Ok, this post is going to be a little bit of venting but mostly just things I've been working through the past month.
I am realizing now why I was not accepted into the PhD program at Luther Seminary. It is not that they do not have the classes I need to study the Crusades, it is because they are not in one particular area of concentration. I realized this as I was signing up for my classes back at the beginning of July. When all is said and done, I will have taken two, that's right, two actual classes from the History of Christianity department, one being an independent study. But all is not lost; see Luther fortunately has concentrations like Islamic Studies and Global Missions/World Christianity that I can take and learn about the relationship between Christians and Muslims through history with the particular focus on the early crusade period.
And so here comes the fun part. In order to get these classes from other areas of study to count as History of Christianity classes so they go towards my degree, I have to petition the Graduate Studies Committee for permission. I have no problem doing this. The only thing is, is that I would be petitioning for every class but two. Again I have no problem doing the leg work, I just don't know if they will let me do it with so many classes. Granted, it will only actually be three or four classes I have to do this for, but there are no guarantees they will allow all three or four to be counted as History of Christianity courses.
Yes, I am that nerd who frets about these things. But I know it will all work out somehow. Don't know how, I just have faith that God will get me though the process. I don't have any allusions about it. I know I have to do all the work myself, I know I have to fight to get all my classes counted and that I probably won't be easy. I also know that I have a great support system that will be there for me whether I succeed of fail. And of course I am my faith that God will be there with me every step of the way.
In light of these new realizations about my degree and all that it is going to entail to get it, I am more on the fence than ever on whether or not to reapply for my PhD at Luther Seminary. I have also been looking at other schools as well.
No matter what my end goal is still the same. I will get my PhD in Medieval studies and it will focus on the early crusades dealing with Christian/Islamic relations in the Palestinian region. I hope to someday work in Jewish relations as well, but for now, I don't want to bite off more than I can chew. I will teach this area of study and I will return to the region and live/teach there for a while. This is the end goal. It will take me longer than anticipated, which for someone that has little to no patience sometimes poses a problem. And here is where my support system and God heavily come into play.
So clearly I don't have all the answers, I know I never will; so for right now I'm going to keep trucking along doing my thing hoping and praying for the best.
Stay tuned for more...
My next installment will be a witty and overly sarcastic commentary on Minnesota drivers and Mall shoppers.
