Media and Religion in a Critical Perspective

Master 2021/2022

Category 'Best Course for Broadening Horizons and Diversity of Knowledge and Skills'

Type: Elective course (Critical Media Studies)

Area of studies: Media Communications

Delivered by: Institute of Media

Where: Faculty of Creative Industries

When: 2 year, 3 module

Mode of studies: offline

Open to: students of one campus

Instructors: Victor Khroul

Master’s programme: Критические медиаисследования

Language: English

ECTS credits: 4

Contact hours: 32

Full Syllabus

Abstract

This course is designed to introduce the complexity of religious life in general and importance of the correct covering of this very sensitive object. Essential part of the course is focused on particular issues of contemporary Russian society, secularization and de-secularization processes (Casanova, Taylor, Hoover), mass media role in discovering and neutralizing the tensions between religious groups and society. The critical perspective is focused both on religion and media as a social institutions in the theoretical frame of dialogue and consensus in the public sphere (Habermas).

Learning Objectives

differentiate historical and theoretical aspects of the relations between religion and
follow legal and ethical norms and principles of covering religious life in media
obtain sufficient skills for oral presentations and class discussions
to conduct a research in the field of "religion-media" relati
to write an analytical essay on the contemporary religion situation in Russia

Expected Learning Outcomes

differentiate historical and theoretical aspects of the relations between religion and media
follow legal and ethical norms and principles of covering religious life in med
obtain sufficient skills for oral presentations and class discussions
to conduct a research in the field of "religion-media" relations (case-study, content-analysis, comparative study)
to write an analytical essay on the contemporary religion situation in Russia

Course Contents

Theoretical foundations for the study of media and religion
Mediatization of religion: the concept and its operationalization
Religion, faith, identity in Russian mass communication
Legal aspects of coverage of religious life in Russian media
Ethical aspects of interaction between media and religion
Religious ethos and journalistic ethics
Religious initiatives to regulate the Russian media
Religious values in Russian media texts
Structural-semantic and functional aspects of Russian media texts about religion
Genre features of coverage of religious life in the Russian media
Linguistic and functional specificity of Russian media texts on religious topics
Dysfunctional manifestations in the coverage of religious life in the Russian media
Media-religious communication crises and ways to overcome them
Humor in media texts about religion as a conflict factor
Formation and expression of religious identity on the Internet
Religious topics in social networks
Optimization of interaction between religion and media: teleological foundations and normative models
Basic principles for constructing a normative model of interaction between religion and the media in the space of public dialogue

Assessment Elements

Seminar activities, case discussions
Students deliver individual short oral presentations (3-5 min) describing and justifying the religious event worthy to be discussed from the critical perspective
Homework (research plan)
Preliminary reasearch description (1-2 pages): the problem, subject, object, research questions, methods, expected outcome
Final essay
Complete paper with extended analyses of theoretical concept(s) and its relevance to the chosen case. The paper presents final results of the case study

Interim Assessment

2021/2022 3rd module
0.4 * Final essay + 0.3 * Homework (research plan) + 0.3 * Seminar activities, case discussions

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

Khroul, V. (2020). Digitalization of Religion in Russia: Adjusting Preaching to New Formats, Channels and Platforms. The Palgrave Handbook of Digital Russia Studies. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42855-6_11
Stout, D. A. (2006). Encyclopedia of Religion, Communication, and Media. Taylor & Francis [CAM].

Recommended Additional Bibliography

Eldridge, J. (2003). Mediating Religion: Conversations in Media, Religion and Culture (Book). Studies in World Christianity, 9(1), 127–128. https://doi.org/10.3366/swc.2003.9.1.127
Mediatization and Religion : Nordic Perspectives. (2012). Gothenburg : Nordicom, University of Gothenburg.

Course Syllabus