RELIGION AND THE CINEMA RAST 2300 SPRING 2017

RICHARD LINDSAY, PhD, DSPT Room 1 Tuesday 6:10pm – 9:00pm

Instructor Contact Information E-mail: drlindsay2@gmail.com

Cell Phone: 646-258-7193 Course Description: A thematic survey of the treatment of religion in the Judeo-Christian tradition as portrayed in film, the most popular art form of the modern era. Weekly lectures and discussions with stills, slides, and film clips will be followed by a specially selected feature film considered a masterpiece of its genre.

Format and Evaluation: Each week will consist of lecture and discussion based on themed explorations of religion and film, followed by a class viewing of a film. Follow-up discussion will begin at the end of class and continue online on Moodle. Student evaluation will include class attendance and participation, required postings in discussions on Moodle, three brief reflection papers, a group project analysis of a film, and a final research paper. PhD and ThD students can take at higher level with extended research paper with signed agreement with the instructor.

RAST 2300 2

Course Objectives:

• Introduction to a "canonical sample" of films informed by the Judeo-Christian tradition in the United States and in Europe. This class will broaden the scope of what is ordinarily considered “religious cinema” by focusing first on films drawn from the Bible and extending to categories of films depicting the subject matter of religion. Extending farther, the categories of religious film will delve into issues of morality, war and peace, and utopianism.

• Creating familiarity with film history in the United States and Europe, as well as terminology and theories for understanding film. By the end of the class, students should have an increased vocabulary and sense of historical context in order to write and speak critically about film in both religious and secular contexts.

• Applying film study in the context of religious community. As rising clergy, religious leaders and educators, students should be able to integrate newfound knowledge of film and religion in classroom, parish, and congregational settings.

Class Conduct and Expectations Group Screenings: One of the major benefits of this class is the opportunity to watch films on a big screen with an engaged audience. The experience is quite different from the distracted viewing of film and television on computers, tablets, and phones. It is of utmost importance that students who take this class plan to attend all lectures and screenings, and take part in class discussions. There will be no "makeup viewings" of the films, and "independent viewings" will not be considered sufficient for class participation. Electronic Distractions: All cell phones and computers must be put away during film screenings. Anyone seen to be interacting with these devices during film screenings will be counted as absent for the class, and participation grade will be lowered. Laptops or tablets may be used only for taking notes during the lecture and discussion portions of class meetings. Attendance: Attendance is required for all class screenings. Students should expect to stay until the end of class at 9pm. If students anticipate having to miss a class, arrive late or leave early, please discuss this with the instructor ahead of time to see if the absence can be excused. Students anticipating missing more than one class should not take the course. If an emergency occurs resulting in an absence or late arrival, please notify the instructor as soon as it is safe or feasible. Unexcused absences will be noted and result in the lowering of a student’s grade. Readings: Reading assignments will accompany the lectures and film screenings. Some of these will be available in the reader, located at Vick Copy at 1879 Euclid Avenue. Others will be handed out or assigned online in class. Readings are primarily assigned to increase understanding, and will be helpful in answering questions posed in reflection papers, in online forums, and in final papers.

RAST 2300 3

Assignments and Grades

1.) Attendance/Participation: Requirements for attendance are established above. Any absence not previously worked out with the professor, or because of genuine emergency (e.g. sudden illness, unavoidable family needs) will result in a lowered grade for the semester.

2.) Moodle Discussions: After each film viewed in class, the instructor will post a discussion starter on the class Moodle page. Each class member is expected to contribute at least one (1) paragraph of three to four (3-4) sentences in six (6) different discussions during the semester. Of course, participation of longer length in all discussions is welcome.

3.) Reflection Papers: Students will be expected to write three (3) reflection papers. Each paper will be two (2) pages, double-spaced, with one-inch margins, in 12-point font. The paper topic will be established by the professor in class. A hard copy will be due the following week in class. The paper will represent a critical, reflective analysis of a given issue related to the films watched in class. Class lectures and the course reader will aid in this endeavor.

4.) Group Project: Students will divide into groups of three (3), beginning 03/07/17.

The project will involve watching a film with a religious theme or subtext together as a group, then devising a presentation on the film for an adult or youth study group in a religious community. Work will be done outside of class time. Specifics of the assignment will be handed out in class.

5.) Final Paper: A research paper of 10-12 pages (not including pictures and

bibliography) on a topic relevant to religion and film, chosen by the student and approved by the professor. The paper must be typed, double-spaced, in 12-point font with one-inch margins. The paper should reference at least four (4) bibliographic resources, which may include up to two (2) of the in-class readings. The paper should be turned in by e-mail in MS Word format, and is due by 5pm on Friday, May 12.

Grade Distribution: Attendance/Participation: 24 points (2 per class) Moodle Discussions: 6 points (1 point each) Reflection Papers: 18 points (6 points each) Group Project: 15 points Final Paper: 37 points ________________________________________ Total 100 points

RAST 2300 4

Grading Scale A+ 99-100 C+ 78-79 A 95-98 C 74-77 B+ 88-89 C- 70-73 B 84-87 D+ 68-69 B- 80-83 D 64-67 D- 60-63

F Below 60 __________________________________________

Syllabus and Assignments

Date Topic Assignments/Readings

Due 01/31/17 Jesus on the Silver Screen

02/07/17 Jesus on the Silver Screen II

Read: Lindsay, Morris

02/14/17 Bible Stories & Biblical Blockbusters Read: Loughlin, Telford, Baker

02/21/17 Christian Stories Set in History

Reflection Paper Due

02/28/17 The Cloistered Cinema: Monks & Nuns

03/07/17 The Roman Collar: Priests, Popes & Cardinals

Group Projects Assigned

03/14/17 Saints, Visionaries, Legends & Miracles

03/21/17 Horror

Read: Cowan Reflection Paper Due

03/28/17 No Class, Spring Break

04/04/17 Preachers, Ministers & Evangelists

04/11/17 Group Projects

Group Projects Due

04/18/17 Angels & Divine Comedy

04/25/17 War & Peace

05/02/17 Utopianism & Wrap-Up Discussion

Reflection Paper Due

05/12/17 Final Papers Due, 5 PM

RAST 2300 5

BIBLIOGRAPHY (* = Good sources for church film groups.) Babington, Bruce and Peter William Evans. Biblical Epics: Sacred Narrative In The Hollywood

Cinema. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1993.

Berg, Charles Ramírez. Latino Images in Film: Stereotypes, Subversion, and Resistance. Austin,

TX: University of Texas Press, 2009.

Bogle, Donald. Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies, and Bucks: An Interpretive History of Blacks

in American Films (5th ed). New York: Bloomsbury, 2016. Bradatan, Costica, & Camil Ungureanu (eds.). Religion in Contemporary European Cinema: The

Postsecular Constellation (Routledge Studies in Religion and Film). New York: Routledge, 2014.

Black, Gregory. Hollywood Censored: Morality Codes, Catholics, and the Movies. Cambridge,

UK: Cambridge University Press, 1994. Bordwell, David. The Films of Carl-Theodor Dryer. Berkeley: University of California Press,

1981. Ceram, C.W. Archaeology of the Cinema. New York: Harcourt, Brace and World, 1965. Colman, Felicity. Film Theory: Creating a Cinematic Grammar (Short Cuts Series). New York:

Wallflower Press, 2014. Chierichetti, David. Hollywood Costume Design. New York: Harmony Books, 1976. Donner, Jorn. The Films of Ingmar Bergman. New York: Dover, 1972. Elley, Derek. The Epic Film. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1984.

RAST 2300 6

Eyman, Scott. Empire of Dreams: the Epic Life of Cecil B. DeMille. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2010.

Flesher, Paul V.M. and Robert Torry. Film & Religion: An Introduction. Nashville: Abingdon

Press, 2007. Gabler, Neil. An Empire of Their Own: How the Jews Invented Hollywood (reprint ed.). New

York: Anchor, 2010. Gomez, Joseph. Ken Russell. London: Pergamon, 1976. Humphries-Brooks, Stephenson. Cinematic Savior: Hollywood's Making of the American Christ.

Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger, 2006. Insdorff, Annette. Indelible Shadows: Film and the Holocaust. New York: Random House,

1983. Kinnard, Roy and Tim Davis. Divine Images: A History of Jesus on the Screen. New York:

Citadel, 1992. Lindsay, Richard. Hollywood Biblical Epics: Camp Spectacle and Queer Style from the Silent

Era to the Modern Day. Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger, 2015. Lindvall, Terry. The Silents of God: Selected Issues and Documents in Silent American Film

and Religion, 1908-1925. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 2001.

Lyden, John C. (ed.) The Routledge Companion to Religion and Film. New York: Routledge,

2009. Malone, Peter & Rose Pacatte. Lights, Camera, Faith!: A Movie Lectionary Guide to Scripture

(Cycles A, B, C) Boston, MA: Pauline Books and Media, 2001. (Sr. Rose Pacatte reviews at "Sister Rose at the Movies" http://www.patheos.com/blogs/sisterrosemovies/). *

May, John R. (ed.). Image and Likeness: Religious Visions in American Film Classics. New

York: Crossroads, 1992.

RAST 2300 7

McCabe, Janet. Feminist Film Studies: Writing the Woman into Cinema (Short Cuts Series). New York: Wallflower Press, 2012.

McNulty, Edward N. Jesus Christ, Movie Star. Canton, MI: Read the Spirit Books, 2016. (Also

author of Visual Parables film journal for churches. www.visualparables.org). *

Miles, Margaret. Seeing and Believing: Religion and Values in the Movies. New York: Beacon

Press, 1997. *

Miller, Frank. Censored Hollywood: Sex, Sin, & Violence on the Screen. Atlanta: Turner

Publishing, Inc., 1994.

Mitchell, Jolyon and S. Brent Plate. The Religion and Film Reader. New York: Routledge, 2007. Morris, Michael. Madam Valentino: The Many Lives of Natacha Rambova. New York:

Abbeville Press, 1991.

Napper, Lawrence. Silent Cinema: Before the Pictures Got Small. (Short Cuts Series). New

York: Wallflower Press, 2017.

Ott, Frederick. The Films of Fritz Lang. Secaucus, New York: Citadel, 1979. Parker, J. Ryan. Cinema as Pulpit: Sherwood Pictures and the Church Film Movement.

Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 2012.

Plate, S. Brent (ed.). Representing Religion in World Cinema: Filmmaking, Mythmaking,

Culture Making. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003. Plate, S. Brent. Religion and Film: Cinema and the Re-Creation of the World (Short Cuts

Series). New York: Wallflower Press, 2009.

Reinhartz, Adele. Bible and Cinema: An Introduction. New York: Routledge, 2013.* Reinhartz, Adele (ed). Bible and Cinema: Fifty Key Films (Routledge Key Guides). New York:

Routledge, 2012. *

RAST 2300 8

Rogin, Michael. Blackface, White Noise: Jewish Immigrants in the Hollywood Melting Pot.

Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998.

Russo, Vito. The Celluloid Closet (2nd ed.). New York: Harper and Row, 1986. Scorsese, Martin. Scorsese on Scorsese. Edited by David Thompson and Ian Christie. London:

Faber and Faber, 1989.

Shepherd, David J. The Silents of Jesus in the Cinema (1897–1927) (Routledge Studies in

Religion and Film). New York: Routledge, 2016. Slide, Anthony and Edward Wagenknecht. The Films of D.W. Griffith. New York: Crown,

1975. Smith, Gary A. Epic Films: Casts, Credits and Commentary on Over 350 Historical Spectacle

Movies (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 2004. Solomon, Jon. The Ancient World in the Cinema. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2001. Thomson, David. How to Watch a Movie. New York: Vintage, 2015. Thomson, David. The New Biographical Dictionary of Film (5th ed.). New York: Knopf, 2010. Vaux, Sara A. Finding Meaning at the Movies. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1999.* Vieira, Mark A. Sin in Soft Focus: Pre-Code Hollywood. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1999 Walsh, Richard. Reading the Gospels in the Dark: Portrayals of Jesus in Film. Harrisburg,

Pennsylvania: Trinity Press International, 2003. Weisenfeld, Judith. Hollywood Be Thy Name: African American Religion in American Film,

1929–1949. Berkeley: University of California Press: 2007.