Religion and Horror: The Dark Night of the Soul
RELI 236
Spring 2027
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01
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Horror is not the opposite of the sacred; it may be one of its oldest and most potent expressions. Long before cinema, religious traditions spoke of gods who terrify, demons who possess, sacrifices demanded and taboos violated, and mystics who passed through what John of the Cross called the "dark night of the soul" on the way to God. This course pairs a film each week with theoretical and religious texts to ask why fear, disgust, and dread sit so close to the holy, transcendent, and blessed. Films in and around the horror genre include The Exorcist, The Wicker Man, Jacob¿s Ladder, The Shining, Carrie, Midsommar, Saint Maud, A Serious Man, It Follows, Sinners, and episodes of Black Mirror. Along the way we will ask philosophical questions (Why do we seek out fear? What does horror reveal about evil?) and learn to analyze films closely. Students will write short weekly responses and a final presentation on a film of their choosing. No prior coursework in film or religious studies is required. NOTE: Films contain graphic violence, explicit sexual content and nudity, and disturbing religious imagery. The seminar is paired with a required weekly film screening. Students attend one screening session per week or watch the film independently (approximately 2¿2.5 hours) in addition to the regularly scheduled seminar meeting for discussion of the film alongside paired theoretical and religious readings. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
SBS RELI |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (Religion Minor)(Religion) |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
The Book of Job/Franz Kafka, ¿Before the Law¿
John of the Cross, THE DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL, IN THE COLLECTED WORKS OF ST. JOHN OF THE CROSS, trans. Kieran Kavanaugh and Otilio Rodriguez (ICS Publications, 1991)
Rudolf Otto, THE IDEA OF THE HOLY, trans. John W. Harvey (Oxford University Press, 1958 [1917])
Mary Douglas, PURITY AND DANGER (Routledge, 1966)
René Girard, VIOLENCE AND THE SACRED, trans. Patrick Gregory (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1977)
Sigmund Freud, ¿The Uncanny¿ (1919)
THE TIBETAN BOOK OF THE DEAD, trans. Gyurme Dorje, ed. Graham Coleman and Thupten Jinpa (Penguin Classics, 2005)
Douglas E. Cowan, SACRED TERROR: RELIGION AND HORROR ON THE SILVER SCREEN (Baylor University Press, 2008)
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Examinations and Assignments:
No final exam. Weekly responses (25%), participation (20%), discussion leadership (10%), midterm essay (15%), and a final research paper or video essay (30%). |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
This course satisfies the "additional course" requirement for the Religion major and minor. |
| Instructor(s): Berger,Jesse Times: ...W... 01:20PM-04:10PM; Location: TBA |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 19 | | SR major: 4 | JR major: 4 | | |
| | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 3 | JR non-major: 3 | SO: 3 | FR: 2 |
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