Module description
The course provides an in-depth introduction into the dynamic field of studies in Religion and Film, with a primary focus on the Christian, Jewish and Islamic faiths. As the only art form not historically born out of religion, the seventh art has long been seen as exempt from the influence of the church, synagogue and mosque. And yet as we'll see, religion has played a significant role in both the business of cinema and its aesthetics ever since its beginnings.
The course opens with an introductory session on the various approaches to religion and film, before delving deeper into some of the key ways in which religion has been bound up with the history, politics and form of film. Topics include the impact of Jewishness and Christian ideology on classical Hollywood;transcendental cinema; screen blasphemy; religious censorship and film style and the intersection between religion, race and gender on film.
The module culminates in an analysis of contemporary cinematic engagement with religion, via topics including the denunciation of contemporary right-wing Christianity in US cinema; post-9/11 depictions of Islam; and the post-secular 'return to religion' in European film and philosophy.
Looking at the complex and multiple ways in which religion comes into contact with film, the module considers questions of representation; film form and aesthetics; spectatorship; ethics; politics and national cinema. Throughout, emphasis is placed on the dynamic between Hollywood and its others, and on the various stylistic approaches taken by filmmakers in order to raise questions of faith and question the place of religion in society.
Assessment details
- 500 word blog entry (10%)
- Essay 2500 words (90%)