Concentration Handbook

Hispanic Church Studies Concentration Handbook

Seminary of the Southwest

Fall Semester 2009

Introduction

The Hispanic Church Studies concentration is a curricular specialization offered by Southwest to prepare and equip students for ministry in Hispanic communities. It also helps students integrate ministry among Hispanics within their general parish ministry. Students complete the concentration by taking four three-credit hour electives offered through the concentration. Students in the concentration will gain cultural competency while acquiring skills and sensibilities for the practice of ministry in Hispanic communities. The seminary’s offerings in Spanish language acquisition will assist students who desire to minister in Spanish-speaking settings but are not yet proficient in the language. Students in the concentration take all their required courses with their M.Div. and MAR peers while using a minimum of four elective courses for the concentration. Courses are taught by the faculty of Southwest. The courses in the concentration are also available as electives for all students. Students who complete the concentration graduate with a transcript that indicates completion of the Hispanic Church Studies concentration. Students in the MAR, DTS, and DAS degree programs may also tailor their studies to take advantage of the concentration.

The Reverend Paul Barton, Ph.D, Associate Professor in the History of American Christianity and Missiology also serves as the director of Hispanic Church Studies concentration.

Learning Goals of Hispanic Church Studies

· to appreciate critically and sensitively cultural expressions of Hispanic Christian faith and the particular practices of the various groups that comprise Hispanics;

· to identify and reflect on important events, movements, texts and initiatives within the history of Hispanics, especially in the southwestern United States;

· to reflect on theological and social issues from the perspectives of various Hispanic and Latin American theologians;

· to appreciate the role that justice plays in an authentic expression of Christian faith;

· to develop a receptivity toward innovation, enculturation, and difference for the purpose of extending the Christian community to include a variety of groups of people; and

· to gain skills for pastoral ministry in Hispanic and multicultural contexts.

Courses

Required Course

M1310 Mission in Latino Contexts

First-year students will spend up to three weeks in the January term observing, participating in, and considering the church in mission along the Texas/Mexico border and in various Spanish-speaking contexts throughout Texas. Experiential learning occurs with trips to the Texas/Mexico border and in Latino/a congregations throughout Texas. Students learn about the history, culture and contemporary realities of Latinos/as to gain skills in intercultural dialogue and ministry that they can transpose to other cultural settings. Reflection on the theological and missiological questions that arise from the experiences in this January term course will be the focus of the spring semester portion of the course.

Instructor Case (January Term)

Professor Barton (Spring semester)

Hispanic Church Studies Electives

Fall 2009

Latino Religion and Culture in Film

Y Tu Mama También, A Day without a Mexican, Like Water for Chocolate, Mi Familia, El Norte.... These are some of the several films we will use to explore the intricacies and varieties of faith and cultures of Latinos/as. We will examine the political and cultural contexts in which in which each film was made and consider how they can be helpful in the practice of ministry and contribute to our understanding of the varied realities of Latinos/as. Appropriate readings and class discussion will complement each film. A final project will consist of a synthesis of the subjects treated in the course.

Professor Barton

Spring 2010

M4323 Evangelism in Hispanic Communities

This seminar type course will prepare students in the types of evangelism used in Hispanic communities to attract and integrate members into the Church. The course will include readings in the theory of mission and evangelism, presentations by clergy in large and small Hispanic congregations, and presentations by the students to each other on a methodology as assigned. Spanish competence preferred but not required. Prerequisite: M1310.

Instructor Case

Fall 2010

M4319 Ritual, Devotion, and Iconography: Spain, Mexico, and the Southwestern U.S.

We examine the power of ritual to shape the religious identity of communities in the contexts of Spain, Mexico, and the southwestern U.S. We explore the myriad of meanings associated with significant religious iconography, such as Our Lady of Guadalupe, retablos, and other indigenous and Christian images. All this is done as a way to delve into the rich spiritual landscape of Christianity within the Hispanic tradition.

Professor Barton

Spring 2011

M4320 Theologies of Liberation

Students explore the various Christian traditions—Roman Catholic, “mainstream” Protestant, and Pentecostal—among the Hispanic and Latino/a peoples as they struggled to relate to the dominant society. We explore significant figures in this history and ask how the Christian traditions, localized within various regions, enabled their adherents to resist oppression and foster forms of Christianity that affirmed their culture and socio-economic conditions.

Professor Barton

Professor Barton

Fall 2011

M4321 How We Got Here: The Historical Pilgrimage of Latino/a Christians

Professor Barton

Professor Barton

Spring 2012

M4322 Becoming a Multicultural Church

Jesus’ inclusive embrace of persons from many religious, cultural, and social backgrounds serves as the theological basis for this course. Becoming a multicultural church is an attempt to become a community of faith that authentically values and supports persons from a variety of backgrounds. Becoming a multicultural church is a radical way of being the church and requires unique sensibilities, passions, vision, and skills. The course examines various examples of multicultural churches, provides strategies for multicultural ministries, and exposes students to persons engaged in these kinds of ministries.

Professor Barton

_________________________________________________

The seminary offers two courses for language learning, M4307 Beginning Spanish for Ministry and M4312 Intemediate Spanish for Ministry. While these courses provide opportunities to learn Spanish, they do not count toward the concentration.

M4307 Beginning Spanish for Ministry

An introduction intended to provide basic proficiency in Spanish, using materials that illustrate pastorally significant aspects of Latino culture and basic elements of the liturgy in Spanish.

Offered every semester

Instructor Peña

M4312 Intermediate Spanish for Ministry

In this course, the student will master the preterit and imperfect tenses. The student will become familiar with the uses and differences of the two tenses. At the end of the semester, the class will be able to compare, contrast, differentiate and use the two tenses. Besides the Spanish text for grammar and practice, the other books used in the course will be the Bible, “Dios habla hoy”, and the Spanish language Book of Common Prayer (Libro de Oración Común). Articles about Hispanic Culture, and themes related to Hispanics, immigration, religion and education are part of the class. Hispanics will be invited to speak in Spanish to the class about topics which affect their lives as Hispanics.

Offered every semester

Instructor Peña

Field Education

Field education placement in a parish is directed by Rev. Kathleen Russell, Assistant Professor of Contextual Theology for Ministry. Parish placement depends on an assessment of student learning needs and appropriate parish resources. There are a limited number of parish placements in Spanish-speaking settings. Students in the Hispanic Church Studies concentration may or may not be placed in Spanish-speaking or bi-lingual settings, depending upon their fluency in Spanish and their particular learning needs.

Summer Courses

The Hispanic Summer Program (HSP) / Programa Hispano de Verano (PHV)

The HSP offers courses in English and Spanish for Masters level students in Hispanic theological education. Students take a two-week course during late June and early July by an Hispanic scholar involved in Hispanic theological education. Southwest is the only Episcopal seminary that is an official sponsoring member of the HSP. Because of its affiliation with the HSP, students’ tuition and travel is covered.

The Panama Project

The Seminary Council on Mission (SCOM), an organ of the Council of Episcopal Seminaries, selects up to four students annually to attend a four-week immersion program in the Episcopal Diocese of Panama each June.

Language immersion in Latin America is available for credit.

Integration of Hispanic theology and ministry in other courses.

The courses offered through Hispanic Church Studies are provided to explicitly meet the needs of students who desire preparation for ministry in Hispanic settings. All other courses consider the needs of the entire M.Div. and MAR degree students. Students should consult with their professor to inquire whether there are opportunities for them to integrate the goals of the concentration with their courses.

Advising

Students in the concentration may or may not be assigned the director of the concentration as their advisor. Even if students have a different advisor, they are expected to meet with the director of the concentration at the beginning and the end of each semester for reflection and evaluation on progress in the student’s learning covenant.

Students in the concentration also abide by all of the policies found in the seminary’s student handbook.

Learning Covenant

Students will submit a learning covenant with the director in September of their junior year. The learning covenant is the student’s plan for his or her theological education during the three years in seminary that will most effectively prepare the student for ministry in Hispanic settings. The director will have a conversation with the student about it.

End-of-Year evaluation

Students will meet with the director at the end of the year for an evaluation of his or her learning related to the concentration and of the concentration as well. The first part of the evaluation will focus on the student’s learning, especially as it relates to the student’s learning covenant. The second part will focus on the evaluation of the concentration itself.

Students in the Concentration are encouraged to participate in the following activities:

· Attend the concentration orientation in September

· Visit a Spanish-speaking Sunday morning worship service with the director twice during their junior year

· Participate in planning and implementing the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15-October 15)

· Include Hispanic elements in the liturgy for the week that Seniors in the concentration are the lead student liturgists.

· Submit a SCOM or EES proposal their middler year. Both SCOM (Seminary Council on Mission) and EES (Episcopal Education Society) offer funding for students to undertake a travel project related to mission and evangelism. Kathleen Russell, the seminary’s SCOM representative provides students with information and the grant forms about SCOM.

· Attend at least once each year a conference, workshop, or seminar related to Hispanic theology and ministry.

· Attend “El Encuentro.” This is a weekend retreat for Hispanic Episopcal seminarians and for seminarians preparing for Hispanic ministry. It is held at one of the Episcopal seminaries each spring semester. It is sponsored by the Office of Hispanic and Latino Ministries of the Episcopal Church Center, Father Anthony Guillen as the director. Seminary of the Southwest was the founder of this event.

Worship

Students are encouraged to sign up to lead and participate in Evening Prayer in Spanish on Tuesdays. The mid-day chapel worship occasionally includes elements of the liturgy in Spanish, such as Prayers of the People, the Lord’s Prayer, The Nicene Creed, and hymns.

Spanish Language Learning

Southwest offers enhanced offerings in Spanish language and culture. Offerings include various levels of conversation classes involving the practice of ministry in Hispanic settings and language-learning software. Dr. Horacio Peña, instructor of Spanish, offers two courses each semester-basic and intermediate.

Library Resources at Southwest

· La Colección Hispana includes theological, Biblical, and liturgical books in Spanish, plus holdings from other seminaries.