Welcome back students! Enrollment and re-enrollment are open at HJ International Graduate School. Explore courses designed to deepen your knowledge, strengthen your leadership, and prepare you to serve communities with purpose.  For a quick review of course offerings for the Fall 2026 Semester click here. For a short introduction to selected courses click here (5 min) For full-length course introductions (50 min) Apply today at bit.ly/applytohji, or contact Steven Boyd, Dean of Enrollment Management, at s.boyd@hji.edu for more information. View Fall 2026...

Doctoral Dissertation Project by Robert Bruce Clarke | r.clarke@hji.edu Watch 2026 HJI Graduating Students introduce their projects here Abstract This research examined the development of intergenerational worship services that had begun the previous year by implementing a framework of six theological themes – mutuality, reciprocity, accommodation, interdependence, unity, and the divine, unique, cosmic value of every person, or equity. Intergenerational services intentionally sought to increase the closeness of members’ connection to God and to each other. Through obtaining...

Doctoral Dissertation Project by Kalifa Fabrice Dembele | k.dembele@hji.edu Watch 2026 HJI Graduating Students introduce their projects here Abstract This dissertation project is a deep examination of young African immigrants lived experiences in New York City, and particularly in the Bronx. Their socio-cultural, economical, and professional context marked by both vibrant communal life and persistent structural marginalization constitute a reality. The study explores how these young adults navigate complex migratory trajectories, shaped by displacement, disrupted family...

On August 8-10, 2026, the Association for the Sociology of Religion convened its annual meeting in New York City at the New Yorker Hotel, attended by approximately 300 sociologists from throughout North America and the world. The general theme of the conference was, “Beyond Binaries and Boundaries: Religion Redefined in Unsettled Times,” and sessions topics included the following: Congregational Life Five Years After Covid Gender and Religion Race and Religion Religion in New York Congregations and Closures Religion and Social Movements Religion and...

M.A. in Religious Studies Project Summary by Robert Duffy | r.duffy@hji.edu Watch 2026 HJI Graduating Students introduce their projects here General Summary This thesis interprets the Carolingian Renaissance as the culmination of a long process of cultural preservation, adaptation, and institutional reconstruction extending from the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the fifth century to the reign of Charlemagne in the late eighth and early ninth centuries. Its central argument is that the Carolingian Renaissance was neither an isolated revival of classical learning nor a...

M.A. in Religious Studies Thesis Project Summary by Dr. Lorraine Moffat Baughman, CPsychol | l.baughman@hji.edu Watch 2026 HJI Graduating Students introduce their projects here Abstract This study explores how clients who identify as spiritual experience the relationship betweentheir spiritual beliefs and the therapeutic process. Using Interpretative PhenomenologicalAnalysis (IPA), it draws on in-depth interviews with thirteen participants from two spirituallycommitted groups: Unificationists (n=6) and Protestant Christians (n=7). Spirituality emergednot as a marginal aspect of...

Dear Friends of HJI, HJI is pleased to announce two Open House programs to share about the courses offered in the Fall 2026 semester, and to provide details about our degree programs. Anyone interested in learning about studying at HJI is welcome to join. Both Open Houses will be held on Tuesday, August 11: one in the morning, at 8:00 AM New York Time for those who are based in The Americas, and a second in the evening, at 7:00 PM New York Time, for those who reside in Africa, Asia, and Europe.   Register for...

M.A. in Religious Studies Project Summary by Rudolf Faerber | r.faerber@hji.edu Indigenizing and Contextualizing Unificationism in Africa: A Zambian Perspective This thesis examines how Unificationism can be meaningfully indigenized and contextualized within African cultural and spiritual environments, with particular attention to Zambia. Africa stands at a critical historical juncture—facing moral, political, spiritual and social choices that will shape its future. The continent must navigate competing ideologies, global cultural currents, and the legacy of colonialism while...