| COURSE NUMBER: |
THEO 378 |
| COURSE TITLE: |
The Gospel According to Hollywood: Religion and Popular
Culture |
| NAME OF
INSTRUCTOR: |
Tyler Williams |
| CREDIT WEIGHT
AND WEEKLY TIME DISTRIBUTION: |
credits 3(hrs lect 3 - hrs sem 0 - hrs lab 0) |
| COURSE
DESCRIPTION: |
Using case studies taken from
film, television, music, and other media, this course will examine the
presentation of religion and religious topics in popular culture as
well as how popular cultural texts and practices have influenced the
beliefs, structures, and practices of religious groups. In addition,
the economics and ethics of popular culture will receive some attention.
Prerequisites: THEO 250
This course does not fulfill theology foundations
requirements.
|
| REQUIRED TEXTS: |
- Gordon Lynch, Understanding
Theology and Popular Culture (Blackwell, 2005)
- Craig Detweiler and Barry Taylor, A Matrix of Meanings: Finding
God in Pop Culture (Baker, 2003)
- William T. Cavanaugh, Being Consumed: Economics and
Christian Desire (Eerdmans, 2008).
- Robert H. Woods and Paul D. Patton, Prophetically Incorrect: A
Christian Introduction to Media Criticism (Brazos, 2010).
|
| MARK
DISTRIBUTION IN PERCENT: |
|
| Attendance & Participation |
10% |
| Commodity Study Paper and Poster |
20% |
| Artefact Analysis (2) |
30% |
| Class Presentation |
10% |
| Weekly Reading Notes & Reflections |
30% |
|
|
|
100% |
|
| COURSE
OBJECTIVES: |
At the successful completion of this course the student
should have:
- a familiarity with a variety of theories and methods
used in the study of religion and popular culture;
- the ability to recognize the way in which popular
culture expresses traditional religious symbols and ideas (religion in
popular culture);
- an awareness of the way in which popular cultural
texts and practices have shaped the beliefs, structures, and practices
of religious groups (popular culture in religion);
- a recognition of how popular culture may serve
religious functions in contemporary society (popular culture as
religion);
- the ability to interact and analyse different
elements within popular culture from your own religious tradition
(popular culture and religion in dialogue); and
- the ability to articulate an approach to popular
culture and religion that is multi-faceted and multi-disciplinary.
|
| COURSE OUTLINE: |
- Introduction to the Class
- Defining “Religion” and “Popular Culture”
- Theoretical Approaches to the Study of Popular Culture
- Shopping for Jesus: The Commodification of Religion
- Religion, Retailing and Material Culture: Jesus Junk
& Christian Kitsch
- Popular Culture and Mass Media: “The Merchants of
Cool”
- Religion, Gender, and Popular Culture
- Religion and Film
- Religion on Film: Biblical Epics
- Religion on Film: Jesus Films
- Religion on Film: Gibson's The Passion of the Christ
- Religion in Film: Judeo-Christian Images in
Film
- Religion in Film: The Portrayal of
Non-Christian Religions in Film
- Religion in Film: The Myth of Redemptive Violence in
Film
- Religion & Television
- Religion & Television: The Portrayal of
Non-Christian Religions on TV
- Religion & Popular Music
- Religion & Popular Music: “The Gospel
According to U2”
- Religion & Popular “Christian” Music
- Witness: “The Disciples: The Making of Evangelical
Pop Stars”
- Popular Culture as Religion
- Religion and the New Media
- Approaching Religion and Popular Culture: Synthesis
|
THE KING'S UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE