Mandir and Masjid at the Movies
REL R388 - 3 credits - can be applied to India Studies major or minor
Two 75-minute class meetings plus one movie screening per week
Mandir (temple), masjid (mosque), and for that matter church make frequent appearances in South Asian cinema, sometimes for surprising reasons. In this course we will consider the meaning of religion in South Asia using film as our lens to explore what John Booth calls the "ambiguity of the sacred-secular distinction in Indian culture." We will begin by reading and discussing two chapters on how scholars "read" film, with a bit of practice in class before our first film screening. The Lyden textbook will provide us with our theoretical background.
Each week we will watch and discuss, in detail, one film. Our broad topics include partition, gender, myth, fundamentalism, and the diaspora. We will come to know a range of views on religion and its role in the lives of South Asians through film produced in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, and our reading of critical articles for each film. The films include mythologicals, social commentary, and Bollywood blockbusters, all of which have a great deal to tell us about religion in South Asia. No prerequisites, and prior knowledge of South Asia, while helpful, is not expected.
This course contributes to a liberal arts education by introducing some of the ways people in South Asia use film to reflect their various views on their own cultures and religions. Students will develop critical thinking and writing skills through class discussions and weekly writing assignments.
Each week students will submit a 1-2 page response to questions raised by that week's material. Grading will be based on these papers (30%), attendance and participation in classroom activities (30%), and two term papers (40%).
Our in-class discussions will centre around the readings, and questions posed on OnCourse will help guide students' thinking about each piece.
By the end of the course students will be able to
- recognize and deconstruct religious tropes in South Asian film, and discuss these in religious studies critical terms
- discuss the role of Bollywood in perpetuating communal (religious) stereotypes, and how the diaspora furthers such goals
- understand the enduring trauma of the Partition of South Asia
- debate the cliche "Hindus and Muslims are all brothers" from various South Asian cinematic perspectives
