Intercultural Experience

An intercultural experience is a key goal of this program. This experience begins with students cooking together, spending time in communal areas, and enjoying walks, hikes, and rides to explore the atmosphere of Northern Germany while also taking their first steps in understanding the German language and culture.

The programme’s second year includes time without regular classes to conduct an intercultural project. Students plan their projects during the first year and during the third semester, and they are encouraged to travel for fieldwork or a research stay to the location or an institution of their interest.

There are various financing options available for students who want to conduct their research project abroad, such as Erasmus, PROMOS, Stube BPSA, BAföG, etc. Many scholarship organisations allow for a research trip within the regular period of funding, such as Brot für die Welt scholarship.

During the past years of the programme, our students spent two to five months abroad in Armenia, Belarus, Cameroon, China, Estonia, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Lebanon, Tanzania, the USA, etc. Some of the students conducted their projects in different parts of Germany and in different organisations.

We have cooperation with various theological institutions all over the world to enable our students to immerse in the theological studies of other regions. Here, you can see the examples of student projects and the list of the institutions we have been consistently cooperating with.

Intercultural Student Research Projects

Jessica Shakunle, Germany to Malawi. Research project “Supporting Vulnerable Orphaned Girl Children in Malawi: A Case Study on Kindle Orphan Outreach” Cooperation partner: Kindle Orphan Outreach Malawi (Salima, Malawi) Funding: BAföG

Angelina Yeboah Lartey, Ghana to USA & Ghana Research project “Womanist Theology in Theological Studies in the USA from an African (Ghanaian) Women's Theology Perspective” Cooperation partners: Union Theological seminary (New York City), Candler School of Theology (Atlanta, Georgia), Talitha Qumi Center (Accra, Ghana) Funding: Brot für die Welt scholarship

Vladyslav Ivchenko, Ukraine to Finland. Research project “Theological Reflection and Politics of Memory of the Soviet Period in the Modern Russian Orthodox Church” Cooperation partners: University of Helsinki (Finland); Butovo Memorial Centre (Russia) Funding: Erasmus exchange programme

Carla Suzana Krüger, Brazil to India. Research project "Whose land is it anyway? Post-colonialist and Bible perspective on land ownership” Cooperation partner: TTS Tamilnadu Theological Seminary (Madurai, India) Funding: The FIT scholarship (ELM + FIT Hermannsburg) & savings

Blessen George Babu, India to Ethiopia Research project “Cultural Contacts between Ethiopia and Syria: The Nine Saints of the Ethiopian Tradition and their Possible Syrian Background” Cooperation partners: Holy Trinity Theological College (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia), National Archives and Library of Ethiopia (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia), Bahir Dar University (Bahir Dar, Ethiopia) Funding: Brot für die Welt

Xinyue Zhang, China to Germany. Research project “Discover the Relationship between Food and Faith in an Ethnic Chinese Protestant Church in Germany” Cooperation partners: Chinese Protestant Church in Northern Germany Funding: Brot für die Welt scholarship & savings

Viktar Niachayeu, Belarus to Norway. Research project “The search for the true self in works of Thomas Merton” Cooperation partner: MF Norwegian Scholl of Theology (Oslo, Norway) Funding: Erasmus exchange programme & savings

International Cooperation Partners