DMin 316 Pagkalalake & Maka-Diyos: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology

South East Asian Theological Schools, Inc. DMin 316 Pagkalalake & Maka-Diyos: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
Michael J. Fast, Ph.D. 12 hours online class
August 10, 11, 13, 24, 25, 27 2021 8-10AM Philippine Time

Purpose:

Why is it important for pastors and church leaders to understand cultural anthropology? As pastors we are experts at exegeting the text of the bible to make sure that God’s message is accurately presented to people. It is also important, however, for us to be able to exegete our culture so that we can better understand who people are and how we can better communicate with them. Sometimes Jesus-followers have assumptions about the world that are entirely untrue. We need to develop ways to better understand the world to make sure that we are asking and answering the right questions – to make sure that the message we exegete from the Bible is presented in a relevant way to those who are not yet followers of Jesus Christ. Anthropology can help us understand that.

This class will introduce the students to the principles and practices of Cultural Anthropology. Perhaps the best way to learn how to do cultural anthropology is to look at empirical examples of how it is done. For the rest of the course, we will look at the topic of how Filipino men conceptualize two ideas: Pagkalalake and maka-Diyos.

Learning Outcomes:

Learning Tasks (Assignments):

Learning Task #1. Participate in class discussions, normally consisting of breakout rooms and group reports.

Learning Task #2. Read

Learning Task #3. Interview at least two people about how they connect their pagkatao with their pagiging maka-Diyos. These don’t have to be men. It’s best if you choose people like those you minister to: Men, women, singles, youth, college students, bakla o tomboy, atbp. Mas maganda kung may connection sa research topic mo. What do you learn? What surprised you? What insights to do you gain from your dialogue with them that will help your discipleship of them? 5-10 pages.

Learning Activities:

As time permits, we will seek to investigate some or all of the following:
• Definitions of anthropology, culture, pagkalalake, and maka-Diyos.
• Introduction to the principles and practices of Cultural Anthropology.
• Pagkalalake: Talking about masculinity in the Philippine context
• Maka-Diyos: Talking about religiosity in the Philippine context
• How men conceptualize knowledge acquisition and evaluation
• Male understandings of the supernatural
• Men and maka-Diyos
• Men on pagkalalake
• Creating a framework for analyzing and working with these problems and difficulties

As appropriate, class sessions will include some or all of the following:
• Personal testimonies, in which students will seek to connect great doctrines to their own spiritual experiences
• Small-group discussion of key issues through analytic, synthetic, and evaluative questions
• Reflection on case studies in light of key theological issues

Learning Resources:

Abu-Lughod, L. (1993). “Writing against Culture.” In Oakes, T., & Price, P. L. (Eds.). (2008). The cultural geography reader. Routledge.
Castor, N. YouTube Video on culture.
Diah, N. M., Hossain, D. M., Mustari, S., & Ramli, N. S. (2014). An overview of the anthropological theories. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 4(1), 155-164. Retrieved from http://www.ijhssnet.com/journals/Vol_4_No_10_1_August_2014/19.pdf

Mutual Commitments:
Because this class is a D.Min. class, the primary responsibilities lie on you, the student, in learning. This class is also conducted in a modular format, which means that many of the activities will need to be done by you outside of class. Having said that, I am fully committed to helping you on your journey towards being the minister of the gospel that you would like to be! Here is what I am expecting from you and what you can expect from me as we journey together.

What I expect from you as an emerging leader in the service of Christ:
1. I expect you to be diligent in preparing thoroughly for each session.
2. I expect you to submit work on time, or, if this is not possible, to request an extension
adequately in advance of the deadline.
3. I expect you to participate fully and constructively in all course activities and discussions.
4. I expect you to show respect towards other students, being sensitive to national, cultural,
gender and other individual differences, and listening courteously when others speak in
class.
5. I expect you to provide accurate and constructive feedback on the course content and
methodology that will help me as I teach this course and when I teach this material again in the future.

My commitments to you are:
1. I will prepare carefully for each class session.
2. I will encourage reciprocity and cooperation among you as a class of emerging leaders.
3. I will emphasize time on task, making the best use of the available time to promote
quality learning.
4. I will promote active learning, respecting diverse talents and learning styles.
5. I will provide adequate opportunity outside of the class session times for you to discuss
the course material with me.
6. I will do my best to provide prompt feedback on your work.

Online Class Requirements:
Because this in an online class, students will have some extra steps to follow in completing the requirements.
• Zoom app. The zoom app can be downloaded for free from https://zoom.us/download. It is available for computers, tablets, and phones. Please keep your app updated.
Classes will be held August 10, 11, 13, 24, 25, 27 2021 8-10AM Philippine Time because this is the most convenient time for both the teacher and the students.
• Assignments must be submitted via email to seatsinc@gmail.com.

Contact Information:
I am available most times via email or social media to work with you. We can also set up an appointment to get together and discuss any issues or questions you may have. You can contact me via email at seatsinc@gmail.com. I am also on Facebook at http://fb.com/mike.fast2 and WhatsApp at 1-306-229-1710.

We have also set up a class webpage at https://schoolsofmission.com/course/level-4/....