Doctor of Social Leadership (DSL)

This colloquium introduces the Omega Graduate School (OGS) philosophy of education. The course orients students to key themes in adult education: the role of adult development in learning, differences between andragogy and pedagogy, the importance of self-directedness in adult learning, and the consistency of transformative learning theory with the OGS mission. This OGS transformative learning study promotes critical reflection for transcending barriers to personal growth and social impact.

This course provides a foundation for the student to integrate the disciplines of developmental psychology, theology, spirituality, and moral development for the transforming of one’s self concept for healthy leader development. A study of the dynamics of this integration of disciplines will provide the necessary perspective to enable students to examine their own self- concept and be aware of its transforming character, with the purpose of pursuing intentional development. This interdisciplinary approach is consistent with the mission of Omega Graduate School. An opportunity will be afforded for each student to explore their own moral development and assess their spirituality, and be intentionally aware of the self-efficacy dimensions in their own graduate education, seeing themselves being successful and achieving their ultimate goal of obtaining a degree for equipping them to be constructive social change agents.

Hermeneutics is the science and methodology of interpretation. This foundational course orients students to the history, major issues, and methodologies of hermeneutics as defined as the science and methodology of interpretation. The scope of the course distinguishes the various uses of hermeneutics as applied to interpreted sacred texts (biblical writings), general hermeneutics (any literary discourse), and cultural hermeneutics (any fabricated production designed with practical or aesthetic purposes which includes the arts). General hermeneutics equips students to understand and interpret texts and written discourse through scholarly reading and applied research principles. Emphasis on scholarly writing is established using guidelines, techniques, and formal writing skills. This course assumes that doctoral students have (a) an understanding of the human communication process and (b) acquired considerable knowledge in interpersonal communication and effective writing and public speaking skills.

Research for 21st Century Scholarship develops student competencies for excellence in 21st- century scholarship. SR-953 orients students to the OGS library resources, how to use information technology for internet and database research, techniques required to produce developmental readings from selected books and journal articles, and using reference management software to collect, organize, and cite resources, document bibliographies, and share research materials.

History of Integration of Religion and Society is a course that provides a historical perspective on and illustrates models/methods of the integration of religion and society. Modern secular historical revisionism is corrected by tracing the social impact of Jesus and Christianity in multiple ways, i.e., advancing human rights, abolishing slavery, improving morality, advancing education, art, science, and democracy, and other areas of social concern. The course challenges students to change their world by integrating their faith with society.

This foundational colloquium builds the case for and surveys approaches to the integration of faith and learning for professional Christian scholarship. The relationship of religious perspectives as a form of disciplinary learning is then applied to the field of interdisciplinary studies as a basis for research in the sociological integration of religion and society.

The essential research and writing skills developed during classroom sessions, online discussion boards, peer and faculty interactions, and assignments provide the foundation for all future writing assignments required for the DPhil/PhD and DSL program courses of study.

This course introduces sociological theory and methods to prepare students for interpreting culture in the area of their social research later in the program. Significant concepts, terms, and procedures used in the critical analysis and interpretation of social contexts develop disciplinary perspectives for sociological thinking and research.

Analyze approaches to people problems in organizations. Class participants will consider several areas essential to dealing proactively with people’s problems. These areas include self-awareness, awareness of human motivation, specialized helping models, communication styles and skills, and conflict resolution. The focus is on performance enhancement and well-being interventions rather than professional counseling. Participants will be encouraged to be stewards of interpersonal scenarios in ways that transform conflicts and potential conflicts into opportunities for personal and organizational growth.

Students will explore the subfields of clinical and applied sociology from a Christian perspective. Applied sociology uses sociological knowledge and empirical research to inform decision-makers, clients, and the general public about social problems, issues, processes, and conditions, enabling them to make informed choices and improve the quality of life for groups of people. Clinical sociologists may be sociotherapists, group facilitators, teachers/trainers, organizational consultants, community consultants, or mediators. The key to clinical sociology is the concept of intervention, that is, the act of facilitating social change.

This course introduces contextualization for social change as a systematic analytical tool for interpreting social problems within broader social structures. Students employ levels of structural analysis (Macro, Meso, and Micro) to evaluate the context of social problems. The course emphasizes the development of Verstehen and the application of the Thomas Theorem to evaluate how subjective "definitions of the situation" and "conditions of choosing" produce objective social consequences. The course also considers a faith-based perspective on social context that accounts for both divine potential and systemic brokenness. Ultimately, students establish a comprehensive foundation for analyzing complex social problems and synthesizing contextualized, constructive social change.

This colloquy examines the nature, function, and methodologies for understanding and developing orthodoxy (right belief) and orthopraxis (right practice). Orthopraxis applies a Christian worldview to all of life, culture, and vocation. Within the framework of historic ecumenical (unity among the churches) orthodoxy, the seminar closes the gap between professed and operational beliefs in personal and professional spheres of life. This course is designed to develop interdisciplinary Christian orthodoxy and to improve orthopraxis for transforming personal and vocation growth.

A colloquium that analyzes the concept of relationships as it relates to the Christian faith in varied cross-cultural contexts. In a global postmodern society, cross-cultural skills prepare students to professionally analyze and cross barriers within their own and other cultures. Various cultures, religious traditions, cults, and ideologies are critiqued in order to develop a framework for understanding how to be psychologically prepared to enter another cultural system. Orientation to Community Development principles for a pragmatic approach to a cross-cultural strategy will assist the learner in developing a successful strategy for cross-cultural relations, both professionally and personally.

A colloquium presents a philosophical and theological framework for understanding and influencing an organization’s culture, operations, and societal impact through transformational leadership. Various models of organizational dynamics are analyzed in areas such as authority, power, structure, culture, ideology, communication, dysfunction, and change theory.

With the approval and guidance of a faculty adviser, students select a research project related to the academic concentration as an action research project for fulfillment of the DSL program. The student-practitioner identifies a situation to improve practice, create knowledge, and generate living theories of practice within a social situation.

With the approval and guidance of a faculty adviser, students will complete an action research project for fulfillment of the DSL program.

SR 848 provides advanced on-site library research access at the world's most extensive library. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. The LOC experience offers the opportunity to develop library research skills for life-long scholarship. Students obtain and renew LOC Reader Cards to access LOC Researcher Reading Rooms. A week of immersive experience at the LOC includes an orientation, assignment of a Librarian, and access to library facilities during a week-long intensive to collect scholarly academic materials necessary to support their Persuasive Communication and other research papers focusing on resources related to the Dissertation/Action Research Project. Students must attend the LOC at least once to achieve candidacy. Still, students may attend multiple times as desired throughout enrollment in their program.

In this course, students will draft three milestones for the Forum Paper degree program requirement. This is a workspace to address iterative drafts. Students will have successfully completed COM 822-22, the Persuasive Communication course, which is a prerequisite for this course.