ETHM 611 Arts in Global Engagement

This course presents, on a graduate level, multicultural issues that the student will encounter when doing internships, fieldwork, or participatory action research, equipping him/her with tools that he/she will need to engage with music in global contexts. It would also be appropriate for any person who plans to work in any cross-cultural environment where he/she will encounter local arts. The student needs to be aware of these issues and have strategies in place for engaging and encouraging expressive culture in relevant ways.

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

No details available.

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (7)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student will complete 7 Discussions in this course. The student will post one thread of at least 200 words. For each thread, the student must support his/her assertions with at least 1 scholarly citation in Turabian format. The student must then post 2 replies of at least 150 words.

Peer-Review Discussion: Strategizing for Engagement

The student will create a PowerPoint presentation designed to cast vision for and raise funds for the cultural engagement project. The PowerPoint should contain a minimum of 15 clear, uncrowded slides with just enough information in the notes section at the bottom to give academic credibility to the student’s work and explain any terms/visuals if needed. The PowerPoint presentation will be uploaded to the Discussion as the thread, and at least 3 replies will be required to other peers’ work.

Paper Assignments (5)

The student will complete 5 paper assignments throughout the course that will help the student reinforce the Learn and textbook material for each Module: Week.

Paper: Engaging a Community Through its Arts – A Preliminary Sketch Assignment

In this paper, the student will identify the cultural group he/she has chosen for this project and create a preliminary sketch of how he/she imagines the steps unfolding, using his/her present knowledge of the people group, and understanding of the processes as defined in the course materials. The paper should be 600-700 words and be in current Turabian format. 

Paper: Cultural Genres, Their Contexts, and Their Meanings Assignment

The student will examine the cultural group he/she has chosen in the previous assignment and produce an extensive list of at least 30 artistic/expressive genres and, as best as he/she can, identify local and broader meanings.

Paper: Kingdom Goals and Redemptive Analogies Assignment

In this assignment, the student will employ the various tools and cultural lenses presented in the readings to make a preliminary determination of which artistic genres he/she believes hold the most promise for innovative Christian messaging. The paper must be a minimum of 3 pages. 

Paper: Identifying Problematic Genres and Risk Factors Assignment

As the student digs deeper in his/her genre research, he/she will discover that some genres may seem too problematic to use innovatively for Christian messaging because the sedimentary levels of cultural meaning are too specific and strong, and will overpower any other messaging attached to it. This assignment includes 2 parts – First, the student will identify 3 genres which could be categorized as “problematic” and use them to write a 3-page paper. Second, the student will identify risks present even in the “promising” genres he/she identified in a previous assignment and add a 1 paragraph explanation to each. 

Paper: Arts in Christian Outreach Assignment

Effective communication requires that understanding is created consistently across multiple domains of meaning. In this paper, the student will argue for the importance of a holistic approach to Christian outreach which incorporates various artistic and non-verbal domains. At least 3 authors from the Learn section must be cited. The assignment should be 750-1000 words in current Turabian format. 

Christian Message Through Indigenous Art Project Assignment

In 900-1500 words, the student will write how the message of Christ can be expressed or illustrated in indigenous music to facilitate worship, discipleship, and evangelism in a selected musical culture of a traditional or indigenous community, tribe, or ethnicity. This assignment must be in current Turabian format. 

Final Project: Outline Assignment

This assignment will assist the student in completing the seven steps of the CLAT method for cross-cultural engagement. The student will develop a plan for engagement with a unique cultural group. The student will complete an outline in anticipation of the final paper. The outline will consist of multiple parts that help you form the cohesive arguments that will run through the Final Project: Paper Assignment. All citations must be in current Turabian format. 

Final Project: Paper Assignment

The student will prepare a plan for engagement and communication in service to the gospel (pre-evangelism, evangelism, discipleship, Christian worship) or other important messages (community health, healing, unity, cultural reconciliation, cultural understanding, etc.) to a culture different from the student’s own. The assignment will be 15-20 pages excluding front and back matter (title page, table of contents, bibliography and appendices). Turabian format is required.