Interpreting Contemporary Cultural Contexts (DM 812)

Prerequesites

Successfully completed DM 811

Date

Friday, Jan. 9th – Monday, Jan. 12th

Credit

2.0

Block

1

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Course Description

This course provides students with an introduction to the basic theoretical concepts and methodological tools of cultural anthropology, and emphasizes the ways in which the discipline helps us interpret how diverse populations construct and enact meaning. The tools of anthropological analysis not only help us understand the “other”, but allow us to see our own culture with fresh eyes and perhaps discover our own cultural biases and assumptions.

Professor

Elaine Penagos

Contingent Faculty

Education

Ph.D. in Religion from Emory University

MA in Religious Studies from the University of Denver

BA in Religious Studies from the University of Miami

Bio

Elaine Penagos is an Assistant Professor at Trinity University’s Department of Religion, teaching classes on African and African heritage religious cultures. Her writing has appeared in Genealogy, Practical Matters, the Wabash Center, and the Hispanic Theological Initiative’s Open Plaza. 

Course Information

Course Goals & Learning Outcomes
  1. Intellectual:Students will possess fundamental anthropological knowledge by the end of this course, including terminology, concepts, intellectual traditions, and theoretical approaches. Students will gain exposure to a holistic perspective that bridges traditional disciplinary boundaries.
  2. Practical:By the end of the course, students will understand the unique research methods underlying anthropological inquiry and be able to apply those methods to understand the worldview of particular cultural groups and of organizational cultures. Students will learn to critically evaluate starting premises, assumptions and viewpoints to uncover ethnocentric bias or other forms of bias.
  3. Spiritual:By the end of the course, students will recognize and appreciate what it means to be human in various cultural contexts and will become aware of their own positionality in interpreting diverse cultural behavior.
Required Textbooks

  1. Briggs, Charles L., and Clara Mantini-Briggs. Tell Me Why My Children Died: Rabies, Indigenous Knowledge, and Communicative Justice. Duke University Press, 2016. (Please read this before the beginning of the January term) *IMPORTANT NOTE* Tell Me Why My Children Died is an anthropological text that as the title suggests, deals with heavy issues. I strongly recommend that you give yourself time to read the book; don’t try to read it over the span of a day or two during the holidays.

  2. Leavy, Patricia. Method Meets Art: Arts-Based Research Practice. Guilford, 2020. (You do not need to read this book before the term. We will be engaging with the text as a class during our time together.)

Is there pre-course work?
Yes. Before you arrive on campus for your time in class, you must complete the pre-class assignments consisting of reading, writing, and lectures. The written assignments must be submitted prior to our first class meeting so that we may discuss them.
What technology is required?
Students should bring with them their laptops, tablets, or device with which they use to access the course materials and complete assignments.
What will I need to bring to class?
Laptop, notebook, pens/pencils, jacket or blanket, water bottle, assistive devices, etc. Any assignments or other needed materials will be listed in the course syllabus via Canvas.
Should I bring snacks?
You are welcome to bring snacks or drinks. LTS is equipped with a water filter for refilling water bottles and will have coffee and tea available, as well as an assortment of snacks. If you have a food allergy or sensitivity, please reach out to the Dean’s Office prior to your arrival.
What do I do if I can't join physically?
LTS does offer hybrid intensives options at the discretion of the Dean and course professor. Please contact the Dean’s Office prior to registering for courses to make your hybrid course request.

Other Intensives Course Offerings

IP Block: IP 550 & IP 551
Thomas Merton: His Life, Spirituality, and Social Consciousness (LF 673/873)
Exegesis for the Church (IS 560)
LC Block: LC 550, LC 552, and LC 554
Sermon Preparation (LW 554)
A Liberation Biblical Hermeneutics for Lent (IS 680/880)
Building Congregational/Ministerial Frameworks for the Contemporary Contexts (DM 813)
IF Block: Who Do We Say That I Am: Christology (IF 556) & God Save Us: Soteriology (IF 558)

Questions about registering?

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