Undergraduate Seminar (398-0-72)

Topic

Media and Religion

Instructors

Abraham Naseem Abusharif

Meeting Info

Northwestern Qatar Room 1-302: Mon, Wed 2:30PM - 3:45PM (AST)

Overview of class

Many of the most significant public discourses and media narratives produced today are those that concern religion. Matters of faith and its practices, contestations, pamphleteering, violence, social backlashes, and fictive storylines are all fodder for media content and for provoking crucial global conversations. In this class, students will be introduced to the surprisingly close relationships between the mighty forces of media and religion in what is arguably a "secular" age. We will take a close look at the evolution of religious content in popular media (including entertainment, journalism, and religious broadcasting) and examine how this all relates to what is loosely called "globalization." We will also consider methods to produce case studies of major media stories that started as or evolved into religion-based narratives, mainly Islam, such as ISIS's use of digital media; reactions and counter-reactions to the Charlie Hedbo shootings; Western discourses appropriating religion for political advantage; and appraisals of media handling of such flashpoints as the Chapel Hill murders, South Carolina church shootings, post-elections intimidations, and more. This will be an interactive class with much discussion and analysis.

Registration Requirements

Prerequisites: None

Open to Sophomores and above

Open for cross registration

Satisfies Media and Politics Minor and Middle East Studies Minor

Students who completed RELIGION 242-0 Topics in Religion Studies: Media and Religion should not enroll in this course

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Registration is reserved for sophomore, juniors, and seniors only.