CMN 545 (01) - Media, Religion, and Culture

This course examines the impact of media on religious belief, practice, and institutions in an American context. We cover the rise of evangelicalism; the development of religious denominations and political parties; the birth of religious broadcasting including the rise of televangelism; and the decline of institutional religion with the emergence of a "spiritual marketplace." We examine religious representations in popular film, music, and news, and ask whether digital technologies have become imbued with religious meaning.