PROGRAM HANDBOOKS - Biola University

Cook School of Intercultural Studies
Graduate Programs Handbook
STATEMENT OF MISSION SECTION 1.1
The Cook School of Intercultural Studies exists to equip students to communicate, live, and work
effectively in culturally diverse contexts to make disciples of all peoples and impact the world for the
Lord Jesus Christ.
Through the scholarly activities of its faculty and graduate students, the school endeavors to
engage in continuing research, which will contribute to the knowledge bases of the disciplines, which
support the program emphases of the school.
The key objective of CSICS is to provide educational opportunity at the graduate level for mature,
experienced students to reflect upon their cross-cultural experience and develop further capability in
cross-cultural ministry through exposure to missiological concepts, social science methodologies,
language specialization and the refinement of ministry related research skills.
The Cook School of Intercultural Studies serves the mission of the university in two very distinct
ways. Its graduates have a broad exposure to the ideas that have shaped human thinking, specifically
in the theoretical contributions pertinent to our fields of knowledge. The school also supports the
university's General Education curriculum at the undergraduate level by offering cultural
anthropology as a part of the required social science requirement, physical anthropology for the
science requirement and TESOL as an undergraduate minor.
In order to foster the university's emphasis on developing critical thinking and encouraging sound
Biblical faith, all CSICS course offerings are highly integrative in nature. All students are challenged to
critically evaluate and test various theoretical models and to subject them to theological and Biblical
examination. The emphasis is on the integration and application of concepts for the purpose of service
and ministry in the world.
Date: August 2012
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