Discuss the concept of American Civil Religion. What is it and how does it relate to popular culture?

Topic: Religion and popular culture
Paper details:

Answer any five of these six questions in complete sentences (20 pts. each). You are free to complete all six if you wish. If you do, you will earn extra credit points. Answering six questions cannot harm your grade, it can only add points to your final score.

Answers must utilize examples, precise terminology, and specific names whenever appropriate/possible. Treat each question as a mini essay, meaning that the answer must be in a proper essay format (“thesis,” paragraphs, complete sentences, etc.). I will not accept outlines, bullet points, or lists. The full 20 points can only be earned if the answer exceeds the minimum requirements of the question. All quotation must have proper citation. Failure to properly cite quotations or external material will result in ZERO credit for that question and may result in failing the entire exam.

1. Utilizing the ideas of Emile Durkheim (from the Definitions of Religion sheet and our class discussions/readings), discuss how sports can be understood as being religious or as a religion. Answering this fully will entail defining/discussing Durkheim’s ideas (beyond the simple definition of religion) and utilizing specific examples.

2. Discuss the concept of American Civil Religion. What is it and how does it relate to popular culture? How does the topic of American brands relate to the idea/construction of American Civil Religion?

3. Discuss the idea of the “spiritual marketplace.” What is it, who “shops” there, and how does the marketplace function in contemporary American life? How do new and mobile technologies, and the phenomenon of cultural appropriation play into the “spiritual marketplace?”

4. What is the “Protestant Work Ethic?” Where does it come from, how is this ethic embedded in American life/culture? What are the religious implications of this “ethic” and how has it been changed to fit American ideas/values? How does shopping and consumerism relate to this ethic especially as it concerns the interaction of religion and popular culture.

5. Discuss how dieting and weight loss is/can be related to religion or religious sensibilities. How does the body/carnality relate to religion(s) and how can we argue that bodies, especially female ones, are landscapes of religious contestation? How do concepts such as Orientalism and the Protestant Work Ethic, tie in with these discussions?

6. Discuss the concept of celebrity worship and the cult of personality as it concerns popular culture and politics. What is the difference between para-religion and religion and how might fan devotion be seen as through these conceptual lenses? How does Weber’s notion of Charismatic Authorihkzty play into this discussion?