World Religions and Film

Catalog description

This course satisfies the REL 300 core requirement. It offers a comparative study of major world religious traditions as manifested in both religious writings and a variety of international film texts. Through lectures, discussions, assigned readings, and weekly screenings of films rooted in specific religious traditions, students will gain a broad, basic knowledge of contemporary Eastern and Western religions. Students will consider Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, with emphasis varying each semester.The course pays attention to the tenets, ritual and worhip, ethics and historical background of each tradition through as seen in both classic and contemporary films. The course is valuable to students unfamiliar with major world religious traditions or the cinema's profound ability to inform, motive and inspire. Requirements: weekly readings, short papers, film screenings, lectures, discussion and final exam. Fulfills Core requirement(s): Visual and Performing Arts (VPA).