AP/RLST 3827 3.00

Religion and Television

This course examines the role and representation of the religious on television. It introduces students to the vocabularies of Religious Studies and Media Studies, and critically explores the relationship between religion and television as aspects of contemporary popular culture. Distinguishing various televison genres from kinds of cinema, the course analyzes the ways in which daily network and specialty channel programming, as well as video-recordings from Europe and North America, represent Aboriginal, Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist and other religious myths, histories, rituals and doctrines. Genres studied include: televangelism; network news; the documentary and docu-drama; the game show; the sit-com; the mini-series; advertizing; music videos etc. Issues addressed include: To what extent do particular programmes reflect the personal beliefs of programme producers or the religious ideologies of particular networks and specialty channels? How are religious leaders, institutions and histories depicted on television? How do different kinds of television programming embody religious images, teachings and traditions, and to what purpose? How do different kinds of television programming represent our values and world-views, as individuals and as a society? How does television help shape our attitudes towards religious “others”? Topics include: the creator, the creation and creatureliness; free will, fate and fortune; sin, forgiveness and salvation; body, selfhood and identity; evil, “othering” and society; transcendence, truth, illusion and reality.

RELIGIOUS TRADITION(S) COVERED: Multiple

Course Category: Religion, Literature, and the Arts