Social, cultural, political, spiritual, environmental, and economic forces that shape human needs are studied. Exposures to wide range of holistic ministry responses to human needs with special emphasis placed on those models that are participatory and culturally contextualized. Formal and informal interrelationships of people living in the urban environment and various models for approaching urban ministry. Students are encouraged to understand their own feelings and social roles. An experiential course designed to introduce students to urban life and urban ministry in the city of Chicago.
Students use Chicago as a lab for the study of inner-city life.
Experiences include shelters for the homeless, urban churches, urban ministry centers, as well as the cultural life of this major metropolitan center. 4 credits Qualitative methodologies in the social sciences, with a particular focus in ethnographic field technologies. Interview and observation skills through field work in the Twin Cities area. 4 credits Study of quantifying social life to answer research questions. Students participate in actual quantitative research.