THEO8004 The Bible and Popular Culture GE

2016

4.5

1 x 2-hour seminar weekly

THEO2220 has been successfully completed

Assignment(s), Tutorial Participation

This topic is designed to explore the ways in which the Bible and culture come into dialogue and mutually interpret each other. Drawing on theories of culture and on biblical themes and motifs, a range of topics will be examined critically in order to explore the Bible as a source of critique and liberation, ethical teaching and a framework within which questions of life and death, good and evil are considered. Throughout the unit students will engage with a variety of cultural forms, including art, film, theatre, popular music, literature and other print and electronic media in order to explore how the Bible is understood and portrayed, and to evaluate the dialogue between contemporary culture and the Bible.

This topic aims to:

• analyse a range of key biblical themes and their relevance for contemporary culture

• identify and critique how biblical themes recur within different cultural forms

• develop analytical skills in evaluating the intertextual dialogue between the bible and contemporary cultural expressions

• explore how the bible and contemporary culture mutually complement and critique their respective world views

On completion of this topic students will be able to:

• evaluate how the Bible functions as a cultural resource affecting and critiquing popular culture.

• analyse critically some Biblical themes expressed in a variety of different media including film, music, art, theatre and literature.

• analyse critically how the Bible interacts with the Australian cultural context taking into account other contemporary contexts and cultures.

• communicate theoretical and theological skills and knowledge, both in writing and orally, as appropriate to a range of audiences