Course Syllabus

Instructor: Jeffrey Mahan
E-mail: jmahan@liff.edu
Office Hours: by appointment

Course Synopsis:Intended for doctoral or MA students, and for other Masters students with some background in media and/or interest in the critical theory that underlies the emerging conversation about media, religion and culture.

Are the changes in religion’s location, the nature of religious identity and community, and the nature of religious authority that are developing in the digital age something new in the history of religion? Or, has religion always been rooted in its mediations and have religion and media changed and adapted in relationship to each other? This course explores the discourses at the interface of communications, cultural and religious studies on the mediation of religion in contemporary digital culture and in the history of religion and carry out independent research. 

Syllabus:Theories of Religion and Media.spring '14.revised.docx

Readings: Students will read and discuss Mahan's forthcoming Media, Religion and Culture: An Introduction, during the first two weeks. A pdf of the book accessible to those who have registered for the course appears in the calendar below. 

There will be essays and book chapters from work in the field assigned in other weeks. These will also be posted in the calendar. 

All the course readings will be available on Canvas. Should you want to purchase some or all of these materials, see the Taylor Library's list of online book sellers for purchasing options.

Call for Papers: Call For Papers.docx