Studies in American Culture (310-0-10)

Instructors

James Bielo

Meeting Info

Kresge Centennial Hall 2-410: Tues, Thurs 2:00PM - 3:20PM

Overview of class

Religion and the Arts is a variable-topics course that explores the dynamic relationship between religious traditions and artistic expression across cultures, historical periods, and mediums. The curse will examine how religious traditions, practices, materials, and communities have shaped, and been shaped by, the arts, including visual culture, architecture, literature, theatre, ritual performance, museum curation, and other expressive forms.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, students will be able to: 1. Analyze artistic and expressive works (e. g., visual art, literature, performance, ritual, architecture, museums, and media) as sites where religious ideas, practices, and values are produced, communicated, contested, and transformed. 2. Describe and interpret artistic works using appropriate critical vocabularies, drawing from methods in religious studies and relevant arts-based disciplines (e. g., art history, literary studies, performance studies, classics, museum studies). 3. Situate artistic and religious works within their historical, cultural, and social contexts, recognizing how creative expression both reflects and challenges cultural, social, and religious norms. 4. Evaluate how artistic forms shape religious imagination and experience, including ways art influences belief, embodiment, emotion, ethics, and community life. 5. Compare artistic expressions across traditions, periods, or media, identifying continuities, divergences, and cross- cultural influences in how religion is represented and performed. 6. Develop and communicate interpretive arguments about religion and the arts through close reading, visual analysis, performance analysis, and/or critical writing.

Class Attributes

Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Pre-registration -- Reserved for American Studies Majors until the end of preregistration, after which time enrollment will be open to everyone.