Senior Elective: Religion and Film

Page Contents: Overview Assignments Links

Sean Connery and F. Murray Abraham  in The Name of the Rose (1986)

Overview:

We will explore religious themes and values as depicted in film.  Film is a powerful medium and is frequently, and mistakenly, considered to be pure entertainment.  But as in all means of discourse film exerts a power over the individual and society.  What is the message and impact of film on society in terms of religion?  In other words, we will not look at how religion uses film, but at how film uses religion (Flesher, Paul V. M.  and Robert Torry, The Journal of Religion and Film, Dec., 1998)

We will view and discuss various films that are either expressly about religion or have significant implications for our understanding of religion.  We will also become familiar with issues of media literacy as they apply to viewing film.

Assignments:

Weekly:

           

• View three films from a list of nine on your own
• Read an article or review of the film.
• Write a short reflection paper (no more than 1 page) on each of the three viewed films drawing comparisons to the in-class film and using the questions listed in the appendix of Margaret Miles’ book by the due dates.
• Submit the paper to Turnitin.com.

Final Project:

Compare two or more films on the basis of a religious theme. (ex. - Christ-figure, religious callings, sacred vs. profane, religion as social control, religion as liberation).

Grading Policy:

  30 % reflection papers

  30% class participation

  40% final paper

Religion & Film – 2nd Trimester                                       2008-2009

Films we will be viewing and discussing

In Class:

1. Last Temptation of Christ

2. Chocolat

3. Donnie Darko

Outside of Class (numbered in association with those viewed in class):

Watch and report on any one of these movies by December 9^th or 10^th.  

1. Ben-Hur - 1959 (be warned: this film is 3.5 hours long!)

1. Cool Hand Luke – 1967

1. Jesus of Montreal – 1989

1. The Passion of the Christ - 2004

Watch and report on any of these movies by January 6^th or 7th 

2. Bells of Saint Mary’s – 1945

2. The Exorcist – 1973*

2.  Bella - 2006

Watch and report on any of these movies by February 3^rd or 4^th. 

3. Dogma – 1999

3. The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc – 1999

3. Simon Birch – 1998

3. Stranger Than Fiction – 2006

3. Ghost Town - 2008

*special screening in Hogenkamp Auditorium Wednesday, December 10^th.

Assignments:

Final Paper will be due February 23^rd or 24^th.

Your reflection papers should be one page typed-double spaced in Times New Roman, 12 pt font.  You need to demonstrate thematic connections between the in class film and the one you have chosen to watch on your own.  You will be graded on the quality of you analysis with examples of scenes or dialogue to support your insights, and on the quality of your writing.  You are expected to answer the following four (or five) questions from the appendix of Margaret Miles’ Seeing and Believing :

1.  Is religion treated explicitly in the film?  Is it central to the narrative?

2.  Is religion pictured as institutional?  As individual spirituality?  As communal?

3.  Are character religiously motivated?  If so, how is this shown?

4.  How are attitudes toward religion communicated to the viewer?

5.  If religion is not explicitly mentioned, what religious themes or values are explicit or implicit in the film?

Links:

Journal of Film and Religion

http://www.unomaha.edu/jrf/index.html

Internet Movie Database

http://us.imdb.com/search.html

Media Literacy Online Project - College of Education - University of Oregon - Eugene

http://interact.uoregon.edu/MediaLit

The Jesuit Communication Project

http://interact.uoregon.edu/MediaLit/JCP/index.html

Media Education Foundation

http://www.mediaed.org/

Teachwithmovies.org

http://www.teachwithmovies.org

The Media History Project

http://www.mediahistory.umn.edu

Religion and Film: A selected list of library and information sources

http://www.cmu.ca/faculty/gmatties/Religion%20and%20Film%20Bibliography.htm

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please contact Martin Kilbridge at the following e-mail address: mkilbridge@mcquaid.org