1 Religion and Film Rs F346e (84740) Ams F321 (80006

RELIGION AND FILM RS F346E (84740) AMS F321 (80006)

Instructor: Chad Seales

Course Description: This course surveys representations of religious beliefs, practices, persons, and institutions in popular film. Focusing on the media consumption of box office movies in the United States, we will examine how religion is imagined in film and how that religious imagination relates to social constructions of national, ethnic, racial, gender, and sexual identities. Although we will briefly address some of the technical aspects of film production, our primary concern will be to interpret the ways in which films portray religion against the backdrop of American history. We will use the vehicle of the silver screen to reflect on how a shared religious imagination has shaped the way we understand ourselves as Americans.

To note, this class has a writing flag, which means you will be required to submit three types of written work for instructor evaluation and peer comment. With the goal of improving writing skills and critical thinking, you will keep a reading response journal which you will use for the basis of class discussion, you will submit two short essays for instructor comments, and you will revise those essays based on those comments.

Course Goal: By the end of this course, students should be able to think, discuss, and write critically about film from a religious studies perspective. Students should be able to identify a range of religious traditions as depicted in film, compare and contrast those depictions, and situate them within a larger narrative of American religious history.

Prerequisites: None. This course assumes no prior knowledge of the subject.

Texts: Readings are posted on Canvas. Films are on reserve in the Fine Arts Library. We will discuss the readings and films in class. You will be responsible for reading materials and viewing films before the class meeting that they are discussed. For weeks when we will discuss more than one film, you will pick one of the films to watch ahead of time.

Canvas: Course information, handouts, assignments, review sheets, etc. will be posted on the class website on Canvas. To find the Canvas site, and go to http://canvas.utexas.edu/ and log in with your EID and password.

1 Grading and Course Requirements:

Your grade for the course will be based on the total cumulative points from the following assignments:

1. Participation (20%) - Over the course of the semester, you will have the opportunity to participate in various class discussion exercises. Each exercise will count 2 points and will be graded pass/fail. You will need to successfully complete 10 class exercises for full credit on this assignment. Any additional participation exercises completed beyond the cumulative 20 points are counted as extra credit at up to 0.2 points per journal entry.

2. Reading Journal (24%) – For each assigned reading, you will be given the option of writing a journal entry. Journal entries should briefly answer the reading guide questions posted on Canvas. This assignment requires you to keep a record of your responses to the readings, and helps you sharpen critical thinking and writing skills. Each entry counts up to 3 points. Reading journals should be submitted on Canvas by 10am the day of the given class in which they are assigned. Journal entries must directly answer the questions in your own words. You can quote from the assigned reading, but you must explain or use the quote to demonstrate your own analysis. You can submit as many journals as needed to receive full credit. However, you cannot submit journal entries after the class in which they are assigned. Any additional entries completed beyond the cumulative 24 points are counted as extra credit at up to 0.2 points per journal entry.

3. Film Reaction Journal (24%) This assignment is designed to help you keep a record of your reactions to the films and help you participate in class discussion. In two double- spaced pages or less, you will describe a scene that engendered a strong reaction in you as a viewer. You should (a) briefly describe the scene (b) record your emotional reaction to it, and (c) explain why it seemed more powerful than other scenes in the movie. Each film journal entry counts up to 3 points. To get full credit for this component, you will need to successfully complete at least 8 journals. Film journals should be submitted on Canvas by the posted deadline, which typically is within 24 hours after the film screening.

4. In-Class Essay Peer Review (12%) – on Wednesday July 5th, you will bring to class an essay draft, with title, introductory paragraph with thesis statement, outline with list of examples, and conclusion (3 to 4 pages). The essay will answer an assigned question that will be distributed a week ahead of time. During class you will offer peer review comments, which you will use to write a revised essay in the following class meeting. The instructor will also offer comments on your draft.

5. In-class final Essay (20%) – This assignment is designed to help you develop critical thinking and writing skills. On Thursday July 6th, you will submit an essay that answers the assigned question, and addresses the peer review and instructor comments on your earlier essay draft.

2 University of Texas Honor Code and Academic Integrity The core values of The University of Texas at Austin are learning, discovery, freedom, leadership, individual opportunity, and responsibility. Each member of the university is expected to uphold these values through integrity, honesty, trust, fairness, and respect toward peers and community. If you are uncertain about what constitutes plagiarism, or other violations, please feel free to ask me. Students who violate the University rules on scholastic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary penalties, including the possible failure in the course and/or dismissal from the University. The policies on scholastic dishonesty will be strictly enforced. For more information, you can talk with me or visit the Student Judicial Services Web site: http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sis.

Use of E-Mail for Official Correspondence to Students Email is recognized as an official mode of university correspondence; therefore, you are responsible for reading your email for university and course-related information and announcements. You are responsible to keep the university informed about changes to your e-mail address. You should check your e-mail regularly and frequently to stay current with university-related communications, some of which may be time-critical. You can find UT Austin’s policies and instructions for updating your e-mail address at http://www.utexas.edu/its/policies/emailnotify.php.

Accommodations: Documented Disability Statement If you require special accommodations, you must obtain a letter that documents your disability from the Services for Students with Disabilities area of the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement (471-6259 voice or 471-4641 TTY for users who are deaf or hard of hearing). Present the letter to me at the beginning of the semester so we can discuss the accommodations you need. No later than five business days before an exam, you should remind me of any testing accommodations you will need. For more information, visit http://www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/ssd/.

Religious Holidays By UT Austin policy, you must notify me of your pending absence at least fourteen days prior to the date of observance of a religious holy day. If you must miss a class, an examination, a work assignment, or a project in order to observe a religious holy day, I will give you an opportunity to complete the missed work within a reasonable time after the absence.

Behavior Concerns Advice Line (BCAL) If you are worried about someone who is acting differently, you may use the Behavior Concerns Advice Line to discuss by phone your concerns about another individual’s behavior. This service is provided through a partnership among the Office of the Dean of Students, the Counseling and Mental Health Center (CMHC), the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and The University of Texas Police Department (UTPD). Call 512-232- 5050 or visit http://www.utexas.edu/safety/bcal.

Course Schedule:

Spiritual Travel and Religious Experience R June 1 - Course overview

In-class film screening The Darjeeling Limited (Wes Anderson, 2007) (part 1)

F June 2 Readings: • The Reality of the Sacred,” in Pals, Nine Theories of Religion, 227-262.

In-class film screening The Darjeeling Limited (Wes Anderson, 2007) (part 2)

M June 5 In-class film screening The Darjeeling Limited (Wes Anderson, 2007) (part 3)

T June 6 Readings: • Mircea Eliade, “The Sacred and the Profane,” in Olson, 161-168.

Cosmic Myth and Religious Origins W June 7 In-class film screening The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick, 2011) (part 1)

R June 8 In-class film screening The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick, 2011) (part 2)

F June 9 In-class film screening The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick, 2011) (part 3)

Readings: • S. Brent Plate, “Visualizing the Cosmos: Terrence Malick’s Tree of Life and Other Visions of Life in the Universe,” Journal of the American Academy of Religion 80 (June 2012): 527-536.

Racial Myth and White Nationalism M June 12 Readings: • John Lyden, “To Commend or To Critique?: The Question of Religion and Film Studies,” Journal of Religion and Film Vol. 1 (No. 2) (October 1997).

In-class film screening Rebirth of a Nation (DJ Spooky 2008) (part 1)

T June 13 Readings: • Richard C. Salter, “The Birth of a Nation as American Myth,” The Journal of Religion and Film Vol. 8 (No. 2) (2004).

In-class film screening Rebirth of a Nation (DJ Spooky 2008) (part 2)

4 W June 14 Readings: • Melvyn Stokes, “Transforming the American Movie Audience,” in D. W. Griffith’s the Birth of a Nation: A History of the Most Controversial Motion Picture of All Time (New York: Oxford University Press, 2007), 111-128.

In-class film screening Rebirth of a Nation (DJ Spooky 2008) (part 3)

Immigrant Religion and Racial Transcendence R June 15 In-class film screening The Jazz Singer (Alan Crosland 1927) (part 1)

F June 16 • In-class film screening The Jazz Singer (Alan Crosland 1927) (part 2)

Readings: • Michael Rogin, “Chapter 4: Black Face, White Noise: The Jewish Jazz Singer Finds His Voice” in Blackface, White Noise: Jewish Immigrants in the Hollywood Melting Pot (Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1996), 73-120.

Racial Myth and Black Religion M June 19 In-class film screening Hallelujah! (King Vidor, 1929) (selections)

Readings: • Judith Weisenfeld, “For Rent: `Cabin in the Sky': Race, Religion, and Representational Quagmires in American Film,” Semeia 74 (1996): 147-165.

T June 20 In-class film screening The Blood of Jesus (Spencer Williams, 1941) (selections)

Readings: • Thomas Cripps, Black Film As Genre, selections.

Secular Myth and Racial Transcendence W June 21 In-class screening: O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Coen Bros., 2000).

R June 22 In-class screening: O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Coen Bros., 2000).

F June 23 Readings: • Chad Seales, “Race and Religion in O Brother, Where Art Thou?,” The Coen Brothers’ Religion: Mythology, Morality and the American Landscape, Elijah Siegler, ed. (Baylor University Press, 2015).

The Religious Trickster M June 26 In-class screening: I’m Not There (Todd Haynes, 2007) (part 1)

T June 27 In-class screening: I’m Not There (Todd Haynes, 2007) (part 2)

W June 28 In-class screening: I’m Not There (Todd Haynes, 2007) (part 3)

Readings: Kathryn Lofton, “I Don’t Want To Fake You Out: Bob Dylan and the Search for Belief in History,” in Cultural Icons and Cultural Leadership, Peter Kaufman, ed. (Palgrave, forthcoming).

The Areligious Antihero R June 29 In-class screening: Inside Llewyn Davis (Ethan Coen, Joel Cohen, 2013) (part 1)

F June 30 In-class screening: Inside Llewyn Davis (Ethan Coen, Joel Cohen, 2013) (part 2)

M July 3 In-class screening: Inside Llewyn Davis (Ethan Coen, Joel Cohen, 2013) (part 3)

Readings: Jason Bivins, “Absence in Inside Llewyn Davis,” in The Coen Brothers’ Religion: Mythology, Morality and the American Landscape, Elijah Siegler, ed. (Baylor University Press, 2015).

T July 4 – NO CLASS

In Class Essay W July 5 – In-Class Essay Peer Review

R July 6 – In-Class Essay Due