Intercultural Studies Program
Contributing Faculty
Phillip G. Ryan (1997). Director, Intercultural Studies Program, Professor of Language, and Coordinator of ESL Programing. B.A., Union University; M.A., University of Memphis; Ph.D., Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Mark Bolyard (2006). Professor of Biology and Department Chair. B.A., Hanover College; Ph.D., University of North Carolina; Additional study, Michigan State University.
Victoria Malone (2005). Coordinator of Study Abroad and Assistant Professor of Language. B.A. and M.A., Northern Illinois University
Jean Marie Walls (1987). Professor of Language and Department Chair. B.A. and M.A., Mississippi State University; and Ph.D., Louisiana State University. Additional study, Northwestern University.
Mission Statement
Intercultural engagement—including community development, humanitarian outreach, and integrative research skills—is essential for a globalized world and increasingly important to our student population. Intercultural Studies at Union—integrative, academically rigorous, missional—provides its students with an interdisciplinary approach to current theory and research relevant to intercultural engagement. By optimizing the impact that our students and our community members have here and around the globe, Intercultural Studies bolsters Union’s broader mission of providing Christ-centered education that promotes excellence and character development in service to Church and society.
Curriculum
Union offers an interdisciplinary major and minor in Intercultural Studies. Both programs are designed to enable students to develop theoretical and practical knowledge needed to live and work effectively in culturally complex environments. The University also offers the minor in Humanitarian Studies, which is designed to prepare students to apply content in their majors in a cross-cultural setting, with particular attention to meeting needs in culturally diverse communities at home and around the world.
For additional information including direct contact information with program personnel, see www.uu.edu/programs/intercultural-studies/.