RELS 335 Downloading Deities, Mediating Meditation, Streaming Spirits: Religion and Media in Asia
This course will use advanced methodological techniques to orient students to the relationship between media and religion in Asia. Historically, many Asian religions developed in close concert with forms of mediated and textual culture, from palm leaf manuscripts to enormous stone carvings of deities. Students will be introduced to pre-1800 manuscripts, statues, songs, paintings and other objects before they consider contemporary manifestations of these media. This course will consider how these historical media have developed into a considerable variation in the contemporary forms of media used to represent, promulgate, and critique religious traditions in Asia, as well as how the circulation of this media continues to create both community and division. Case studies will include Bollywood films from India that feature deities as lead characters, television shows that promote Confucian values from China, and online networks that promote connections between global Muslim communities.