Revised Syllabus after Hurricane Ida

(The Weekly Objectives have not been rearranged yet.)

STUDENTS SHOULD NOTE: This course will be taught as a “flipped class” online. That means that students will do the reading and movie assignments as homework, and watch/listen to the instructor’s lecture videos before coming to the online classroom on Canvas. Online classroom meetings will be devoted to discussions of what the students learned from the reading assignment, movie assignment, and from watching/listening to the lecture videos before participating in online discussions and the issues that are raised by that material.

Most Zoom classes will be held during the class period on Tuesdays. Students will be divided into Group A and Group B, with approximately 15 students in each group. Group A will meet via Zoom for the first 35 minutes of the class period. There will be a 5 minute break, then students in Group B will meet for the remaining 35 minutes in the class period. Every student will be required to comment and/or answer discussion questions relating to the assignments.

Students who are unable to attend the regular Zoom class meeting scheduled on a Tuesday, will be required to make two thoughtful posts, in response to questions posted by the instructor, to the discussion boards for that class. Students who attend the Tuesday Zoom meeting will not have to make discussion board posts for the Tuesday class.

For most Thursday classes, there will be class discussion boards. Students will be required to make two thoughtful posts on two discussion questions posted there by the instructor.

At the end of the semester, when each student will make a presentation of their best Blog post, discussing what they learned from their research to make the Blog post, all students should attend the Zoom classes for the entire class period, 11:00 am-12:15 pm, Tuesday and Thursday, November 30, December 2, December 7, and December 9. Students should plan their work schedules to be able to attend these classes and participate in discussion after the presentations are made. If students do not attend and participate in these classes, they will lose the usual 8 points for Zoom class attendance and participation.

Since this is a synchronous online course, it is important for students to keep up with the assigned readings, viewings of movies and the lecture videos, and the assigned posts by the specified dates. This course should be taken only if students intend to keep up with the assignments and deadlines.

Synchronous Online Course RELIGION, MEDIA, AND CULTURE RELS V244-W01

A computer or laptop with a camera and access to the internet are needed to take this course.

1 Term: Fall 2021

Class Time: TR 11:00 – 12:15 Some classes will be synchronous. Other classes will require discussion board posts on the day of the class. There are deadlines for assignments.

Instructor: Dr. Catherine Wessinger

Contact Info: Email: [email protected] (preferred contact method.)

Office Hrs: Zoom by appointment

Terms of Use: A student’s continued enrollment in this course signifies acknowledgment of and agreement with the statements, disclaimers, policies, and procedures outlined within this syllabus and elsewhere in the Canvas environment. This Syllabus is a dynamic document. Elements of the course structure (e.g., dates and topics covered, but not policies) may be changed at the discretion of the professor.

Course Information

Prerequisite Courses: e.g. No prerequisites.

Course Location: Online in Canvas (NOTE: This is an online course. However, it is NOT self- paced. Readings as well as all learning activities must be completed according to the weekly schedule provided in this syllabus.)

Credit Hours: e.g. 3 Credit hours

Weeks and Dates of the Course: 16 weeks, from Tuesday, August 24 to Thursday, December 9, 2021, plus the exam period.

Class Meeting Time: e.g. Each week begins on Monday at 12:00 am and ends on Sunday at 11:59 pm in Canvas.

Expectations of Workload: e.g. According to the Loyola University Credit Hour Policy http://academicaffairs.loyno.edu/credit-hour-policy, the student is supposed to spend at least 6,300 minutes (that is 105 hours including 35 hours of classwork and 70 hours of out-of-class work) for the whole semester regardless of how many weeks it is offered.

Expectations of Skills and Competencies for Successful Completion of Assignments:

You must have basic computer and Canvas skills to complete the assignments, such as able to identify and click on buttons to access and navigate the course content, being able to find your

2 course assignments, grades, and feedback in Canvas, and being able to add attachments, links, images, and submission of the assignments, etc.

Required Readings and Viewings:

John C. Lyden, Film as Religion: Myths, Morals, and Rituals, 1st ed. ( University Press, 2019). ISBN 9781479802074. $25.99 new paperback. Kindle $24.69. LYDEN.

The Monroe Library provides Film as Religion as an EBSCO ebook with rights management that allows 40 pages of print/download/email at a time. To access the book and the functions in EBSCO, the student will need to set up a free account in EBSCO. Use this link to access the book:

Mara Einstein, Brands of Faith: Marketing Religion in a Commercial Age (Routledge, 2007). ISBN-10: 0415409772. $46.92 new paperback. $33.47 used. Kindle $44.56; rent Kindle $10.92. EINSTEIN.

The Monroe Library provides Brands of Faith as a Taylor & Francis Group ebook. The student will be able to access each assigned chapter as a pdf through the Monroe Library.

Claire H. Badarraco, ed., Quoting God: How Media Shape Ideas about Religion and Culture (Baylor University Press, 2004). ISBN-10: 1932792066. $27.58 new. Kindle $34.95. BADARACCO.

The Monroe Library provides Quoting God is an EBSCO ebook with rights management that allows 10 pages of print/download/email at a time. To access the book and the functions in EBSCO, the student will need to set up a free account in EBSCO. Use this link to access the book: http://ezproxy.loyno.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&d b=nlebk&AN=147105&site=ehost-live&scope=site

PDF: Miscellaneous readings available on Canvas.

STREAMING VIDEO: Movies available on Canvas as streaming video to be viewed before the relevant class.

COURSE OBJECTIVE: Religion reflects humanity’s search for meaning, community, and well-being in relation to what humans consider to be ultimate. Religion is expressed in culture, including various media that change and develop through time. This course introduces students to the scholarly analysis of religious media use, and analysis of depictions of religions and religious themes in three cultural areas of media: films, the “marketing” and “branding” of religious groups, and the news media. Students will learn to assess sources of information critically, and to reflect on meanings about life conveyed through media.

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LEARNING OUTCOMES: Upon successful completion of the course, a student will be able to: 1. recognize and analyze common characteristics of religions, utilizing terminology utilized by scholars for this purpose; 2. be familiar with the history and characteristics of noteworthy religious movements in the United States and elsewhere and their connections to media; 3. identify and analyze “old” media that have been used to express religious beliefs; 4. analyze religious themes, topics, and uses expressed in the “new media”; 5. analyze religious themes in fictional media creations such as films, television shows, and cartoons; 6. analyze the ways that religious organizations and personalities market or “brand” themselves using media; 7. assess sources of information about religions and religious persons; 8. distinguish between unreliable (inaccurate) and reliable sources of information in general and specifically about religious persons; 9. reflect on meanings of life expressed in media; 10. articulate to others the student’s analysis of aspects of religion and media; 11. write clear, grammatically correct prose, with correct spelling and proper use of words, conveying the student’s analysis of aspects of religion and media.

TYPES OF ASSIGNMENTS:

• Make a short video introducing oneself, following the instructions, recorded in Canvas and posted to Video Introductions Discussion Board for the first class (10 points). • Post a reply to two students’ introductions (5 points). • True-false quiz on course requirements (10 points). • Attend Zoom class to see the tools in the Discussion Board demonstrated for the purposes of making Blog posts (8 points) • Readings, movie viewings, and lecture videos. • Post two discussion questions on the assigned readings and/or viewings the night before each class by 8:00 pm. (2 points for each class with reading and/or viewing assignments; 19 classes for a total of 38 points). • Class attendance and discussion on the two class discussion boards for each class (4 points for each post; 8 points total; 19 classes for a total of 152 points). On Tuesdays, students have the option of attending the Zoom class and participating in discussion to earn the 8 points total for posting on the two class discussion boards. • Writing five Observing Religion, Media, and Culture Blog posts about religion and media on a Canvas Discussion Board set up to be a Blog for each student, providing hyperlinks to appropriate sources utilized for the post (10 pts. for each blog post; total of 50 points). • Read and provide constructive feedback on five blog posts written by other students (5 points each; total 25 points).

4 • Three fill-in-the-blank tests (each taken twice, with the lowest grade dropped; 50 points each; total 150 points). • Class presentation on the topic of one of the student’s best Blog posts (10 points). • Attendance and discussion on the four Class Presentation days (8 points each; 4 classes for a total of 32 points). • Write a reflection post to the What I Learned in This Course discussion board (10 points). • Complete an optional Religious Visit Report assignment (10 points extra credit).

Grading Policy e.g.

A A- B+ B B- C+ C C- D+ D F

>=94, <=100 >=90, >=87, >=84 >=80 >=77 >=74 >=70 >=67 >=60 >=0 <94 <90 <87 <84 <80 <77 <74 <70 <67 <60

WEEK ONE

Week One Objectives: Upon completion of this week the learner will be able to: describe the assignments and requirements in this course; identify other students in the course; reflect and discuss why the study of religion and media is important; be able to identify examples of religion expressed in old media and new media; know the definitions of some key terms relevant to the study of religion.

T Aug 24 Class 1 – Introductions and Course Requirements READ: Syllabus and the course requirements. READ: HANDOUT: What to Include in One’s Introduction Video. READ: HANDOUT: How to Make Class Discussion Board Posts. WATCH: VIDEO: Syllabus and Course Requirements and How to Make Class Discussion Board Posts (1:07:37). WATCH: VIDEO: How to Record Video in Canvas Discussion Board (3:09 mins.). WATCH: VIDEO: Dr. Catherine Wessinger’s introduction video (6:13 mins.) in the Introductions Discussion Board. RECORD AND POST: A video in the Introductions Discussion Board introducing yourself (10 points). Before recording the video introducing yourself, read and download (or take notes) on the instructions in the handout titled What to Include in One’s Introduction Video. [Final deadline to record and post the introduction video is Monday, August 30, after Drop-Add period is concluded.] New Final Deadline: Sept. 13. WATCH & POST: Watch the other students’ Introduction Videos. Make a friendly post to two students’ Introduction Videos (5 points). [Final deadline to watch Introduction Videos and make two posts in the Introductions Discussion Board is Monday, August 30, after Drop-Add period is concluded.]

5 TAKE: A True-False Quiz (10 points) on the course requirements based on the syllabus and Dr. Wessinger’s video about the syllabus and course requirements and the handout on How to Make Class Discussion Board Posts. [This quiz will remain open through Monday, August 30, after Drop-Add period is concluded.] New Final Deadline: Sept. 13.

R Aug 26 Class 2 – Introduction to Religion and Media READ: PDF: Jeffrey H. Mahan, “Religion and Media,” 14-25. WATCH: LECTURE VIDEO: Introduction to Religion and Media (13:09 mins.) POST: two thoughtful discussion questions on the assigned reading on the Discussion Questions Discussion Board for Class 2. DUE: The night before the class by 8:00 p.m. Central Time. POST: One thoughtful post in reply to a discussion question on the Student-Composed Discussion Questions Discussion Board. POST: One thoughtful post in reply to a discussion question on the Instructor-Composed Discussion Questions Discussion Board. BE PREPARED: Come to class prepared to show examples available on the internet of the intersections of religion, media, and culture.

[F Aug 27 – Last day to add]

WEEK TWO

Week Two Objectives: Upon completion of this week the learner will be able to: know how to use the tools in the toolbar of a Canvas discussion board so the student can embed videos and photos in the student’s Blog Posts; know various definitions for the term “religion” and which definition Lyden and Dr. Wessinger consider to be the functional; research a topic, assess sources, and write a thoughtful Blog Post #1 with hyperlinks to source and a photo or video embedded in the post.

T Sept 14 Class 3 - How to Make a Blog Post in a Canvas Discussion Board This is an important class period in which it will be demonstrated how to utilize the tools in the toolbar in a Canvas discussion board, including how to insert hyperlinks to sources on the internet, add photos to a post, and add video to a post. This information is needed to complete the Observing Religion, Media, and Culture Blog Posts assignment. Therefore, it is important that students attend this class so they will know how to utilize the discussion board functions in the tool bar. READ: HANDOUT: Rubric for Evaluating Blog Posts READ: HANDOUT: Research Resources. Read the titles of recommended academic journals and websites that contains articles on Religion, Media, and Culture. Click the link for each of these resources to explore the types topics that its articles cover. READ: HANDOUT: How to Create a Stable URL to Cite a Journal Article in the Monroe Library's Collection Via Hyperlink

6 READ: Meriam Library, California State University, Chico: Evaluating Information—Applying the CRAAP Test WATCH: Observing Religion, Media, and Culture Blog Posts Assignment (22:21 mins.). WATCH: Research Resources (9:49 mins.). WATCH: How to Use the Tools in the Canvas Discussion Board (27:31 mins.). WATCH: How to Create a Stable URL (11:43 mins.). ATTEND ZOOM MEETING: All students should attend the Tuesday Zoom meeting to go over the Blog Post assignments, to go over the Rubric for Evaluating Blog Posts, and for the instructor to answer questions about using the tools in the Toolbar in the Discussion Board in Canvas (8 points). OR, POST: If the student is unable to attend the Tuesday Zoom class, the student should make an initial draft Blog post, name the post Test Post, and demonstrate that the student can type text in the post, add hyperlinks to sources in the post, embed a video in the post, and embed a photo in the post. This is a draft post to demonstrate proficiency with the tools in the Tool Bar, so this post will not be graded for content. (8 points)

R Sept 16 Class 4: Film as Religion – Definition of Religion READ: LYDEN: “The Definition of Religion,” 36-55. WATCH: LECTURE VIDEO: Film as Religion: Definitions of Religion (20:46 mins.) POST: two thoughtful discussion questions, one on each assigned reading, on the Discussion Questions Discussion Board for Class 4. DUE: The night before the class by 8:00 p.m. Central Time. POST: One thoughtful post in reply to a discussion question on the Student-Composed Discussion Questions Discussion Board. POST: One thoughtful post in reply to a discussion question on the Instructor-Composed Discussion Questions Discussion Board BE PREPARED: Come to class prepared to discuss which definition of religion Lyden decides is the most functional for the study of film and religion. Be prepared to articulate why Lyden believes that watching films may be considered religious. POST: BLOG POST #1 (10 pts.) due by Sunday night of this week, Sept 19, before midnight. Topic: Topic of Student’s Choosing.

[F Sept 3 – Last day to drop.]

WEEK THREE

Week Three Objectives: Upon completion of this week the learner will be able to: describe how Geertz defines “myth” and why the stories in some movies and television shows may function as myths; identify some myths expressed in movies and television shows; identify reductionism; give constructive feedback on another student’s Blog Post #1.

T Sept 21

7 Class 5: Film as Religion – Geertz on Myth and Sociological Reductionism READ: LYDEN: “Clifford Geertz on Myth and Sociological Reductionism,” 62-64. WATCH: LECTURE VIDEO: Film as Religion: Clifford Geertz on Myth and Sociological Reductionism (2:25 mins.) POST: two thoughtful discussion questions on the assigned reading on the Discussion Questions Discussion Board for Class 5. DUE: The night before the class by 8:00 p.m. Central Time. POST: Thoughtful posts to the Class 5: T Sept 21 Discussion Boards in response to two discussion questions, OR, ATTEND ZOOM MEETING: To discuss the assigned reading. BE PREPARED: Come to class prepared to discuss anthropologist Clifford Geertz’s definition of “myth” and how it might apply to films. Think of some examples of films that have mythic qualities, and be prepared to share about these in class and why you think they may function as myths.

R Sept 23 Class 6: Catch up on all late assignments. READ AND POST: Student should read and provide constructive feedback on one Blog Post #1 (5 pts.) due by Saturday night, Sept 25, before midnight of this week. Students will be given instructions about which Blog Post they should read and comment.

WEEK FOUR

Week Four Objectives: Upon completion of this week the learner will be able to: identify and discuss different types of rituals in religions; identify general characteristics of rituals; identify how myths and some films teach ethics/morality; identify and discuss characteristics of religious myths in the Star Wars movies; discuss whether Jediism is a religion or not; make a thoughtful Blog Post #2 following instructions.

T Sept 28 Class 7: Film as Religion – Rituals and Morals READ: LYDEN: “Rituals and Morals,” 79-107. WATCH: LECTURE VIDEO: Film as Religion: Rituals and Morals (13:24 mins.) POST: two thoughtful discussion questions on the assigned reading on the Discussion Questions Discussion Board for Class 7. DUE: The night before the class by 8:00 p.m. Central Time. POST: Thoughtful posts to the Class 7: T Sept 28 Discussion Boards in response to two discussion questions, OR, ATTEND ZOOM MEETING: To discuss the assigned reading. BE PREPARED: Come to class prepared to discuss how Lyden concludes that filmgoing and filmwatching are rituals. Why does Lyden think an analysis of the nature of certain religious rituals applies to films?

R Sept 30 Class 8: Film as Religion: Star Wars

8 READ: LYDEN: “The Original Star Wars Films (1977, 1980, 1983),” 216-25. READ: BBC NEWS: Tom de Castella, “Have Jedi Created a New ‘Religion?’” October 25, 2014, http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-29753530. READ: BBC News: “Jedi Is Not a Religion, Charity Commission Rules,” December 19, 2016, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-38368526 POST: two thoughtful discussion questions, one on the Lyden assignment and one on the two news articles, on the Discussion Questions Discussion Board for Class 8. DUE: The night before the class by 8:00 p.m. Central Time. POST: One thoughtful post in reply to a discussion question on the Student-Composed Discussion Questions Discussion Board. POST: One thoughtful post in reply to a discussion question on the Instructor-Composed Discussion Questions Discussion Board BE PREPARED: Examine the website for the Temple of the Jedi Order (TOTJO), https://www.templeofthejediorder.org/, and come to class prepared to discuss why its members believe that Jediism is a religion. Also be prepared to discuss the reasons why the Charity Commission of the United Kingdom ruled that TOTJO is not a religion. Be prepared to give your own arguments about why or why not Jediism is a religion. POST: Blog Post #2 (10 pts.) due by Saturday night, Oct 2, before midnight of this week. Topic: Film and Religion.

WEEK FIVE

Week Five Objectives: Upon completion of this week the learner will be able to: identify and discuss the characteristics of basic/indigenous religions; be able to recognize characteristics of basic religions in American society; discuss expressions of indigenous/basic religions in old and new media; discuss the worship of Mami Wata in West and Central Africa and the Caribbean and the Americas and what this worship represents in terms of globalization; take Test #1; give constructive feedback on another student’s Blog Post #2.

T Oct 5 Class 9: Media and Indigenous (Basic) Religions: Mami Wata Worship READ: PDF: Henry John Drewal, “Performing the Other: Mami Wata Worship in Africa,” 160- 85. WATCH: LECTURE VIDEO: Indigenous/Basic Religions (57:09 mins.) WATCH: LECTURE VIDEO: Media and Indigenous (Basic) Religions (14:21 mins.) POST: two thoughtful discussion questions on the Discussion Questions Discussion Board for Class 9, one question on the assigned reading and one question on the assigned video. DUE: The night before the class by 8:00 p.m. Central Time. POST: Thoughtful posts to the Class 19: T Oct 5 Discussion Boards in response to two discussion questions, OR, ATTEND ZOOM MEETING: To discuss the assigned reading. BE PREPARED: Come to class prepared to discuss how Mami Wata worship illustrates how primarily oral religious traditions are expressed in media.

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R Oct 7 Class 10: TEST #1 TAKE: TEST #1 (50 points) ON CANVAS: Religion and Media; Film as Religion; Media and Basic Religions. The Canvas link for Fill-in-the-Blank Test available from R Oct 7 to F Oct 8. The link will close on Oct 8 at 11:59 p.m. LATE DISCUSSION BOARD POSTS: All late discussion board posts for the first section in the course—Film as Religion and Indigenous/Basic Religions and Media—must be made by this date, or they will not be counted toward the Mid-Term Grade or the Final Grade. LATE BLOG POSTS: Late Blog Posts #1 and #2 must be made by this date, or they will not be counted toward the Mid-Term Grade or the Final Grade. READ AND POST: Student should read and provide constructive feedback on one Blog Post #2 (5 pts.) due by Saturday night, Oct 9, before midnight of this week. Students will be given instructions about which Blog Post they should read and comment. LATE BLOG POST FEEDBACK: Late feedback to Blog Posts #1 and #2 must be made by Saturday night before midnight of this week, or they will not be counted toward the Mid-Term Grade or the Final Grade.

[Mid-Term Point in Course]

WEEK SIX

Week Six Objectives: Upon completion of this week the learner will be able to: know and discuss the history of the invention of media that have been used to market items; know basic marketing terms and identify how these may apply to religious organizations that market themselves; identify the marketing process and discuss how it may apply to religious conversion; know the meaning of the word “cult” as used by marketers and discuss what it reveals about marketing; identify “faith brands”; take Test #1 Retake; know and identify basic terms in Hinduism especially in the bhakti tradition; know and identify some of the Hindu gods and goddesses; be able to analyze the marketing strategy on two ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) temple websites; make Blog Post #3.

T Oct 12 Class 11: Marketing Religion READ: EINSTEIN: “Introduction,” 1-15; “Branding Faith,” 67-94. WATCH: LECTURE VIDEO: Marketing Religion: Introduction, Branding Faith (24:10 mins.) POST: two thoughtful discussion questions on the Discussion Questions Discussion Board for Class 11, one question on the Introduction in EINSTEIN and one question on the chapter titled “Branding Faith.” DUE: The night before the class by 8:00 p.m. Central Time.

10 POST: Thoughtful posts to the Class 11: T Oct 12 Discussion Boards in response to two discussion questions, OR, ATTEND ZOOM MEETING: To discuss the assigned reading. BE PREPARED: Come to class prepared to discuss: What are brands? What are the functions of branding? What are the ways that religion and marketing, and conversion to a religion and becoming a committed consumer of a product similar? BE PREPARED: Come to class prepared to present and analyze online one example of marketing of a secular product and one example of marketing of a religious community or congregation. TAKE: TEST #1 RETAKE ON BLACKBOARD: Test #1 Retake will be available on T Oct 12 to W Oct 13. The link will close on Oct 13 at 11:59 p.m.

R Oct 14 Class 12: Marketing Religion: International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) online READ: PDF: Nicole Karapanagiotis, “Of Digital Images and Digital Media Approaches to Marketing in American ISKCON,” 74-102. WATCH: LECTURE VIDEO: Marketing Religion-Hinduism: Bhakti and ISKCON (44:24 mins.) POST: two thoughtful discussion questions on the assigned reading by Karapanagiotis on the Discussion Questions Discussion Board for Class 12. DUE: The night before the class by 8:00 p.m. Central Time. POST: One thoughtful post in reply to a discussion question on the Student-Composed Discussion Questions Discussion Board. POST: One thoughtful post in reply to a discussion question on the Instructor-Composed Discussion Questions Discussion Board. BE PREPARED: Come to class prepared to pull up and discuss a website of religious organizations and analyze how they are used to market those religions. Also, look for websites that facilitate some sort of religious activity, such as prayer, meditation, darshan (viewing the deity) in Hinduism, puja (worship of a deity by making offerings) in Hinduism. POST: Blog Post #3 (10 pts.) due by Saturday night, Oct 16, before midnight of this week. Topic: Marketing Religion.

WEEK SEVEN

Week Seven Objectives: Upon completion of this week the learner will be able to: know the major televangelist figures, what they teach, and analyze how they market themselves; know the influential evangelical Christian figures and analyze how they wield political influence; know the beliefs and major figures in the New Apostolic Reformation and how they relate to the presidency of and how they utilized media to promote their beliefs.

[M Oct 18 Mid-Term Grades due at midnight.]

T Oct 19 Class 13: Marketing Religion: Televangelists

11 READ: EINSTEIN: “The New Televangelists,” 120-46. WATCH: LECTURE VIDEO: Marketing Religion: Televangelists (27:58 mins.) POST: two thoughtful discussion questions on the reading assignment on the Discussion Questions Discussion Board for Class 13. DUE: The night before the class by 8:00 p.m. Central Time. POST: Thoughtful posts to the Class 13: T Oct 19 Discussion Boards in response to two discussion questions, OR, ATTEND ZOOM MEETING: To discuss the assigned reading and lecture videos. BE PREPARED: Come to class prepared to show a video or website of one of the televangelists mentioned in this chapter, and to analyze the marketing efforts of that televangelist in light of the chapter’s discussion of Joel Osteen and Oprah Winfrey. Televangelists mentioned, but not discussed extensively, in this chapter include: Pat Robertson, Jim and Tammy Bakker, T. D. Jakes, Joyce Meyer, Jimmy Swaggart, Creflo Dollar. Relevant also is the new Jim Bakker Show (with his second wife Lori Bakker). Be prepared to explain why this chapter on televangelists discusses Oprah Winfrey.

R Oct 21 Class 14: Marketing Religion: Religion, Faith, and Politics READ: EINSTEIN: “The Politics of Faith Brands,” 173-91. READ: NOVA RELIGIO: Damon Berry, “Voting in the Kingdom: Prophecy Voters, the New Apostolic Reformation, and Christian Support for Trump,” 69-93. READ: Washington Post: Stephanie McCrummen, “An American Kingdom,” https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/07/11/mercy-culture-church/ WATCH: LECTURE VIDEO: Marketing Religion-The Politics of Faith Brands (18:10 mins.) WATCH: NOW THIS NEWS: Donald Trump’s Faith Advisor Leads Viral Sermon after Election Day, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4daeEacIVI POST: two thoughtful discussion questions, one on each of the assigned readings, on the Discussion Questions Discussion Board for Class 14. DUE: The night before the class by 8:00 p.m. Central Time. POST: One thoughtful post in reply to a discussion question on the Student-Composed Discussion Questions Discussion Board. POST: One thoughtful post in reply to a discussion question on the Instructor-Composed Discussion Questions Discussion Board. BE PREPARED: To discuss the ways that the nondenominational churches and their members in the New Apostolic Reformation utilize various media to spread their message. Locate an example of this online in a website, webpage, video, or in social media. Be prepared to show and discuss it in class. READ AND POST: Student should read and provide constructive feedback on one Blog Post #3 (5 pts.) due by Saturday night, Oct 23, before midnight of this week. Students will be given instructions about which Blog Post they should read and comment.

WEEK EIGHT

Week Eight Objectives: Upon completion of this week the learner will be able to: take Test #2 on Marketing Religion.

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T Oct 26 Class 15: TEST #2 TAKE: TEST #2 (50 points): Marketing Religion. Blackboard link for Fill-in-the-Blank Test will be available from T Oct 26 to W Oct 27. The link will close on Oct 27 at 11:59 p.m. LATE DISCUSSION BOARD POSTS: All late discussion board posts for the second section in the course—Marketing Religion—must be made by this date, or they will not be counted toward the Final Grade. LATE BLOG POSTS: Late Blog Post #3 must be made by this date, or it will not be counted toward the Final Grade. LATE BLOG POST FEEDBACK: Late feedback to Blog Post #3 must be made by Saturday night before midnight of this week, or it will not be counted toward the Final Grade.

R Oct 28 Class 16: Religion and News: News Media Past and Present READ: PDF: Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky, Manufacturing Consent (1988), “The Propaganda Model,” 1-35. READ: The Guardian: Tom McCarthy, “How Russia Used Social Media to Divide Americans,” 14 October 2017, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/oct/14/russia-us-politics-social- media- READ AND EXPLORE: The Ad Fontes Media website, https://www.adfontesmedia.com/, and make a determination about whether or not this is a trustworthy source to evaluate bias in the news media. Particularly examine the Media Bias Chart and decide whether or not you find it helpful. WATCH: LECTURE VIDEO: Religion and News-News Media Past and Present-Herman & Chomsky (16:27 mins.) POST: two thoughtful discussion questions on the reading and viewing assignments—one question on the Herman and Chomsky reading and one question on the McCarthy article—on the Discussion Questions Discussion Board for Class 16. DUE: The night before the class by 8:00 p.m. Central Time. POST: Thoughtful posts to the Class 16: R Oct 28 Discussion Boards in response to two discussion questions. BE PREPARED: Come to class prepared to discuss the five filters on decisions made in the news media industry about what is newsworthy or not, as proposed by Herman and Chomsky. Do you find their propaganda model of the news a useful way to observe critically the news media, or not, and why? What do you think of the five filters that are highlighted by Herman and Chomsky? BE PREPARED: Also come to class prepared to discuss the ways that social media have contributed to fragmenting the general media consensus (i.e. the issue of “fake news”), and what might be done about it. BE PREPARED: To discuss the Media Bias Chart and whether or not the Ad Fontes Media group is a trustworthy source to evaluate bias in the news media. TAKE: TEST #2 RETAKE: Test #2 Retake will be available from R Oct 28 to F Oct 29. The link will close on Oct 29 at 11:59 p.m.

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WEEK NINE

Week Nine Objectives: Upon completion of this week the learner will be able to: know, discuss, and analyze the five filters on the news media that are spelled out by Herman and Chomsky; know, discuss, and analyze reasons for the fragmentation of a general media consensus, and propose ways to deal with it; know, discuss, and analyze the ways that social media are utilized to propagate particular outlooks; take Test #2 Retake; identify and analyze “God-Talk” in the “public square”; identify and analyze “civil religion”; make Blog Post #4.

T Nov 2 Class 17: Religion and News: God Talk and Civil Religion READ: BADARACCO: C. Welton Gaddy, “God Talk in the Public Square,” 43-58. READ: PDF: Robert Bellah, “Civil Religion in America,” 1-19. WATCH: LECTURE VIDEO: Religion and News-God Talk and Civil Religion (20:24 mins.) POST: two thoughtful discussion questions, one on each of the assigned readings, on the Discussion Questions Discussion Board for Class 17. DUE: The night before the class by 8:00 p.m. Central Time. POST: One thoughtful post in reply to a discussion question on the Student-Composed Discussion Questions Discussion Board. POST: One thoughtful post in reply to a discussion question on the Instructor-Composed Discussion Questions Discussion Board, OR, ATTEND ZOOM MEETING: To discuss the assigned reading and lecture videos. BE PREPARED: Come to class prepared to show and analyze an example of God Talk by a politician or government official. Be prepared to analyze the constructiveness of your example of God Talk in light of the criteria that Gaddy spells out. (Gaddy’s criteria are spelled out in the paragraph beginning “Responsible decisions” and in following paragraphs.) How does your selected example of God Talk contribute to American civil religion as measured against the criteria presented in the article by Robert Bellah?

R Nov 4 Class 18: Religion and News: Fundamentalism READ: BADARACCO: Rebecca Moore, “A Framework for Understanding Fundamentalism,” 87-100. READ: RELIGION DISPATCHES: Katherine Stewart, “What’s Missing from Popular Discussions of Today’s Christian Nationalism?” https://religiondispatches.org/important- developments-weve-been-missing-about-todays-christian-nationalism/?fbclid=IwAR3- lLSFNr4Cjktdt-Lu2Dc-azVEIq6RGV-0_2fEjdvnVSjhmbjbMGmprJY WATCH: Lecture Video: Religion and News-Fundamentalism2 (44:51 mins.)

14 POST: two thoughtful discussion questions on the readings on the Discussion Questions Discussion Board for Class 18. DUE: The night before the class by 8:00 p.m. Central Time. POST: Thoughtful posts to the Class 18: R Nov 4 Discussion Boards in response to two discussion questions. BE PREPARED: Come to class prepared to show an example of the use of media by religious fundamentalists, and analyze how its content expresses the characteristics of fundamentalism and/or modernity as delineated by Moore. POST: Blog Post #4 (10 pts.) due by Saturday night, Nov. 6, before midnight of this week. TOPIC: God Talk in the Public Square.

WEEK TEN

Week Ten Objectives: Upon completion of this week the learner will be able to: define “fundamentalism”; identify examples of religious fundamentalism in the news and discuss why a religion or point of view is fundamentalist; identify and discuss examples of the use of media by fundamentalists; define and discuss types of apocalypticism and millennialism; identify and discuss examples of apocalypticism and/or millennialism in the news; identify and discuss examples of apocalyptic or millennial believers using media; identify and discuss examples of Christian Dispensationalism and how Christian Dispensationalists utilize media; read a Blog Post #4 and post a constructive comment.

T Nov 9 Class 19: Religion and News: Apocalypticism READ: BADARACCO: Paul S. Boyer, “Biblical Prophecy and Foreign Policy,” 107-22. WATCH: Lecture Video: Religion and News-Apocalypticism (32:43 mins.) POST: two thoughtful discussion questions on the assigned reading on the Discussion Questions Discussion Board for Class 19. DUE: The night before the class by 8:00 p.m. Central Time. POST: One thoughtful post in reply to a discussion question on the Student-Composed Discussion Questions Discussion Board. POST: One thoughtful post in reply to a discussion question on the Instructor-Composed Discussion Questions Discussion Board, OR, ATTEND ZOOM MEETING: To discuss the assigned reading and lecture videos. BE PREPARED: Come to class prepared to show an example of media used by a Christian Dispensationalist or a Dispensationalist organization to interpret current events, including politics, and explain the Dispensationalist message being conveyed in that example. Be able to explain what makes it Dispensationalist.

R Nov 11 Class 20: Islam, Media, and Islamophobia READ: PDF: Afia Ahmed Chaudhry, “How do the Media Fuel Islamophobia?” 6-10. WATCH: VIDEO: Edward Said on Orientalism (40 mins.).

15 WATCH: LECTURE VIDEO: Religion and News-Islam, Media, and Islamophobia (9:52 mins.) WATCH: LECTURE VIDEO: Religion and News-Islam-Getting Oriented (26:02 mins.) POST: two thoughtful discussion questions, one on the assigned reading and one on the Edward Said on Orientalism film, on the Discussion Questions Discussion Board for Class 20. DUE: The night before the class by 8:00 p.m. Central Time. POST: Thoughtful posts to the Class 20: R Nov 11 Discussion Boards in response to two discussion questions. BE PREPARED: Come to class prepared to show at least one article or website that promotes Islamophobia, or at least one news article that describes an incident of Islamophobia either in the United States or another country. Be prepared to discuss the article or website selected and show how it relates to Islamophobia. READ AND POST: Student should read and provide constructive feedback on one Blog Post #4 (5 pts.) due by Saturday night, Nov 13, before midnight of this week.

WEEK ELEVEN

Week Eleven Objectives: Upon completion of this week the learner will be able to: define and discuss “Islamophobia”; identify and discuss ways that media fuel Islamophobia; discuss critically Edward Said’s theory of “Orientalism”; know and discuss the origins of Islam, its location throughout the world, and who practices Islam; know and discuss the different ways that news articles may depict Muslims and Islam; know and discuss ways that journalists can avoid promoting Islamophobia or any other type of bias; know and discuss the basic teachings of Islam.

T Nov 16 Class 21: Religion and News: Depictions of Muslims in the Media READ: BADARACCO: Aslam Abdallah, “Post-9/11 Media and Muslim Identity in American Media,” 123-28. READ: HUFFINGTON POST: Gabriel Arana, “5 Ways Journalists Can Avoid Islamophobia in Their Coverage,” December 14, 2015, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/journalists- islamophobia-coverage_us_566ec22ae4b0e292150e60db. WATCH: LECTURE VIDEO: Religion and News-Islam-Teachings (14:11 mins.) WATCH: LECTURE VIDEO: Religion and News-Depictions of Muslims in the Media (17:34 mins.) POST: two thoughtful discussion questions, one on each the assigned readings, on the Discussion Questions Discussion Board for Class 21. DUE: The night before the class by 8:00 p.m. Central Time. POST: One thoughtful post in reply to a discussion question on the Student-Composed Discussion Questions Discussion Board. POST: One thoughtful post in reply to a discussion question on the Instructor-Composed Discussion Questions Discussion Board, OR, ATTEND ZOOM MEETING: To discuss the assigned reading and lecture videos.

16 BE PREPARED: Come to class prepared to present one news treatment of Muslims and Islam that is either informative or appreciative, as defined by Abdallah. Also, be prepared to present one news treatment of Muslims and Islam that is either accusative, provocative, or offensive, as defined by Abdallah. BE PREPARED: Come to class prepared to discuss things journalists can do to avoid promoting Islamophobia.

R Nov 18 POST: Blog Post #5 (10 pts.) due by Saturday, Nov. 20, night before midnight of this week. TOPIC: Depictions of Muslims in the News.

[F Nov. 19 – Last day to withdraw.]

WEEK TWELVE

Week Twelve Objectives: Upon completion of this week the learner will be able to: know and be able to apply the four criteria of the Value-Added Model of Newsworthiness delineated by Cowan and Hadden; know the basic facts of the Branch Davidian-federal agent conflict in 1993 and ask critical questions of the facts as known and reported in news media; know and discuss what is meant by xie jiao in the People’s Republic of ; discuss and analyze the People’s Republic of Gong; analyze ’s English-language websites and their claims; critically analyze the news stories produced by Falun Gong’s English-language newspaper The Epoch Times; read one Blog Post #5 and post a constructive comment.

T Nov 23 READ AND POST: Student should read and provide constructive feedback on one Blog Post #5 (5 pts.) due by Saturday night, Nov. 27, before midnight of this week.

R Nov 25 – Thanksgiving – No Class.

WEEK THIRTEEN

Week Thirteen Objectives: Upon completion of this week the learner will be able to: know, discuss, and analyze the ways that QAnon was structured like an online game and why; discuss the reasons QAnon beliefs are attractive to evangelical Christians; discuss the extent to which evangelical Christians have embraced QAnon beliefs; discuss the role of QAnon in the January 6, 2021 assault against Congress; take TEST #3.

T Nov 30 Class 22: Religion and News: Reporting on Minority Religions-Branch Davidians

17 READ: WRSP: Catherine Wessinger, “Branch Davidians (1981-2006),” http://www.wrldrels.org/profiles/BranchDavidians.htm READ: NOVA RELIGIO: Douglas E. Cowan and Jeffrey K. Hadden, “God, Guns, and Grist for the Media’s Mill,” 64-82. WATCH: LECTURE VIDEO: Religion and News-Reporting on Minority Religions-Branch Davidians (25:09 mins.) POST: two thoughtful discussion questions, one on each of the assigned readings, on the Discussion Questions Discussion Board for Class 22. DUE: The night before the class by 8:00 p.m. Central Time. POST: Thoughtful posts to the Class 22: T Nov 30 Discussion Boards in response to two discussion questions, OR, ATTEND ZOOM MEETING: To discuss the assigned reading and lecture videos. BE PREPARED: Come prepared to share in class and analyze at least one example of media treatment of the Branch Davidian case in 1993. Does your selected news media report on the Branch Davidian case conform to the four criteria of the Value-Added Model of Newsworthiness delineated by Cowan and Hadden? Be prepared to show how the selected news report does or does not reflect the four criteria utilized by reporters and their editors to determine newsworthiness.

R Dec 2 Class 23: Religion and News: The Question of Propaganda in News Media: The Case of the People’s Republic of China and Falun Gong READ: BITTER WINTER: Massimo Introvigne, “If Your Religion is a Xie Jiao, You Go to Jail—But What Is a Xie Jiao?” https://bitterwinter.org/what-is-a-xie-jiao/ READ: BITTER WINTER: [Massimo Introvigne]: “Why China Persecutes Falun Gong,” https://bitterwinter.org/why-china-persecutes-falun-gong/ READ: BADARRACO: Paul Moses, “The First Amendment and the Falun Gong,” 67-78. READ: NEW YORK TIMES: Kevin Roose, “How the Epoch Times Created a Giant Influence Machine,” October 24, 2020, updated November 12, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/24/technology/epoch-times-influence-falun-gong.html. WATCH: LECTURE VIDEO: Religion and News-The Question of Propaganda in the News- Falun Gong (19:45 mins.) POST: two thoughtful discussion questions, one on each the two assigned Introvigne essays, and one on either of the articles by Moses and Roose, on the Discussion Questions Discussion Board for Class 23. DUE: The night before the class by 8:00 p.m. Central Time. POST: One thoughtful post in reply to a discussion question on the Student-Composed Discussion Questions Discussion Board. POST: One thoughtful post in reply to a discussion question on the Instructor-Composed Discussion Questions Discussion Board. BE PREPARED: Come to class prepared to show and discuss information available online about the People’s Republic of China’s depiction of Falun Gong, and of Falun Gong’s depiction of alleged abuse of Falun Gong practitioners in the People’s Republic of China. Note that Falun Gong has founded two newspapers, the Chinese-language Dajiyuan and the English-language Epoch Times. Falun Gong operates a television station, the New Tang Dynasty, in New York. Falun Gong also has websites. How can the truth about Falun Gong and the treatment of Falun Gong practitioners in the People’s Republic of China be determined?

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WEEK FOURTEEN

Week Fourteen Objectives: Upon completion of this week the learner will be able to: take TEST #3 RETAKE.

T Dec 7 Class 24: Religion and the News: QAnon READ: WIRED: Clive Thompson, “QAnon Is Like a Game—A Most Dangerous Game, September 22, 2020, https://www.wired.com/story/qanon-most-dangerous-multiplatform-game/ READ: FIVETHIRTYEIGHT: Kaleigh Rogers, “Why QAnon Has Attracted So Many White Evangelicals,” March 4, 2021, https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-qanon-has-attracted-so- many-white-evangelicals/ READ: RELIGION DISPATCHES: Catherine Wessinger, “‘Cult’ Is an Inaccurate, Unhelpful and Dangerous label for Followers of Trump, QAnon, and 1/6,” July 19, 2021, https://religiondispatches.org/cult-is-an-inaccurate-unhelpful-and-dangerous-label-for-followers- of-trump-qanon-and-1-6/ WATCH: LECTURE VIDEO: Religion & News: The Euro-American Nativist Millennial Movement (21:05 mins.) POST: two thoughtful discussion questions, one on the assigned Clive Thompson article and one on the remaining two assigned articles, on the Discussion Questions Discussion Board for Class 24. DUE: The night before the class by 8:00 p.m. Central Time. POST: Thoughtful posts to the Class 24: T Dec 7 Discussion Boards in response to two discussion questions, OR, ATTEND ZOOM MEETING: To discuss the assigned reading and lecture videos. BE PREPARED: Come to class prepared to show and discuss a recent news article about the QAnon movement. What is the current status of the QAnon movement? Are people losing faith or continuing to believe in the Q-promoted beliefs? If they continue to believe in Q, why do you think people continue to hold to those beliefs? If the QAnon movement is changing, how is it changing?

R Dec 9 Class 25: Final Assignments POST: Post a reflection on the What I Have Learned in This Course discussion board (10 pts.) SUBMIT: Religious Visit Extra Credit assignment (10 points) is due uploaded to the link in Canvas LATE DISCUSSION BOARD POSTS: All late discussion board posts for the third section in the course—Religion and News Media—must be made by this date, or they will not be counted toward the Final Grade. LATE BLOG POSTS: Late Blog Posts #4 and #5 must be made by this date, or they will not be counted toward the Final Grade.

19 LATE BLOG POST FEEDBACK: Late feedback to Blog Posts #4 and #5 must be made by Saturday night before midnight of this week, or they will not be counted toward the Final Grade.

FINAL EXAM – Test #3 (Multiple Choice) – Taken during the exam period: Tuesday, December 14, 11:30 am-1:30 pm.

WEEK FIFTEEN

Week Fifteen Objectives: Upon completion of this week the learner will be able to: make a presentation in a Zoom class on the student’s best Blog post and what the student learned from researching that topic relating to religion and media; make constructive comments in a Zoom class on other students’ presentations on their best Blog posts.

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WEEK SIXTEEN

Week Sixteen Objectives: Upon completion of this week the learner will be able to: make a presentation in a Zoom class on the student’s best Blog post and what the student learned from researching that topic relating to religion and media; make constructive comments in a Zoom class on other students’ presentations on their best Blog posts; submit an optional Religious Visit Extra Credit assignment; post a reflection on What I Have Learned in This Course discussion board.

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COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

The final grade is based on a 458-point scale. Students will make a short video introducing oneself and post it to the Video Introductions Discussion Board (10 points). Students will watch the introduction videos and post friendly replies to two of them (5 points). Students will take a True-False Quiz on the course requirements (10 points). Students will attend a Zoom class to learn how to make Blog posts and have the tools available in the Discussion Board

20 demonstrated (8 points). Students will complete the reading assignments, assigned movies, and watch the lecture videos in order to complete the following graded assignments: post two discussion questions on the assigned readings and/or viewings the night before each class before 8:00 pm (2 points for each class with reading and/or viewing assignments for a total of 38 points); class attendance and discussion (8 points per class; 19 classes for a total of 152 points); five Observing Religion, Media, and Culture Blog posts (10 pts. each; 50 points total); read and provide constructive feedback on 5 Blog posts written by other students (5 pts. each; total 25 points); will be three Tests (50 points each for a total of 150 points); class presentation on the topic of one of the student’s best blog posts (10 pts); attendance and discussion on the Class Presentation days (8 pts. each; 4 classes for a total of 32 pts.); write a reflection at the end of the semester on the What I Learned in This Course discussion board in Blackboard (10 pts).

There is an optional Religious Visit Report assignment (10 points extra credit).

Assignment weights in relation to the Final Grade:

Make introduction video 2 percent ( 10 pts.) Reply to 2 introduction videos 1.1 percent ( 5 pts.) True-False Quiz on course requirements 2 percent ( 10 pts.) Attend Zoom class to have tools in discussion board demonstrated 1.7 percent ( 8 pts.) Discussion questions before 19 classes 8.3 percent ( 38 pts.) Attendance and discussion for 19 classes 33.2 percent (152 pts.) 5 Blog Posts 11 percent ( 50 pts.) Read and provide feedback on 5 Blog Posts 5.5 percent ( 25 pts.) Test #1 (fill-in-the-blank, given twice) 11 percent ( 50 pts.) Test #2 (fill-in-the-blank, given twice) 11 percent ( 50 pts.) Test #3 (multiple-choice, given once) 11 percent ( 50 pts.) Post on What I Learned in This Class 2 percent ( 10 pts.) 100 percent (458 pts.)

Optional Religious Visit Report (10 points extra credit)

Mid-Term Assignments = 173 points (38%)

Post-Mid-Term Assignments = 285 points (62%)

True-False Quiz on Syllabus and Course Requirements

During the first week of the course, students are required to read the syllabus and course requirements carefully, and to watch the video of Dr. Wessinger explaining the syllabus and course requirements.

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Then the student should take the True-False Quiz (10 points) on the Syllabus and Course Requirements in Canvas.

Since the first week of classes is a drop-add period, the True-False Quiz will be open to students through Monday, August 30. The link will close at 11:59 pm on August 30.

The True-False Quiz may be taken only once, so be sure to study the Course Requirements carefully and watch the video in which Dr. Wessinger goes over the syllabus and the Course Requirements.

Self-Introduction Video

In Canvas discussion boards, written posts may be made or short videos may be recorded an posted to the discussion board.

Since this course is taught online, introductions are important so that class members get to know one another and the instructor.

Instructions will be given to students about what should be included in their personal video introductions that should be posted during the first week of classes. The student will record a video introduction including information about himself or herself that is stipulated in the instructions.

Completing this introduction assignment counts 10 points.

Because the first week of classes is a drop-add period, the final deadline to post the video introduction is Monday, August 30.

Students should do their best to post their self-introduction videos on a day prior to Monday, August 30. Students will also need to watch the introductions by the other students and post thoughtful comments to at least two of the students’ introductions also by Monday, August 30.

Posting thoughtful replies to two of the student introductions counts 5 points.

Discussion Questions Based on the Class Assignments

For classes with assignments, student should post her or his 2 discussion questions to the Class Discussion Questions Board (in Canvas) the night before the class by 8:00 p.m. The discussion questions must be based on the assigned readings or viewings for that class the next day. If there is more than one reading or viewing assignment for that class, the student’s 2 discussion questions should be divided among the different assignments.

Do not compose discussion questions that are answered yes or no, or by simple facts. The

22 discussion questions should provoke thought and analysis based on that reading (or viewing) and how it relates to understanding religion, media, and culture.

• A discussion question must be relevant to one of the readings or viewings assigned for that class. • A discussion question must address a significant issue presented in the reading or viewing. • A discussion question should provoke consideration of the significance of the information and analysis in the assigned reading or viewing for understanding of religion, media, and culture.

The student may earn up to 2 points for posting on the night before the class two thought- provoking discussion questions based on the class assignments for a total of 38 pts. The student may be given less than 2 points for each set of questions if they are judged by the instructor not to be fully adequate based on the criteria specified above.

Not posting relevant discussion questions by the night before the class will bring down the student’s grade. It will not be possible to go back to previous classes and make up the missed discussion question posts.

Class Attendance and Discussion Participation on Class Discussion Boards, or on Tuesday Zoom Class Meetings

Students must attend every class and participate in class discussion by posting on the class discussion boards, or, alternatively on Tuesdays, attending the Zoom class meeting.

Students enrolled in the course will be divided into Group A and Group B for the purpose of participation in the Tuesday Zoom class meetings. Group A students will be in a Zoom meeting for the first 35 minutes of the class period. There will then be a 5 minute break, and then Group B students will participate in the remaining 35 minutes of the class period. Every student attending a Zoom class meeting will be required to address one of the discussion questions, based on the assignments, asked by the instructor. In other words, each student attending a Zoom class meeting is required to speak up and contribute to discussion. Students will also be able to ask questions and share their views in the Zoom class meetings.

Participation in the Tuesday Zoom class meetings is optional. Students who attend a Tuesday Zoom class and speak up and participate in discussion will earn the 8 points total for the Tuesday discussion board posts.

Students who do not participate in the Tuesday Zoom class meetings, are required to make thoughtful posts to two of the discussion questions put on the Tuesday class discussion boards by the instructor, following the instructions given. Each thoughtful post should be a minimum of 100 words. Each discussion board post counts 4 points. Two discussion board posts for each class, therefore, total 8 points.

23 All students are required to make thoughtful posts to two discussion questions on the Thursday class discussion boards, following the instructions.

The students’ thoughtful posts to the class discussion boards relative to the assignments for that day are due by midnight on the class date.

Before participating in the class discussions, either on the class discussion boards or in the Tuesday Zoom class meeting, students are required to read the assignments, watch videos if assigned, and watch the lecture video or videos. Then the student will be ready to participate in class discussions either on the class discussion boards or in the Tuesday Zoom meeting. When reading and watching all of the assignments, the student should write down important points as well as questions, and come to class to make comments on what was learned and to ask questions.

The discussions of the assigned materials in the Tuesday Zoom class meeting will have the opportunity to be more wide-ranging than is possible in the structure of the class discussion board posts, so students are encouraged to attend the Tuesday Zoom meetings.

Up to 152 pts. can be earned by participating regularly on the class discussion boards for 19 of the designated classes on the syllabus, following the instructions. Participating in the Tuesday Zoom class meeting replaces posting on the Tuesday class discussion board for that date.

For full credit for attendance on the class discussion boards for the 19 designated classes, students are expected to make thoughtful posts in response 2 discussion questions (4 points each) posted by the instructor to the class discussion board for that class date. This means that the two thoughtful posts must be made before midnight on the class date. If the student chooses to participate in the Tuesday Zoom class meeting, the student will receive full credit for class participation on that date (8 points) and will not have to make 2 thoughtful posts on the class discussion board for that date.

Students are expected to do the assignments for each class date and make the required posts (or participate in the Tuesday Zoom class meeting). A student will receive an excused absence if the student sends an email to the instructor indicating the emergency that prevents them from participating in that class. The student must then make up doing the assignments and posts on the discussion board for that class as soon as it is practical. There are firm deadlines for making up late assignments and discussion board posts. (See below.)

Students will not receive an excused absence if they do not send an email to the instructor giving the reason for the absence ahead of the class, except in the case of extreme emergencies, after which the student should contact the instructor by email as soon as it is possible. After the emergency is past, students are still required to make up the work as soon as possible.

Students who have not requested an excused absence ahead of the class (or had a severe emergency that prevented them from making the request), still have to make up the assignments and the class discussion board posts as soon as it is possible, but they will have 1 point deducted from the score of each post that is made up for the unexcused absence.

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To do well in this course, it is important that students do the assignments for each class and then participate in the class discussions following the instructions.

Making Up Late Discussion Board Posts

In this course, it is important to keep up with the assignments and make the discussion board posts (or attend the Tuesday Zoom class meeting) on the class dates.

If there has been an emergency, a student must make up discussion board posts as soon as it is possible. It will not be possible to make up discussion board posts extending far back into the course.

There are deadlines for late class discussion board posts.

All late posts must be completed by Thursday, September 23 for the first section of the course— Film as Religion and Indigenous/Basic Religions and Media. All late discussion board posts and Blog posts for the first section in the course must be made by this date, or they will not be counted toward the Mid-Term Grade or the Final Grade.

All late posts for the second section of the course— Marketing Religion—must be made by Thursday, October 14. All late posts for the second section of the course (since Sept 23) must be made by October 14, or they will not be counted toward the Final Grade.

All late posts for the third section of the course— Religion and News Media—must be made by Thursday, November 18. All late class discussion board posts in the third section of the course (since October 14) must be completed by Thursday, November 18, or they will not be counted toward the final grade.

Class Presentations and Attendance for Class Presentations in Tuesday and Thursday Zoom Classes at the End of the Semester (4 classes)

The last four classes of the semester are set aside for each student to make a short presentation on their best Blog post (see description below on the Blog posts) and what they learned while researching to write the Blog post. All students in the course are required to attend the Tuesday and Thursday Zoom class meetings for the entire class period, 11:00 am-12:15 pm on November 30, December 2, December 7, and December 9. [There will be no division into Group A or Group B on these dates.] Each student may take approximately 7 minutes to make their presentation (on one of these dates), and another 2 minutes to answer questions asked by the other students attending the class. Students watching the presentations are expected to speak up to share their reactions to the presentations and to ask questions of the student who authored the Blog post about some aspect of religion, media, and culture.

25 A student who makes a presentation can earn up to 10 points. Students attending the Zoom classes in which presentations are made will earn 8 points for each of the four classes. [The student who attends a class as well as presents on that day will earn a total of 18 points.]

Therefore, it is important that students plan their work schedules to be able to attend these four classes and participate in discussion after the presentations are made.

Class Etiquette

• Respect the opinions of others. During class discussions, it is very likely that contradictory opinions will emerge, especially when we are dealing with highly emotional topics. There is no requirement in our class that students agree with each other, or with the instructor, but there is the mandate that the opinions expressed be respected.

• Be on time. We will begin each Zoom class promptly. Students are expected to be in the Zoom meeting and ready to proceed at the beginning of the time period. Attendance will be taken for each class either by attendance at the Tuesday Zoom meeting or by posting on the class discussion board by the required date, before midnight.

Tests

Three Tests will be given during the semester, each one counting 50 points.

Each Test (50 pts.) will be a fill-in-the-blank test given on Blackboard. The student will need to fill in the relevant term for 10 statements, each counting 5 pts.

Tests will be given on Blackboard, and 90 minutes will be allocated for a Test that usually takes a maximum of half an hour to take.

Research has shown that repeated testing enhances learning. Therefore, each Test will be given a second time, and the lowest score will be dropped.

Observing Religion, Media, and Culture Blog

For this assignment, a discussion board will be utilized as a Blog for each of the assigned Blog posts (#1 through #5). Instruction will be provided for utilizing the tools available in the Canvas discussion board so the student can embed relevant videos and photos in the Blog post.

Reason for the assignment: Reading about religion and participant-observation of religious activities are only part of the methodological toolkit needed by the scholar of religion. A more basic aspect of learning about and analyzing religion is being sensitive to religion in one’s everyday life, in other words, learning not to look past religion. Once a person realizes this, it is difficult not to see how replete with religion our world really is. To this end, every other week in the course, each student will post on an Observing Religion, Media, and Culture Blog an essay

26 on where and how she/he sees religion mediated (expressed in media), and how that mediation relates to class readings, viewings, and discussions.

Each Blog post may count up to 10 points, with the possibility of earning a total of 50 points for thoughtful and well-researched and carefully written Blog posts. A thoughtful blog post should be no less than 650 words. Each Blog post is due by Saturday before Midnight in a week that a Blog post is due. It is important for Blog posts to be made on time so another student can read and comment on your Blog post. (See above for the relevant deadlines for late Blog posts.)

A total of 5 blog posts are required in the course. The weeks that blog posts are due are marked on the syllabus in the Thursday assignments for that week.

Be thoughtful and creative in the blog posts.

Each student is required to add hyperlinks in the text of the Blog post to online sources for that post. The quality of the sources selected will affect the Blog post’s grade. Use this assignment as an opportunity to learn to discern good online sources from bad ones.

The student is required to have one or more visual images, or video clips, in each Blog post. Whether or not there are good illustrative images or video clips included in the Blog post will affect the grade of the post.

Blog posts should be written using correct spelling, punctuation and grammar. Do not use abbreviations such as used in text messages. Proper names should have the first letter capitalized. Words should be spelled correctly. Apostrophes must be used correctly. Poor spelling and use of words, and incorrect punctuation and grammar will detract from the post’s grade.

Students are encouraged to share their draft blog posts with a tutor in the Office of Writing and Learning Services (OWLS), second floor of the Library, to receive assistance in correcting grammar, punctuation, and spelling. To make an appointment with an OWLS writing tutor, go to this webpage: http://success.loyno.edu/writing-learning-services. This should be done before the post is made to the Blog. Once the post is made to the Blog, it will be graded.

The student is encouraged to compose their Blog post first in Word or Pages so the student will have access to Spell Check and grammar check, and then put the post on the Observing Religion, Media, and Culture Blog.

Note that Spell Check will not indicate when a correctly spelled word is used incorrectly, so be aware of the different meanings of words and their spellings. A common misuse of words is “alter” for “altar.”

Be sure to paste, or type, your post directly into the text box section of the discussion board post. Do not attach a file containing your post.

Gender Inclusive Language

27 It is important that the student remember to use gender inclusive language when writing her or his blog posts. The student should make the effort to use terms such as humans, human beings, persons, etc., in place of the generic “man.” The grade of the work will be adversely affected by the use of sexist language.

A Note on Using the Internet for Research

While students are permitted to use the internet to conduct research, citation of internet sources is permissible only under the following conditions:

1. Primary sources (produced by the person or group being studied) are internet-based and only available online—for example, you are writing about the content of a website.

2. Secondary sources (produced by those who are studying a person, group, movement, historical event—such as scholars, journalists, biographers) are available online; this includes newspaper articles, open access peer-reviewed journals, and full-text articles from peer-reviewed journals accessed through databases available through the Monroe Library such as JSTOR and ATLA.

The instructor does not accept Wikipedia entries as reliable sources. Use Wikipedia only to locate primary and secondary sources. You may not cite Wikipedia in your Blog posts.

Religion, Media, and Culture Research Resources

MONROE LIBRARY RESEARCH GUIDE FOR RELIGION, MEDIA, AND CULTURE http://researchguides.loyno.edu/c.php?g=693281&p=4911713

JOURNALS AVAILABLE THROUGH MONROE LIBRARY

Journal of Media and Religion (Taylor & Francis) - 2002-present with an 18-month delay of available full-text; coverage begins with vol 1., issue 1. http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/hjmr20

OPEN ACCESS JOURNALS

Journal for Religion, Film, and Media (JRFM) - 2015-present http://jrfm.eu/index.php/ojs_jrfm

Journal of Religion, Media, and Digital Culture (Brill) - 2012-present http://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/content/journals/21659214

Journal of Religion and Film (University of Nebraska, Omaha) - 1997-present http://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/jrf/

OTHER RESOURCES

Center for Media, Religion and Culture, University of Colorado, Boulder http://www.colorado.edu/cmrc/resources

28 Third Spaces: Group Blog from Researchers at CU-Boulder’s Center for Media, Religion and Culture https://thirdspacesblog.wordpress.com/

World Religions and Spirituality Project - Profiles of various religions written by religions scholars, hosted at Virginia Commonwealth University https://wrldrels.org/

The Immanent Frame: Secularism, Religion, and the Public Sphere https://tif.ssrc.org/

Religion News Service (RNS) http://religionnews.com/

The Religious Studies Project http://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/

Religion Dispatches - Op-eds written by religion scholars and theologians commenting on matters in current events. http://religiondispatches.org/

Pew Research Center: Religion https://www.pewresearch.org/topic/religion/

Reading and Providing Constructive Feedback to Other Students’ Blog Posts

Every other week, the student will read another student’s Blog post, evaluate it according to the rubric provided for Blog posts, and then write a comment on the Blog post giving constructive feedback to the author of the Blog post about whether it meets the standards articulated in the rubric and point out areas where the Blog post can be improved.

In the course, each student will read and write constructive feedback on 5 Blog posts written by other students. The instructor will read each of the comments on Blog posts and assign a grade to the comment.

When the instructor reads each comment on a Blog post, if the student has clearly read the Blog post, checked the author’s sources, and provided constructive feedback according to the rubric, the comment may earn up to 5 points each, coming to a total of 25 points for five such comments.

Cheating

If a student is found to be cheating the assignment will be given a 0, and the matter will be reported to the associate dean, who will put the report in the student’s university file.

University Policy on Cheating & Plagiarism

The university’s policy on cheating and plagiarism is found at http://2018bulletin.loyno.edu/academic-regulations/academic-honesty-and-plagiarism. It states:

29 The Academic Honor Code of Loyola University New Orleans represents the University community’s commitment to the highest intellectual and ethical standards of honesty, integrity, fairness and justice. Violations of the Academic Honor Code include but are not limited to cheating, lying, false citations, falsified data, falsification of academic records, plagiarism, participation in any form of unauthorized collaboration, misuse or misrepresentation of academic work or the academic work of others in any manner, misuse of electronic material, and violation of academic property laws.

Concerning plagiarism and unauthorized collaborations, the policy states:

Plagiarism Plagiarism is act of taking the work or ideas of another and representing it as one's own. The Modern Language Association Handbook defines plagiarism as follows: "Plagiarism involves two kinds of wrongs. Using another person's ideas, information, or expressions without acknowledging that person's work constitutes intellectual theft. Passing off another person's ideas, information or expressions as your own to get a better grade or gain some other advantage constitutes fraud" (Seventh Edition, 2009, p. 52).

Unauthorized Collaborations Unauthorized collaborating is completing coursework with other(s) without prior approval. Students are expected to consult with their instructor prior to engaging in cooperative activities.

According to the policy, alleged infractions of the Academic Honor Code are handled in the following manner:

Processing An Alleged Violation

Student Academic Honor Code violations and sanctions are reported either by 1) a course instructor to the Dean’s Office of the college in which the violation occurred or 2) the Associate Dean of the college in which the violation occurred. If there is no designated Associate Dean of the college in which the violation occurred, the Dean or the Dean's designated representative will fill this role. An appeal of a violation and/or sanctions is filed from the accused student to the Academic Integrity Council (AIC). This method of handling Academic Honor Code violations helps promote university-wide standards of integrity with 1) due process and 2) identification of students with repeat violations across the university.

For more details on the procedure that will be followed when reporting plagiarism or unauthorized collaboration on assignments, see the university’s statement at the URL given above.

Class Presentation

The student will select her/his best blog post and use that as the basis of making a class presentation on the assigned day. The class presentation counts 10 pts.

Before the class presentation, the student should have improved the selected Blog post in light of feedback from the student reader and the instructor.

During the class presentation in a Zoom class on the designated dates, the student will first show their Blog post on a shared screen. The student will describe the topic of the post, summarize what they learned when researching and writing the post, show the sources utilized and any

30 videos and photos embedded in the blog post. The student will articulate their Blog post’s thesis to the class, and explain how they relate the content of the Blog post to what has been learned in this course.

Attendance and discussion on the Class Presentation Days (8 pts. each on four presentation days)

Paying attention to the class presentations made by students is an excellent opportunity to learn more about religion, media, and culture. Class attendance on all four of the designated Zoom class days for the Class Presentations is very important.

A total of 32 pts. may be earned by attending and participating in the discussions on the four Class Presentation days (8 points attendance for each of these designated days for Zoom classes).

Lack of attendance on Class Presentation days will result in points deducted from the student’s Final Grade.

Religious Visit Paper for Extra Credit

A Religious Visit Paper written according to the guidelines on the handout may be turned in by Tuesday, December 7 for up to 10 pts. extra credit.

Post on the What I Learned in This Course discussion board

On the last class of the semester, the student is required to make a thoughtful post (10 points) on the What I Learned in This Course discussion board. The post will be graded on its degree of thoughtfulness.

Emergency Cancellations Due to Evacuations

• At times, ordinary university operations are interrupted as a result of tropical storms, hurricanes, or other emergencies that require evacuation or suspension of on-campus activities. To prepare for such emergencies, all students will do the following during the first week of classes:

1. Practice signing on for each course through Blackboard.

2. Provide regular and alternative e-mail address and phone contact information to each instructor.

• In the event of an interruption to our course due to the result of an emergency requiring an evacuation or suspension of campus activities, students will:

31 3. Pack textbooks, assignments, syllabi and any other needed materials for each course and bring during an evacuation/suspension

4. Keep up with course work during the evacuation/suspension as specified on course syllabi and on-line Blackboard courses.

5. Complete any reading and/or writing assignments given by professors before emergency began.

Assuming a power source is available....

6. Log on to university Web site within 48 hours of an evacuation/suspension.

7. Monitor the main university site (www.loyno.edu) for general information.

8. Log on to each course through Blackboard or e-mail within 48 hours of an evacuation/suspension to receive further information regarding contacting course instructors for assignments, etc.

9. Complete Blackboard and/or other online assignments posted by professors (students are required to turn in assignments on time during the evacuation/suspension period and once the university campus has reopened.)

10. Contact professors during an evacuation/suspension (or as soon as classes resume on campus) to explain any emergency circumstances that may have prevented them from completing expected work.

Further information about student responsibilities in emergencies is available on the Academic Affairs web site: http://academicaffairs.loyno.edu/students-emergency-responsibilities

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