Students in Dr. Wolff's Religion & Film class view a series of films that engage religion broadly conceived. Using analytical tools from the study of religion, students both sympathetically and critically evaluate cultural themes and religious expressions in film. Students become familiar with technique used in film and develop a scholarly vocabulary for analyzing these elements.
Submissions from 2024
Taylor Swift as Religion: The Deification of an International Pop Music Superstar and the Ramifications of Fame, with a Comparison to Vox Lux, Jessica Cotturone
Manipulation: Methods employed by Cult and Religious Leaders to Exploit Followers, Alexander Earnest
Submissions from 2021
Challenging Faith and Gaining Power: Women in Film who Reject and Subvert Religion, Annika Murrah
Submissions from 2020
When Atheists Become Deities: How Vox Lux Shows the Intersection of Secularism, Religion, and Pop Stardom in Consumer Society, Lindsay Saulsberry