To learn about the Philippines, one has to learn about its agriculture, a huge part of the Filipino culture.
The Filipino Studies Certificate program at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo is perhaps the only Filipino studies program in the U.S. that integrates sustainable agriculture into its curriculum. Rodney Jubilado, assistant professor of Filipino and coordinator of the certificate program, stresses that in order to learn about the Philippines, one has to learn about its agriculture, which is a huge part of the Filipino culture.
“The focus here is the Philippines, which is an agricultural country” says Jubilado, whose family in the Philippines owns a farm that grows coffee, coconut and cacao.
Jubilado is a prolific writer and researcher and has shared his articles in numerous venues such as international conferences in various countries in Asia, Australia, and America. He is well published in international journals, edited academic journals, books, and manuscripts, supervised graduate and doctoral students, and is a member of professional organizations of his field and allied disciplines.
At UH Hilo, Jubilado teaches Elementary Filipino I (Fil 101), Filipino Films (FIL330), Elementary Filipino II (Fil 102), and Filipino Culture (Fil 398).
The Filipino Studies Certificate program provides a better understanding of the Filipino American community while allowing Filipino American students the opportunity to explore their heritage and non-Filipino American students an opportunity to learn about the Philippines.
The multidisciplinary program, comprised of a liberal arts foundation and cultural and natural resources-based studies, offers three tracks: 1) cultural-based, 2) natural resource-based, and 3) cultural and natural resource-based combination.
The program provides platforms for undergraduate research opportunities, community outreach activities and an optional international student exchange between UH Hilo and participating Philippine universities.
This knowledge is essential for those seeking advanced degrees and careers including agriculture, environmental studies, medical fields, services, tourism, politics and global trade and business.
To learn more about the program contact Rodney Jubilado.
-This article was first published in the Feb. 2013 issue of the UH Hilo Agriculture Club newsletter.