Paul Courtright @ Emory University
Narrative films concerned with religious issues and experience; commonalities between the film medium and the performative religious imagination.
The course examines religious themes and issues in the genre of popular cinema from American and South Asian traditions. The U.S. and India are the largest producers, consumers, and exporters of films. In some films religion is close to the surface, in others it is more implicit, even disguised. The course begins with a brief look at film as a medium, popular culture as a category of interpretation, and religion in a comparative context.
Films to be studied include: Song of Bernadette, The Wizard of Oz, Shane, Blade Runner, Tender Mercies, Fiddler on the Roof, Mother India, Amar Akbar Anthony, Jai Santoshi Ma, Devi, Bombay, Lagaan, The Clay Bird.
Each week begins on Monday evening with a screening. The class session will be devoted to discussion of the film for the week, reviewing clips of key scenes, and individual students called upon to contribute their interpretations and raise questions.