors, artists, teachers or media specialists to create print materials, performances and recordings tailored for specific audiences. They encourage communities to engage with Scripture and apply it to their lives through study, story, song, conversation and celebration. They partner with leaders to strengthen community engagement with Scripture at more times and in more ways.

AC5310-OL Core Components of Islam (Online) (Fall - Odd numbered years) (3 graduate credits)

This course examines key elements which must be understood in relating to Muslims: beliefs, values, assumptions, allegiances, and cultural, social, communal, and religious dynamics. Attention is given to both traditional and critical approaches to the study of Islam’s history and the development of diverse, contemporary social, political and religious expressions. Particular emphasis is given to areas calling for sensitive or creative communication and lifestyle in order to overcome relational obstacles in working toward individual and community transformation.

AC5321-OL Abrahamic Community Internship (Spring/Summer/Fall) (3 graduate credits)

The Abrahamic Community Internship is designed to enable students to serve cross-culturally in and with Abrahamic communities and organizations, based on respectful understanding of their beliefs and practices, engendering humanitarian contributions to local and global cultural goals. The internship is a structured field experience where students utilize, integrate and/or apply information from their previous coursework in Abrahamic studies. The internship involves both instructional and crosscultural experiential components, providing mentoring throughout the process. It will focus on providing skills and modifying behavior and attitudes through engagement with people of a significantly different Abrahamic culture or religious tradition, helping the student to attain readiness for service in Abrahamic communities.

Note: Students must have completed one half of their IPS to register for this course.

AL4304-OL Introduction to Language Structure (Spring/Fall) (3 undergraduate credits)

This course provides a basic introduction to language sounds and structures. It will enhance students’ ability to learn another language as they use natural language data to discover and analyze word and sentence formation in a variety of different languages. Students will also have the opportunity to identify, pronounce, and transcribe the most common sounds found in the world’s languages.

AL5345-OL Introduction to The Translator's Assistant (TBA) (3 graduate credits)

Discover a computer program designed to accelerate translation by producing initial drafts based on semantic representations. Students will apply their newly developed linguistic skills and produce initial translations in English and in another language of their choice.

IS4320-OL Cross Cultural Practicum (Spring/Summer/Fall) (3 undergraduate credits)

(Please consult with course instructor if you plan to attend during the Summer term).

This multi-week practicum combines learning and practical service, allowing the student to explore the reality of cross-cultural service through either a student-chosen program or a sponsoring agency.

WA3350-OL Conference Course on World Arts (TBA) (3 undergraduate credits)

Global gatherings with a focus on world arts and cross-cultural work provide an outstanding opportunity for connecting with new resources, new practitioners and scholars in the field, and new ideas to invigorate service. In this course, students will leverage their attendance at one of several conferences specializing in World Arts into a learning experience, interacting with a community of fellow students as they begin to develop their abilities and plans for working with communities.

WA3386-OL World Arts Practicum (Spring/Fall) (3 undergraduate credits)

This course entails acquiring the performance and artistic skills needed for cross-cultural participation in one of the artistic traditions of a community.  Emphasis is on developing an understanding of how to perform within the context of a chosen tradition, including researching this tradition and how it functions artistically and socially in its community.  The choice of ethnic ensemble or mentoring relationships will vary depending upon the artistic tradition chosen for study and availability of local mentors.

Note: This course requires access to an internet connection capable of supporting Zoom class meetings that will be scheduled around students’ availability.

WA5350-OL Conference Course on World Arts (TBA) (3 graduate credits)

Global gatherings with a focus on world arts and cross-cultural work provide an outstanding opportunity for connecting with new resources, new practitioners and scholars in the field, and new ideas to invigorate service. In this course, students will leverage their attendance at one of several conferences specializing in World Arts into a focused learning experience, interacting with a community of fellow students as they hone their abilities and plans for working with communities.

Fall: EMS, Spring: Worship Symposium, some Summers

WA5386-OL Directed Practicum in World Arts (Spring/Fall) (3 graduate credits)

This course involves learning the performance and artistic skills needed for cross-cultural participation in one of the artistic traditions of a community. Emphasis is on developing an understanding of how to perform within the context of a chosen tradition, including researching this tradition and how it functions artistically and socially in its community. The choice of ethnic ensemble or mentoring relationships will vary depending upon the type of student need and availability of instructors. The student will take initiative in choosing and engaging with their mentor, in consultation with the course head. This course may be retaken if the genre studied is completely different from a previous session.

Note: This course requires access to an internet connection capable of supporting Zoom class meetings that will be scheduled around students’ availability.

WA5389-OL Advanced Form Analysis (Spring) (3 graduate credits)

This course will guide the student through rigorous investigation of an active artistic tradition, exploring the distinctive features of the tradition through ethnographic and form analysis. By engaging in analytical methods appropriate to the chosen art form, students will produce an ethnographically-grounded analysis of a work or works from that artistic tradition.

Note: This course requires access to an internet connection capable of supporting Zoom class meetings that will be scheduled around students’ availability.

WA6339-OL Advanced Theory for World Arts (Spring) (3 graduate credits)

Students will confront a selection of theories that are important to current research and fieldwork in the arts and humanities. The course readings will include primary sources and current engagements with relevant theories. Students will engage with these readings, seek out related resources in their own areas of specialty, and demonstrate synthesis of these ideas with their area of focus.

Note: This course requires access to an internet connection capable of supporting Zoom class meetings that will be scheduled around students’ availability.

WA6385-OL World Arts & Religious Expression (Fall) (3 graduate credits)

Religious faith is expressed through language and artistic communication. In this course, students will investigate some of the major themes in the interaction between religion and the arts. They will then look at a selection of case studies of religious traditions and their use of artistic communication genres. Having looked at the use of music, visual art, drama, dance, oral verbal arts, and other arts domains as applied by practitioners of various religious traditions, students will then investigate the use of the arts in the religious life of their chosen research communities.

Note: This course requires access to an internet connection capable of supporting Zoom class meetings that will be scheduled around students’ availability.

WA6387-OL Area Studies for World Arts (Fall) (3 graduate credits)

The focus of this class is the artistic genres in evidence within the student’s chosen research communities. Students will be mentored through a process of discovery, organization, and analysis, emerging with a more comprehensive picture of the artistic activities and their formal characteristics within a community or region. This process will result in the formulation or refining of a dissertation research question.

Note: This course requires access to an internet connection capable of supporting Zoom class meetings that will be scheduled around students’ availability.

WA6389-OL Advanced Artistic Form Analysis (Spring) (3 graduate credits)

This course will guide the student through rigorous investigation of an artistic tradition, exploring the distinctive features of the tradition through ethnographic and form analysis. By engaging in analytical methods appropriate to the chosen art form, students will produce an ethnographically grounded analysis of a corpus of works from that artistic tradition, expanding the currently available knowledge about that tradition.

Note: This course requires access to an internet connection capable of supporting Zoom class meetings that will be scheduled around students’ availability.

WA6390-OL Research & Communication for World Arts (Spring) (3 graduate credits)

Scholarship demands clear planning and structure for research projects, along with effective writing and communication skills. Students in this class will hone their abilities in designing good research topics, questions, and data-gathering strategies. They will also learn to write with greater precision and clarity, making an in-depth study of style and usage in English through selected readings and rigorous practice and coaching. Through this study, students will gain skills in communicating with a wide range of audiences, furthering the contribution their research makes.

Note: This course requires access to an internet connection capable of supporting Zoom class meetings that will be scheduled around students’ availability.

Intensive (IN) courses feature distance-based Dallas International Online learning assignments for most of the session(s) that the course is scheduled, plus a one or two-week period of on-campus full or half-day classroom periods which students are required to attend. Additional assignments are often required during the on-campus time.

IS1363-IN Introduction to Health & First Aid Practices (MayExt - Even numbered years) (3 undergraduate credits)

There will be a 1-week INTENSIVE in the second half of May.

Everyone needs a basic understanding of normal human health and the processes of disease to be able to identify and react to emergent situations. This course gives students an overview of practical anatomy and physiology in the context of common disease processes. Students will be introduced to patient assessment skills, physical exam, first aid principles, and the sequence of an emergency response. At the conclusion of the course, students will be certified in CPR and First Aid (by EMS Safety).

Note: DIU tuition does not include a required fee estimated to be about $65 for the formal CPR training and certification. Students enrolling in this course will pay this separate fee when registering for this course.

IS2323-IN Introduction to Coaching (MayExt) (3 undergraduate credits)

This course is designed to equip you with tools for partnering with others in a thought-provoking process that will inspire them to maximize their potential. We will study the five coaching skills that are the core of training in the COACH Model® and how these skills can be adapted for working cross-culturally.  In the process, we will examine the eight coaching competencies and the coaching ethics adopted by the International Coaching Federation.  Throughout the course, students will develop their coaching skills in authentic coaching conversations.  

WA2381-IN Arts for a Better Future (MayExt) (3 undergraduate credits)

In this undergrad course, students will learn to help a community recognize, value, and plan to use its own arts to meet local needs and goals. The course provides a compact overview of the Creating Local Arts Together (CLAT) model of community engagement. The CLAT process consists of seven flexible steps grounded in ethnographic and appreciative inquiry approaches: meet a community and its arts; specify goals; select communication genre and content; analyze the genre; spark creativity; improve new works and creative systems; and integrate and celebrate for continuity. Students will work with the model through three pedagogical cycles. This course is also available at the graduate level by registering for WA5381.

See a short video here.

You may also view the Arts for a Better Future FAQ.

WA3380-IN Introduction to Ethnodoxology (MayExt) (3 undergraduate credits)

This is a foundational course introducing key principles of ethnodoxology that will help students serve worshipping communities more effectively, whether overseas or in multi-ethnic North American contexts. Students will experience a corpus of songs and other artistic liturgical expressions from around the world, developing a vision for multicultural worship. In addition, students will explore appropriate ways to incorporate these artistic expressions into the worship life of their communities.

This course is also available at the graduate level by registering for WA5380.

Registration for a workshop version (no credit) is available in partnership with the Global Ethnodoxology Network (GEN) – see here.

WA5380-IN Theory and Practice of Ethnodoxology (Intensive) (MayExt) (3 graduate credits)

This course explores the biblical, historical, and cultural principles of ethnodoxology for cross-cultural workers, community leaders, and worship facilitators, helping them to serve worshipping communities more effectively, whether overseas or in multi-ethnic North American contexts. Students are prepared to design the introduction of new artistic expressions into their own worshipping communities, undergirded by the use of relevant research methodologies and multicultural worship approaches.

This course is also available at the undergraduate level by registering for WA3380.

Registration for a workshop version (no credit) is available in partnership with the Global Ethnodoxology Network (GEN) – see here.

WA5381-IN Arts for a Better Future (MayExt) (3 graduate credits)

In this course, students will learn to help a community recognize, value, and plan to use its own arts to meet local needs and goals. The course provides a compact overview of the Creating Local Arts Together (CLAT) model of community engagement. The CLAT process consists of seven flexible steps grounded in ethnographic and appreciative inquiry approaches: meet a community and its arts; specify goals; select communication genre and content; analyze the genre; spark creativity; improve new works and creative systems; integrate and celebrate for continuity. Students will engage with the model through three pedagogical cycles, culminating in applying it to a real-life context. This course is also available at the undergraduate level by registering for WA2381.

See a short video here.

You may also view the Arts for a Better Future FAQ.

WA5383-IN Arts and Trauma Healing (Spring/MayExt) (3 graduate credits)

UK – Spring semester with two-week INTENSIVE on campus at All Nations Christian College in the UK from March 20 – March 31, 2023.
DALLAS – May-extended semester with two-week INTENSIVE on campus in Dallas from July 10 – July 21, 2023.

This course teaches a holistic, interactive approach to engaging Scripture and relevant arts in the healing process for people who suffer from the mental, emotional, and spiritual effects of trauma. The course combines biblical truths with basic mental health principles expressed in ways that can be easily applied in many contexts. Students learn to address both beliefs and emotions damaged by trauma in their own lives and in the lives of others through participatory learning methods as well as through engaging with their fellow students in a small group context. In particular, this course will emphasize the importance of expressive arts in trauma healing. Students will understand and be able to articulate and demonstrate the role, the value, and the effectiveness of using relevant arts in trauma healing from a historical and contemporary perspective. Students will be able to promote emotional and spiritual healing in traumatized communities through the use of local expressive arts existing in those communities.

Crafted as a “blended” course, a required two-week period of on-campus participatory classes is preceded and followed by online reading and writing assignments.

The course is offered during Spring with a two-week intensive in the UK or during May Extended with a two-week intensive on campus in Dallas.

For more details, go to the Arts and Trauma Healing FAQ.

Note: This course is offered in collaboration with the American Bible Society’s Trauma Healing Institute (THI) and the Trauma Healing Alliance. In addition to earning DIU course credit, students who demonstrate readiness and complete two approved ATH healing groups according to ATH guidelines will be considered for certification by THI as Apprentice Facilitators in trauma healing.

WA6370-IN Multidisciplinary Perspectives on World Arts (Fall) (3 graduate credits)

This course looks at World Arts through five lenses: scriptural foundations guiding arts engagement; cultural analysis for valuing the complexity of artistic expression in multi-cultural and diaspora settings; historical perspectives demonstrating how artistic traditions have responded to power, politics, resources, and agency; missiological reflection on communication models employed by faith communities exhibiting creative embrace of the arts; and liturgical implications of this study for integrating arts in the church’s worship.

WA6380-IN Advanced Theory of Ethnodoxology (MayExt) (3 graduate credits)

This course explores the biblical, historical, theological, and cultural principles of ethnodoxology for cross-cultural workers, community leaders, worship facilitators, and academic leaders. Students are prepared to analyze current ethnodoxological trends and perform original research, thereby expanding the boundaries of this emerging discipline.

This course requires a 2-week INTENSIVE on campus during the May-Extended period.

WA6381-IN Cross-cultural Education Methods (Intensive) (MayExt) (3 graduate credits)

Training people in the principles of world arts, whether in primarily monocultural or cross-cultural contexts, requires an understanding of effective teaching methods. In this course, students will explore the theories, methodologies, and philosophies of effective community arts engagement models. They will learn how to apply ethnographic research methods to demonstrate how teaching and learning can be adapted for particular social contexts.

This course requires a 2-week INTENSIVE on campus during the May-Extended period.