THEOREL 101

The Bible and Popular Culture


Please note: this is archived course information from 2016 for THEOREL 101.

Description

Why did Kanye West invite Jesus on stage during his Yeezus tour? Who is the new messiah – Harry Potter or Harry Styles? Why are Adam and Eve so popular in contemporary advertising? What do Winston Peters and Donald Trump know about the Bible? And why should we care?

This course introduces students to the various ways that biblical themes, images and characters have an enduring presence and influence within contemporary popular culture. By learning to analyse religious and biblical references found in music, film, TV, art, advertising and the media, you will discover that, even in today’s increasingly secular world, the Bible continues to both influence and be influenced by our cultural, political, and religious landscapes.

Some examples of popular culture we may explore include:

  • Movies such as Noah, Exodus: God and Kings, Harry Potter, and Pulp Fiction.
  • Music by artists such as Kanye West, Lady Gaga, and Bob Marley.
  • TV shows such as Game of Thrones, Daredevil, Orange is the New Black and Sherlock. 
  • Visual arts and advertising images that depict biblical themes and characters.
  • Celebrities including Kim Kardashian, Russell Brand, and Harry Styles.
  • Politicians and social media figures, including Barack Obama, Jeremy Corbyn, Nicola Sturgeon, Donald Trump, and Winston Peters.

This class will interest you regardless of your knowledge of the Bible. Any student can study the Bible whether they are of the Jewish or Christian faith, another faith, or of no religious faith at all. The Bible is explored as a cultural text in this course and all we require from students is an inquiring mind and a desire to develop some of the skills involved in cultural and religious studies.

Some of the topics we cover will include:

  • Introducing theories for studying popular culture.
  • The Bible: Fact or fiction? Approaching the Bible as a cultural text.
  • Methods for studying the Bible in popular culture.
  • Gender, sexuality and biblical afterlives – how are biblical men and women depicted in popular culture? What assumptions about gender and sexuality are given voice here?
  • Biblical prophets and contemporary prophets in popular culture, including Harvey Milk, Martin Luther King, Russell Brand, and Aung San Suu Kyi.
  • The messiah, or ‘supersaviour’, in the Bible and popular culture; including ‘popular messiahs’ such as Harry Potter, Sherlock, Harry Styles, and ‘sporting messiahs’ such as David Beckham, Richie McCaw, and Wayne Rooney.
  • Biblical violence in popular culture – how the Bible is used in crime fiction, film, and television, including The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Daredevil.
  • The Bible in contemporary politics and the media.
  • Commodifying the sacred: The Jesus industry.
  • Selling power: The Bible in postfeminist advertising.

View the course syllabus

Availability 2016

Semester 2

Lecturer(s)

Coordinator(s) Dr Caroline Blyth
Lecturer(s) Dr Robert Myles

Reading/Texts

There is no textbook for the course, but students will be required to have access to a Bible (either hard copy or online, eg, at https://www.biblegateway.com/)

Points

THEOREL 101: 15 points

Restrictions

THEOLOGY 101, 101G