Spring 2015/Pasadena

TC509

Taylor

TC509: THEOLOGY AND POP CULTURE (4 Units: 160 Hours). Barry Taylor.

DESCRIPTION: This course will engage students in a two-way dialogue between pop culture and theology, with particular emphasis upon music, movies, TV, art, fashion, and sports. Students will develop a biblical, theological, and historical understanding of these art forms and a critical understanding of the advertising, consumerism, and celebrity that drives pop culture.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: (1) Students will develop critical grids for evaluating pop cultural products; (2) students will find points of contact (Anknüpfungspunkte) between God and popular culture; (3) students will sharpen their skills as interpretive leaders for church, ministry, and therapeutic settings; and (4) students will engage in public theology, joining the broad conversation regarding faith and culture.

COURSE FORMAT: This class meets once per week for three-hour sessions for a total of 30 hours of classroom instruction for lecture and discussion plus 10 hours of directed learning activities for a total of 40 instructional hours.

REQUIRED READING AND VIEWING: 1,162 total pp. required.

Detweiler, Craig, and Barry Taylor. A Matrix of Meanings. Baker Academic, 2003. ISBN: 978-0801024177, Pub. Price $28.00 [352 pp.].

During, Simon, ed. The Cultural Studies Reader. Routledge, 1993. ISBN: 978-0415374132, Pub. Price $45.95 [300 pp. assigned].

Lynch, Gordon. Understanding Theology and Popular Culture. Blackwell, 2005. ISBN: 978-1405117487, Pub. Price $38.95 [254 pp.].

Stevens, Tim. Pop Goes the Church. Power Publishing, 2008. ISBN: 978-0979017490, Pub. Price $16.95 [256 pp.].

RECOMMENDED READING: Reading list will be provided in class.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

1. Class attendance and participation [30 hours].
2. 1,162 pp. of required reading [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1-4]. [70 hours].
3. Three, two-page book reviews (30%) [These assignments are related to learning outcomes #1 (Detweiler/Taylor), 2 (Lynch), and 3-4 (During)] [10 hours].
4. A viewing journal chronicling personal reflection and class directed responses to viewing material (35%) [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1-4] [30 hours].
5. A ten-page paper rooted in field research on one of the television genres covered in the course. Papers will forge a theological response to the research gathered. Students will study specific art and films related to the course (guidelines will be given in class) and include a plan for a theological presentation in their life and ministry (35%) [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1-4] [20 hours].

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Elective. Option to meet the TH5 or C2 requirement in the 120 MDiv Program. Option to count in the Theology and Arts emphasis, Worship and Music Ministry emphasis, Worship, Theology and the Arts emphasis and Youth, Family, and Culture Emphasis. Meets the MACL in Integrative Studies requirement for an interdisciplinary course (IDPL); meets the culture (CULT) requirement in Cultural Literacy for MA programs.

FINAL EXAMINATION: None