Major

Example Courses

Theological Studies majors can take any courses from any categories to fulfill graduation requirements. Here are some examples of available courses:

Biblical Studies II: New Testament Survey

This course is designed to provide students with a basic knowledge of the New Testament, which is required prior to their pursuit of theological studies at TCU. We will make a survey of the New Testament books chronologically rather than the order of books in the New Testament. We will study not only books of the New Testament, but also its historical background since historical background information is indispensable for us to interpret and understand the New Testament properly. The New Testament world was different from ours in every respect. 'Christianity' started as a sect within Judaism, which was the religion of Jewish people. However, Christianity soon outgrew Judaism once non-Jewish Christians were accepted as full members of the Church. Since acceptance of non-Jewish Christians was the biggest issue for the first Christians, Paul argued for justification by faith without observance of the Mosaic law, and Luke recounts how first church expanded not just geographically, but also trans-ethnically and trans-culturally.

Christian History and Tradition V: Systematic Theology

The course introduces basic concepts about systematic theology. There is much common ground on these topics with the Lutheran, Reformed/Calvinist, and Wesleyan/Arminian theological traditions that inform much of modern evangelicalism. Yet evangelicals even within these traditions debate many issues. The course explores the coherence and interrelation of doctrinal topics, their roots in biblical sources, and their expression and development within the wider church. The course is focused specifically on doctrine and not on practice or ethics, but with the assumption that the knowledge of God and oneself is integral to Christian living.

Practical Theology I: Missiology

Missiology (the study of mission, mission studies, or intercultural studies) is an area of theological discipline that considers the mission of the Church. In a biblical sense, "mission" and "church" cannot be understood separately. In addition, missiology is a field of study that lies between "Two W's," namely the study of “the word” (the bible) and the study of “the world” (culture).
The purpose of this course is to provide a general introduction to the discipline of missiology. This course seeks to provide a foundational framework for the mission of the church. We will examine both the gospel mandate (the Great Commission) and the cultural mandate. This course also aims to examine cultural issues in relation to Christian mission. Since culture is a central part of human being and society, the study of culture is crucial for any Christian ministries. Therefore, this course will explore anthropological issues for the mission of the Church. In this course, a special attention is given to the Japanese context.

Example Courses

Global Studies II: Introduction to Global Studies

This course is designed to provide students with an interdisciplinary understanding of the complexities of our interconnected world. Through a combination of lectures, discussions, and hands-on activities, students will gain a deeper appreciation and understanding of the historical, cultural, economic, political, and social dynamics that shape our world.
This course will examine current global issues and themes such as environmental degradation, food security, global health, and international migration. The goal of the course is to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and perspectives necessary to become informed and active citizens in a rapidly changing world and to encourage critical thinking and informed decision-making. Throughout the course, students will engage in a multi-modal self-reflection process designed to help them locate themselves in both the local and global community by understanding links between history, ideology, and behavior, or the local- global (glocal) continuum.They will also develop the ability to identify and question theories and structures that are used to frame global processes.

Global Studies IX: International Development

This course aims to introduce a basic concept of poverty and development with a special emphasis on a biblical perspective. The first part of the course will examine the nature of poverty and existing perceptions of global charity, while focusing on the emerging roles of entrepreneurship as an alternative to alleviating world poverty. In addition, the course will also explore social and political dynamics of development including the neocolonial power mechanism and paternalism reinforcing the predominant ways of doing development and aid. The second part of the course will focus on the biblical understanding of human flourishing, entrepreneurship, justice for the poor, and the important role of church to bring the eternal solution to human nature, the transformative power of the Gospel. The course will also address some key biblical concepts and practical strategies to promote the global Christian partnership and entrepreneurial solutions to poverty.

Internship : Global Studies

This course is a project-based learning program that allows students to explore and deepen their own learning through direct contact with issues related to cross-cultural and global themes. It is designed to provide students with an internship at a site in Japan where they can explore a theme of interest to them. The main purpose of the internship is for students to learn what it means to "Stand in the Gap" as a Christian in a practical way by engaging in a series of learning activities from planning, practicing, and reflecting on the exploratory learning process on their own initiative. This internship is mainly for Global Studies majors and minors, but other majors are also welcome.