Religion, TV, and Film (371-0-20)
Topic
The Spirit of Horses
Instructors
Sarah McFarland Taylor
847 4914361
Crowe hall, 4-144
Meeting Info
Kresge Centennial Hall 2-410: Fri 12:00PM - 2:30PM
Overview of class
It is often said that in riding a horse "we borrow freedom." From winged Pegasus of Greek mythology, to mystical Kelpies of Celtic lore, to the Hippogriffs in Harry Potter, horses hold a special allure for humans that transcends cultures. This course explores the power of the sacred human-horse bond as represented in art, film, TV, and social media, while teaching techniques and tools for analyzing media and making your own media! We will start by looking historically and anthropologically at the co-evolution of humans and equids, investigating how the domestication of horses and the mutually shaping human-horse relationship radically changed the world. We will also learn how religion followed the path of horses across the globe. In fact, the history of religions, their spread, comingling, and influence can be told through the prism of human-horse partnerships over space and time. We will learn about horses in mythology and sacred symbol, divine horses with supernatural powers, and how horses become a mainstay of folklore on virtually every continent. We will read and listen to reflections on the ways horses help some people to think about, know, and experience God/the divine, and/or find existential meaning. We will explore horse religions and worship (old and new), the key role played by horses in many funerary rites, and learn more about peoples who know themselves as "the people of the horse." We will also learn about the use of horses in therapy programs for those mentally, emotionally, physically, and developmentally challenged, and the successful use of horse therapy to heal veterans and others coping with PTSD. Finally, we look at a variety of horse trainers and clinicians who approach horsemanship as a kind of sacred vocation, devotional path, and/or spiritual discipline. At the core of this course is investigating why and how it is that horses fascinate humans, capture so many hearts, and fuel our imaginations. In other words, "What is it about horses . . . ?" We learn about media by "doing media," so this course offers the chance to design and produce two media projects based on original research and analysis, examining works that mediate horses.
We will also have a class field trip to an equine therapy center on Saturday, October 25th (2025) . This field trip is a requirement to take the course, so please plan ahead. Recommended viewing over the summer to prepare: Watch Seasons 1&2 of the Canadian TV horse series, "Heartland," which can be viewed for free on YouTube.
The course counts towards the Religion, Health and Medicine (RHM) and the Media, Technology, Journalism, and Religion (MTJR) religious studies major concentrations.
Teaching Method
Class Materials (Required)
All resources can be found on Canvas.
Class Attributes
Ethical and Evaluative Thinking Foundational Disci
Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area
Ethics & Values Distro Area