PhD · Associate Professor
Filipino literature (fiction studies, folk literature, film studies, magic realism)
Education
- PhD Philippine Studies, University of the Philippines Manila · 2010
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Earnest Tiger
Not for the faint of heart, he roasts work on the spot
positive
- CourseFILI 11
Hi, I had Doc Yapan for FILI 11 during the online setting last 2021, but from Lexie's review I'm assuming not much has changed in terms of the dynamics of his class. So, here's a list of notes on having him as a prof, coming from someone who used to have uber shitty conversational and professional Filipino grammar (I couldn't speak in straight Filipino to save my life lol) - He is not for the feint of heart. You should either have thick skin or mentally prepare yourself to move on ASAP from getting roasted in front of class. He's fond of critiquing student/s' work on the spot and he does not mince words. It's debatable whether or not this is a con, but it could be embarrassing for some people to have their work put out there in the open. I personally didn't mind volunteering to have my papers critiqued cos it was like he was already improving my paper for me 😎 - He is equally as big in commending great work as he is in criticizing not-so-great ones. He's not shy in giving praise where it's due be it during class or consultations. Every after an individual submission, he used to ask us to vote for whose work we thought was best. He posts the results as part of the module and announces who HE thinks did the best work and explains why. On top of that, he also gives special mentions to those who did well in the same activity. So I think it's safe to say good work really doesn't go unnoticed in his class. - He gives really comprehensive and actionable feedback, like REALLY comprehensive. During the solo part of the course (when we were solely working on individual submissions), he would summarize how the entire class did via Canvas (i.e. give the mean score on an assessment, highlight recurring mistakes and pain points of the class, etc.) Plus, he adjusts the class accordingly. I remember how our class did particularly bad for the grammar test, so he grouped the high scorers together with the lower scorers so we could help each other out, kinda like a buddy system. - Bagay and Borador are your best friends. He authored these books so I kinda found it a bit of a gag at first that he required us to have a copy, but damn did he have a point. The books were SO helpful in that I don't think I could've passed without them. He didn't record his sessions back then so when I forgot a stylistic or grammatical detail, I'd just refer to Bagay cause everything was just there. He emphasized during the first meeting that it wasn't his job to teach us grammar as we were supposed to be proficient enough already (he's right..) but I personally think he went the extra mile cos he made it a point to assess our Filipino and make sure we improved. I honestly still recall bulk of the grammatical conventions from his class because of how hard I drilled them to my brain just so I could pass the course lmao - He is actually very kind. You may find him uptight and strict at first, but he does try his best to establish rapport with his students. I think the stern exterior just really is an extension of his stature as he is very renowned in his field. Don't be afraid to joke around and exchange banters with him if the mood's right, cos the class becomes much more enjoyable that way. Also don't be afraid to make requests on the deadlines or workload because as long as it's reasonable, he's sure to consider it naman. Just make sure it's legit cos I think his years of teaching have made him extremely sensitive to spotting bullshit, so just beware of that Overall, I learned so much from his class and he's one of the professors that really gave me a feel of what it's like to study in Ateneo as I had him in my freshie year. His class was kinda like a wake-up call for me, a reminder that shit was getting real and I had to keep up, and he definitely helped me do that. I'm not entirely sure if he curves, but the grade I got super exceeded my expectations. So, it's either he curves generously or I'm just lowballing myself and he just gives you the grade you deserve. If I managed to do well in his class, I'm pretty sure you can too,. Good luck!more
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- Witty Moth
cc: Doniza Brabante pinakamahusay na abstrak
Anonymous
Grammar-heavy FILI 11 with repeated Balarila quizzes
positive
- CourseFILI 11
Hello, I had Doc Yapan for FILI 11 last year and my skills are a so-so, but here are some takeaways: - Doc Yapan isn’t particularly strict with the use of Taglish during recitations, however the academic papers and assessments are a different story. - There’s a Balarila (grammar) quiz before starting the actual lectures—it’s a diagnostic test for him to assess how well versed students are in basic Filipino grammar. From my block’s and my experience, only a few passed the first Balarila quiz, but he does this again and again until the class acquires class average which is a D, as far as I remember. Knowing grammar is important because this course is very grammar-centric and you’ll be doing acad papers as midterm and final and he’s really particular with grammar too. - He’ll require Bagay (style and grammar book) and Borador (for the readings). You’ll need these, it is an essential, this is basically your “bible” for this course and it’ll be really helpful. - DO NOT SKIP ON ASSIGNED READINGS! Never ever come to class without knowing the assigned readings. I know it can be tedious but don’t skip readings, because he does reading assessments, asking about details about the readings; the question ranges from who wrote the essay to what are the theories presented in said essay, etc. These are usually around 10 ~ 20 items. - Doc Yapan is well-versed in pop culture and he will always make such references during lectures. - Aside from reading assessments and/or quizzes and class participation, you have a midterm requirement which is an abstrak (abstract) and a group paper. I’ll be elaborating on this further: Doc gives a general theme and it must be related to pop culture. For example, last year, we had pagpapatawad (forgiveness) as a theme and we must think of a phenomena related to forgiveness that can be seen in pop culture. These change yearly, doc will announce this in class and he’ll give you time to think about your topic; a tip is think of as many as you can, it’s best if you have back-ups! The topics you’ll propose are subject for approval. He is really, really honest—if he thinks it’s infeasible, then chances are you’ll need to think of a new one that fits his criteria. For the abstrak, he has a prescribed format so please follow that. Don’t exceed nor create your own cuz he will notice and he won’t hesitate to point that out. He also corrects in red ink too. Most of his comments are in CAPITAL LETTERS (e.g. “?????”, “ULITIN”) - For the group paper, you can’t pick your group mates unfortunately. Doc is the one who hands pick them and you’re usually grouped according to grades and mistakes commonly committed. I’d like to add that Doc always hold consultations concerning the papers (abstrak and group paper) so I suggest you take advantage of that! It’s really helpful and he gives feedback on how to further improve your paper. - His requirements are heavy but he is really considerate with deadlines, and sometimes give bonuses + he curves too. It’ll be difficult at first, especially since you’re adjusting but it gets easier as the semester progresses (subjective). Honestly, it’s difficult to get an A in his class, but B+/B is achievable if you put in the work :> Good luck,!more
Jolly Falcon
goated fili prof ever
positive
- Retake?Yes
- 4.0 attainableYes
- LeniencyYes
goated fili prof ever high standards but gives credit where credit is due. though not really recommended for non-fluent filipino speakers, he forces (not in a bad way) you to understand the language. he's really engaging too because he uses a lot of pop culture in his lessons. quizzes are based off of the borador book so buy/borrow! there will be an umbrella topic given to you beforehand and you will be brainstorming topics for proposal for the final paper. parts of the paper (e.g. abstract) are individual at first, then he will group the students with similar grades and groups will each work on the paper of whoever in the group sir finds the best for the finals. i got a b+ but maybe it's because filipino is my first language! i'd say a with a bit more effort and fluent filipino, b+ with fluent background and normal effort, c+/b if you're not fluentmore
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Daring Crane
High standards, quizzes from the books, B with effort
positive
- 4.0 attainableYes
he's really good, pero medyo mataas standards. we had quizzes on filipino grammar because the quizzes prepare you for major assessments. buying/borrowing borador and gabay (aka the books he's the editor of) will definitelt help since we used those books often, esp borador, bc he'll use the content there for lessons I got a B.. i think b/b+/a with effort!more
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