notes: My argument is “how great the simpson are at predicting future events and conspiracy theories before they happen and how scary accurate they are” for example (Season 9, Episode 13). In this episode, the citizens of Springfield become involved with a charismatic cult leader named “The Leader” who creates a new religious movement called “The Movementarians.” The Movementarians convince the townspeople to give up all their possessions and follow their teachings in preparation for the arrival of a spaceship that will take them to “Blisstonia.”
mention if there is Something that is theoretically grounded
Arguments about how the site of pop culture engages Secularization
What is that something that the Simpsons is telling us about religion? What can we learn about pop culture and contemporary culture?
– Conspirituality
– conspiracy theories
– Discourse around religion
– Influences the discourses
Readings/Sources to use:
Stark, Rodney. 1999. “Secularization, R.I.P.” Sociology of Religion 60(3): 249-273.
Chidester, David. 2005. “Popular Religion.” in Authentic Fakes: Religion and American Popular Culture, 30-51. Berkeley & Los Angeles: University of California Press.
Ward, Charlotte and David Voas (2011) “The Emergence of Conspirituality” Journal of Contemporary Religion 26(1): 103-121.
Parmigiani, Giovanna (2021) “Magic and Politics: Conspirituality and COVID-19” Journal of the American Academy of Religion 89(2): 506-529.
Stolow, J. (2005). Religion and/as Media. Theory, Culture & Society, 22(4), 119-145
Todd V. Lewis (2002) Religious Rhetoric and the Comic Frame in The Simpsons, Journal of Media and Religion, 1:3, 153-165.
David Feltmate, It’s Funny Because It’s True? The Simpsons, Satire, and the Significance of Religious Humor in Popular Culture, Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Volume 81, Issue 1, March 2013, Pages 222–248.
Your research paper should include the following:
Introduction: lay out the paper as a whole, including your argument and findings and the stakes of your project
Brief literature review: what has been written about your topic previously? What is your intervention in this literature?
Theoretical framework: how are you going to analyze your evidence? What conceptual language will help you build your argument? This is where you will draw on course concepts, e.g., “civil religion,” “secularization theory,” etc.
Research Question (RQ) and clearly stated argument (the answer to your RQ)
Methodology: how you will go about answering your RQ – be as specific as possible here!
Evidence: the bulk of your paper – your case study/ies
Analysis: explain how you have interpreted your evidence; refer back to your theoretical framework
Conclusion: briefly summarize your findings and their implications
References page: correctly formatted using a style guide
