Department of Christian Studies
GRADUATE SCHOOL OF CHRISTIANITY AND CULTURE
M.A. in Christian Care and Counseling
This program offers professional training in pastoral care and counseling from a Christian perspective. Because of its specialized focus, the program balances training in theology with a core concentration on providing students with the necessary foundations for a career in counseling services. Graduates of this program often take their skills into church-based counseling centers, hospitals, and other assistive settings, providing professional and helpful assistance to those in need.
M.A. in CHURCH MUSIC
In the 3000-year history of the faith, theology and music have always been profoundly interrelated. Modern Christian faith traditions continue this close connection and express it through denominational and regional hymnals, choral work and spiritual music. The history of the church’s music provides a record of the lived faith and spiritual expression of the people who form the church, giving us insights into their theological understandings, struggles, perspectives and hopes. As we bring this music into the current age, we connect with the lives and faith of those who went before us. As we create new music for use in church practice, we learn to condense and express our own theologies within a communal form that helps the growth of our own faith communities today. The tools of church music are vital and powerful carriers of our spirit and serve to support, educate and transform believers.
Accordingly, our goals are:
- to preserve the rich heritage of church music brought by missionaries to Taiwan and Asia,
- to pass on this heritage while seeking to locate it in the setting of our contemporary needs,
- to actively seek out a creative expression of the faith in music and song in a way that touches on the current life of faith,
- to cultivate and train professionals in the skills of church music,
- to create ecumenical and contextualized church music in Taiwan.