About Me:
Aaron Givan, Ph.D.
Dr. Aaron Givan teaches online and brings an extensive education background to the task.
Givan has three doctoral degrees in three different fields. In 1978 he was awarded a Doctor of Ministry (DMin) degree with a specialization in Community/Organizational Development by the San Francisco Theological Seminary in San Anselmo, California. He earned a Doctor of Philosophy in 1984 at Golden State University in Counseling/Psychology/Mind Science. In 1997 Givan was awarded a second PhD, this one in Measurement, Statistics, and Evaluation in Education, from the Union Institute and University, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Givan’s three dissertations reveal the breadth of his learning: Community Trust Building: Problems and Prospects among the Blackfeet Indians of Browning, Montana, (1977-1978); An Operational Theory of Wellness: A Diverse Dimensional Perspective with an Integrated/Multi-Faceted Model (1984); Learning Styles: The Key to Learning Strategies Management (1997).
Among Givan’s other educational credentials are a BA in Anthropology/Linguistics (1963, Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois); a Bachelor of Divinity (DB) in Theology (1966, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, South Hamilton, Massachusetts); and a Master of Counseling (MC) in Career Development (1989, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona). His research thesis at ASU further reinforces the point that Givan’s education is both broad and deep: Relation of Vertical/Lateral Eye Movements to Work/Vocational Interest Preferences.
Additional academic explorations by Givan include Advanced Pastoral Care Studies at Texas Christian University’s Brite Divinity School (1972-73) and studies with the Association for Clinical-Pastoral Education (ACPE) at hospitals in Wichita, Kansas and Phoenix, Arizona.
Given this remarkable vita, it comes as no surprise that he remains interested in research, as well as teaching. One area of interest in his teaching and consulting says a great deal about him — bricolage. A portmanteau word, bricolage has specific implications in culture, in education and in information systems, as well as in art and biology. In cultural studies bricolage is used to mean the processes by which people acquire objects from across social divisions to create new cultural identities. In art, bricolage is a technique where works are constructed from various materials available or on hand. Perhaps most tellingly, in education the word bricolage designates a way to learn and solve problems by trying, testing, playing around.
Dr. Givan resides in Rolla, North Dakota with his wife, Beth. His motto? "Working together for excellence in teaching!"
Aaron Lee Givan, MC, PhD
Area(s) of Training
anthropology, applied anthropology, cultural anthropology, cultural resource management, psychology, other
Area(s) of Expertise
APPLIED ANTHROPOLOGY; RESEARCH METHODS
Current Area of Employment
ONLINE PROFESSOR
