CHC305H1F

Christianity & Popular Culture

Prof. Stephen Tardif | Fall 2021| M3-5 | MS Teams| Office Hours: by appt | stephen.tardif@utoronto.ca

Course Description:

This course explores both overt and covert representations of Christian ideas in
contemporary popular media. We will examine the appropriation and subversion of
Christian themes in mass media, while also considering the innovative ways these
themes—such as redemption, sacrifice, vocation, and hope—are presented anew.

Course Objectives:

The goals of this course are threefold. The first aim is to explore the Christian
imagination in our current cultural moment. To facilitate this exploration, we will
consider a wide array of cultural products. We will look at novels, graphic novels, and
television shows, exploring the genres of magical realism, historical fiction, and
fantasy. The second goal of the course will be the collaborative development of a
vocabulary to describe the forms of the Christian imagination at work in the cultural
artifacts that we will consider. While drawing on the methods and terms from such
disparate disciplines as literary studies, film studies, media studies, and religious
studies, we will use these tools to develop our own conceptual framework to
understand the enduring impact of Christianity in contemporary culture. The
vocabulary and the framework that we will develop will further the third goal of this
course: to enable students to analyze new cultural artifacts in terms of their explicit
and implicit engagement with Christian ideas, images, paradigms, and themes.
CHC305H1F Syllabus – Fall 2021 Page 2

Grading Breakdown:

Participation 10%
Mid-Term Examination 30%
Final Reflection 15%
Final Project 40%
Statement of Interest 10%
Proposal 15%
Presentation/Exhibition 20%

Required Texts (available at the U of T Bookstore):

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit (1937)

Gene Luen Yang, Boxers and Saints (2013)
Eugene Vodolazkin, Laurus (2016)
The Young Pope (available via vendors like iTunes; also available via the Kelly Library)

Course Format:

This course is a synchronous, online course, which will be delivered via MS Teams.
Although the course was previously listed as being in-person and had been assigned
a meeting room in Teefy Hall, ours will, in fact, be an entirely online course.

Course Schedule:

September 13 Introduction

20 J. R. R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

27 The Hobbit (second half)

October 4 Gene Luen Yang, Boxers

**Statements of Interest Due**

[Thanksgiving—No Class]

18 Yang, Saints

25 Eugene Vodolazkin, Laurus (first half)

November 1 Laurus (second half)

** Final Project Proposals Due**

[FALL BREAK]

15 **Mid-Term Examination**
CHC305H1F Syllabus – Fall 2021 Page 3

22 The Young Pope, episodes 1-5

28 The Young Pope, episodes 6-10

December 6 Presentations
** Final Project Presentations/Exhibitions **

** Final Reflections Due in the Reading Period**

Course Assignments:

Mid-Term Examination (Take-home Test): In the 9th week of the term, there will be a
comprehensive exam on all of the texts we will have read by that point in the semester.
The exam will be comprised of a combination of short answer & essay questions. This
test will be circulated at the beginning of the week and due at the end of the week.

Final Project: The culminating assignment of the course will centre on a contemporary
cultural artifact. In our last class meeting, this artifact will be the subject of an oral
presentation or some other form of public exhibition (like a website, for example) that
can be showcased and described in lieu of a formal presentation. The graded
components of the Final Project are as follows:

Statement of Interest: In the fourth week of the term, students will identify the kind
of contemporary artifact on which they wish to focus, and articulate the basis for
their interest and what discoveries or connections they wish to make in studying it.

Proposals: In the eighth week of the term, students will submit proposals for their
projects. These proposals will identify a specific contemporary artifact on which
they will focus, and will provide reasons for the appropriateness of this choice.
These proposals should also identify the form that final project will take (a
presentation or the exhibition of an object), making the case for the appropriateness
of this choice, as well.

Presentations & Exhibitions: In the final week of the term, students will either deliver
oral presentations to the class or exhibit their final projects in some other easily
accessible way.

Final Reflection: At the end of the term, students will be asked to reflect on their Final
Projects and upon the course as a whole. In addition to identifying and summarizing
the most valuable discoveries and experiences that this Final Project afforded, students
will be asked to reflect more broadly about what insights about Christianity and
Popular Culture this course has brought into focus.

Course Policies, Conduct, & Guidelines:

CHC305H1F Syllabus – Fall 2021 Page 4

Assignment submission method: All assignments must be submitted electronically

through the Quercus site; Word format (.doc or .docx) is strongly preferred.

Office hours: Students are encouraged to make appointments to speak with the
instructor whenever they would like to do so, at any point in the semester.

Lateness: Late assignments may be penalized by 2% per day. In general, there will be
leniency given for lateness; nevertheless, students are strongly encouraged to be in touch
with the instructor in advance if they expect to miss an assignment deadline.

Attendance & Participation: Active discussion will be a crucial component of this course;
regular, productive, and informed participation will enhance everyone’s experience

Email Policy: Students are warmly encouraged to be in touch with the instructor via
email and, barring weekend transmissions or unanticipated delays, may expect a reply
within 24 to 48 hours.

Plagiarism: The University of Toronto’s Writing Advice website offers students a range
of in-depth guides on the correct use of sources. See especially the articles on “How
Not to Plagiarize,” “Using Quotations,” and “Paraphrase and Summary.” Students
should read these guides carefully and consult the instructions with any questions
about them which they may have. Students should also review the definitions of—and
penalties for—plagiarism and academic dishonesty in the University of Toronto’s
“Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters.”