World Religions and Film

Catalog description

Special Topics: This course satisfies the REL 300 core requirement. It offers a comparative study of major religious traditions of the world 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. We will consider Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, with attention paid to the tenets, ritual and worship, ethics and historical background of each as seen in a representative selection of classic and contemporary films. This course will be of value to students unfamiliar with the major religious traditions of the world or with the cinema's profound ability to inform, to motivate, and to inspire. Weekly readings and short papers, lectures, screenings; final exam.