RELG 276 - Religion in Bollywood Film

FC ARHU CD

4 credits
In this course we will approach the study of religion through the song, dance, and spectacle of Bollywood cinema, which has shaped popular visual cultures in South Asia and the international South Asian diaspora for several decades and counting. We will consider the relationship of Bollywood film as popular entertainment to visual worship practices, religious representation, nationalism, class and caste, political ideology, and celebrity. By examining Hinduism, Islam, and other South Asian religions on the big screen, we will analyze how the film industry has shaped the aspirations, fears, desires, aesthetics, and violence of inter-religious encounters in modern South Asia.

This course is appropriate for new students.