BA with a Major in International Service

About this Degree

The Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in International Service (BA-IS) equips students with the basic skills and attitudes needed for entry level service to others across language and culture barriers.  In addition to the core requirements for the degree, students have a choice between 4 different minors depending on their area of interest: Cross-Cultural Studies, Abrahamic Studies, Linguistics, or World Arts. For more information, contact BA-IS-Coordinator@diu.edu.

Upon completion of this degree students will:

  1. Have skills for success in self-directed language and culture learning.
  2. Have at least a novice proficiency in a non-Indo-European language.
  3. Be able to apply independent analysis and critical thinking skills especially to the challenges of international service.
  4. Have a knowledge of the skills and attitudes necessary to serve across cultural boundaries.
  5. Be able to effectively and properly communicate ideas and concepts in both oral and written forms.
  6. Understand the ingredients of a ‘worldview’ and have begun developing a personal worldview integrating religious faith, intellectual curiosity, global awareness, and an attitude of service.

Interested in this program?  Be sure to apply for Undergraduate Admission to Dallas International University. 

Degree Overview

BA-IS Curriculum Overview Hours
General Education Requirements Level 1 and Level 2 30
Major Requirements  
    Level 1 through Level 4 (electives) 22
    Level 3 and Level 4 (required courses) 51
Minor requirements  18/19
Total hours 121/122*

*Students are allowed to transfer in a maximum of 72 hours of general education for all required Level 1 and Level 2 courses for the BA degree. The degree is 122 ush for Linguistics Minors only.

General Education Requirements

CIS BA-IS GENERAL EDUCATION CATEGORIES AND LEVEL 1 & LEVEL 2 REQUIREMENTS
Level 1 and Level 2 course requirements are 30 total hours with a minimum of two (2) courses (6) in each of the five (5) general education categories. Visit the CIS General Education Categories page for more information. At Least
1.     Communication and Creative Arts 6
2.     Language and Cross-Cultural Studies 6
3.     History, Philosophy, and Religion 6
4.     Social Institutions and Behavior 6
5.     Science and Mathematics 6
  30

Major Requirements

BA-IS Required Major Courses (Level 3 & Level 4 requirements)

Foreign Language (Arabic 1, 2, Colloquial Arabic or Chinese 1, 2 & 3) 9
IS3311 Research Writing 3
IS3317 World Religions 3
IS3325 Introduction to Contextualization 3
IS3351 Dynamics of Cross-Cultural Service 3
IS4320-OL Cross-Cultural Practicum 3
IS4361 Cross-Cultural Communication 3
AA4305 Second Language and Culture Acquisition 3
AA4321 Dynamics of Multicultural Teamwork 3
AA4350 Language and Society 3
AA4370 Cultural Anthropology 3
AA4372 Political and Social Systems 3
AC4305 Introduction to the Hebrew Scriptures 3
AC4306 Introduction to the Greek Scriptures 3
AL4304 Introduction to Language Structure
(Linguistics minors replace this course with an elective at the 3xxx or 4xxx level within their coursework for the major.)		 3
(48 for linguistics minors; 51 for other minors) 48/51

Electives and Prerequisites

Students choose electives that total a minimum of 22 (25 for Linguistics minors) from Level 1 through Level 4 courses.

Minor Requirements

Cross-Cultural Studies

The following are the requirements for the Cross-Cultural Studies minor.

Course Hours
IS3364 Theory and Reality of Development 3
AA4387 Training in Cross-Cultural Contexts 3
AC4322 Storytelling in Abrahamic Communities 3
WA4382 Survey of World Arts 3
AL4302 Principles of Articulatory and Acoustic Phonetics 3
AA43** Foundations of Global Migration and Diasporas 3
Total hours for the Cross-Cultural Studies minor  18

Linguistics

The following are the requirements for the Linguistics minor. Please note that linguistics minor students will not take AL4304 Introduction to Language Structure (3 credit hours) from the degree core but will take an additional elective instead.

Course Hours
AL4302 Principles of Articulatory and Acoustic Phonetics 3
AL4303 Principles of Phonological Analysis 3
AL4410 Principles of Grammatical Analysis 4
AL4406 Field Methods and Linguistic Analysis or AL5406 Field Methods and Linguistic Analysis 4
AL4207 Field Data Management or AL5207 Field Data Management 2
IS3361 Introduction to Historical Linguistics 3
Total hours for the Linguistics minor  19

World Arts

The following are the requirements for the World Arts minor.

Course Hours
WA2381 Arts for a Better Future 3
WA3380 Introduction to Ethnodoxology 3
WA3386 World Arts Practicum 3
WA4382 Survey of World Arts 3
WA4387 Area Studies for World Arts 3
AA4357 Genres of Oral Tradition 3
Total hours for the World Arts minor  18

Abrahamic Studies

The following are the requirements for the Abrahamic Studies minor.

Course Hours
AC3305 Foundations of Torah 3
IS4312 Ancient Near-Eastern Civilizations 3
AC4310 Introduction to Islam 3
AC4311-OL Communication and Service in Muslim Contexts 3
AC4322 Abrahamic Shared Stories 3
IS4309 Hermeneutics 3
Total hours for the Abrahamic Studies minor  18

 

If you are planning to minor in Abrahamic studies, you may also consider the following option for an accelerated Master’s degree:

Accelerated BA/MA in Abrahamic Studies (BA-IS / MA-AS)

A Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in International Service and minor in Abrahamic Studies, plus a Master of Arts degree with a major in Abrahamic Studies, can both be earned in five years of study. The Accelerated BA/MA is a 151-credit program which includes 9 credits that are counted both at the undergrad level and then again at the graduate level (dual-credit). When the student begins the MA portion of this degree program, they have only 21 credit hours of study remaining.