The Welch College Core

incorporated throughout all programs of study at Welch College.

The objectives of the Welch Library are to: (1) Support the curriculum with information and services; (2) Provide resources for students’ independent learning; (3) Provide for some of the research and professional growth of the faculty; and (4) Equip students for life-long learning.

For more information about the Welch Library, contact Librarian Christa Thornsbury at this address: cthornsbury@welch.edu.

Welch Divinity School offers the Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree, an 85-semester-hour graduate degree that integrates the classical theological disciplines with the study of the practice of Christian ministry. The program aims to address two types of students. First, it is designed for college graduates who desire additional education in biblical and theological studies and their application to ministry. This type of student includes both future ordained ministers and lay leaders alike. Second, the B.A./M. Div. offers an accelerated program for traditional undergraduate students in ministry programs to complete both degrees in as little as five years.

The aim of the M.Div. program is to foster Christian scholarship and to provide leaders with graduate education in the classical theological disciplines and their integration with the practice of Christian ministry. The curriculum accomplishes this aim by focusing on four broader areas of emphasis: (1) Scripture and interpretation, (2) historical and systematic theology, (3) pastoral leadership and mission, and (4) the Christian worldview and culture. For more information on the Welch Divinity School M.Div., see The Welch Divinity School Catalog.

The Master of Arts (MA) in Theology and Ministry is a thirty-three-semester-hour graduate degree that integrates the classical theological disciplines with the study of the practice of Christian ministry. It is designed for college graduates who desire additional education in biblical and theological studies and ministry studies, whether they are or wish to be in ordained Christian ministry or lay ministry.

The program of studies is unique in that it aims at the interdisciplinary study of Christian theology and the practice of Christian ministry. Thus the classical theological disciplines are studied with a focus on ministry practice, and ministry is studied with a focus on the application of theology. Full information about this program may be found in the Graduate Catalog. Persons interested in this degree should contact the Graduate Program Coordinator.

The Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) is a 33-semester-hour graduate degree that seeks to provide leaders with graduate education in the art and science of teaching and instructional leadership, inspiring professional excellence through integration of biblical thought and life. It is designed for college graduates who desire additional education as professional teachers or instructional leaders.

The program core seeks to enhance Christian thinking and attitudes, professional teaching and leadership skills, and habits of lifetime learners, all of which are critical areas necessary for professional success in teaching and instructional leadership. Full information about this program may be found in the MAT Graduate Catalog. Provisional enrollment is available for Welch undergraduate juniors and seniors who are majoring in teacher education. Persons interested in this degree program should contact the Graduate Dean.

The Welch College Core is a general education core curriculum designed by the faculty to integrate the Christian worldview across the curriculum. Striving for a unified worldview extends back to the ancient Greeks and Romans. The Greeks believed that there was some basic knowledge that all people should know if they were going to become “philosophers” (“lovers of wisdom”). They called this knowledge enkuklios paideia or “the rounded education” (the origin of our term “encyclopedia”). This “rounded knowledge” included language, literature, and the arts, as well as mathematics and the sciences. Later, the Romans called these subjects the artes liberales (“the liberal arts”), perhaps implying that such knowledge is appropriate for a liber, a free man or citizen who could take part in the debate in the public square. With the spread of the Christian Gospel, theology and the study of Scripture became part of the liberal arts and sciences as well. The schools that arose in Europe in the late Middle Ages were called “universities” precisely because they aimed to expose their students to the universitas or “the whole” of Christian learning. Welch College follows in this noble Christian tradition of higher education. We want to help our students see the whole of life from a Christian perspective, what we often call the Christian worldview. The Welch College Core is our version of those basic studies that our students will need in order to think deeply and Christianly about life and culture.

(1) All students will develop a capacity for critical thinking and the ability to communicate their ideas effectively to others.

Students may demonstrate success for this objective by developing competencies such as: (a) Expressing ideas effectively in writing and speaking, utilizing traditional principles of grammar, rhetoric and logic, in communication to people across cultures; (b) Exercising critical judgment in listening and reading, employing discernment, critical thinking, and interpretive skills in the acquisition of knowledge from diverse and interdisciplinary perspectives; and (c) Utilizing analysis and synthesis, planning and action, and assessment and evaluation to engage in problem-solving.

(2) All students will develop an appreciation for and understanding of the foundational intellectual and literary traditions of the Western and Christian traditions.

Students may demonstrate success for this objective by developing competencies such as: (a) Having a broad knowledge of the intellectual and cultural inheritance of

Western civilization and the ability to articulate its relationship with the Christian tradition toward a biblical philosophy of life and history; (b) Understanding Christian tradition essentials, integrating a basic knowledge of the Free Will Baptist tradition, and relating both to contemporary faith, practice, and culture; as well as comprehending the importance of heritage and the value of intergenerational faithfulness in the home, church, and culture; (c) Understanding the great ideas of human history as seen in the Western literary and philosophical traditions in light of the principles of Scripture and the Judeo-

Christian tradition, ascertaining their importance for interpreting the contemporary world and demonstrating the rationality of Christian faith; and (d) Understanding the basic principles of American government, political and religious liberty, and economy, as exemplified in the founding era and its foun dational texts.

(3) All students will develop an appreciation of and Christian perspective on the arts and culture.

Students may demonstrate success for this objective by developing competencies such as: (a) Gaining exposure to broad aesthetic experiences by means of the masterpieces of literature, the arts, and drama; learning basic principles for evaluating these experiences by Christian standards of truth, goodness, and beauty; and grappling with the ideas embodied in the arts and applying Christian analysis and discernment to culture, including popular culture; and (b) Gaining exposure to the great tradition of music, understanding its role in culture, society, and Christian worship, and developing rudimentary musical knowledge and skill so as to be able to participate in community and church music programs.

(4) All students will develop a broad, holistic view of humanity and the human environment that is understood by scientific perspectives as informed by the Christian worldview.

Students may demonstrate success for this objective by developing competencies such as: (a) Being able to justify Christian moral and ethical decisions shaped by the commands and principles of Scripture and informed by the wisdom of the classical, Hebrew, and Christian traditions;