Well this is it. I am actually creating my first blog - thanks to my Faith and Media students. I figured it was about time that I use the same technology that I require them to use in class. I adapted the class this year taking it beyond the mediums of music, movies, and television to include Ipods, the Web, Blogging and Pod-Casting (both audio and video). A real challenge for me to learn as I hit my mid forties. But I caught the bug to become more media savvy or literate in graduate school last semester at Seton Hall. The course just got me thinking. How can faith reflect what we find in contemporary media today? And that's where I begin today...
How can I (and my students) use contemporary media to help us find Christ in the popular culture of today?
There are four sites that I am encouraging my students to look at and explore over the next couple of days: Jesus Goes to Disney Word (http://jesusindisney.blogspot.com/) by Fr. Austin Murphy - a priest/campus ministry from the Archdiocese of Baltimore); Catholic Youth Ministry Blog (http://www.dscottmiller.com/) by Scott Miller - Office of Youth Ministry from the Archdiocese of Baltimore; Cardinal Seán's Blog (http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/) by Cardinal Seán Patrick O’Malley, O.F.M. Cap, Cardinal-Archbishop of Boston; and Theology of the Body Taught at the Street Level in Six Lessons (http://tobonthestreet.blogspot.com/) by Father Samuel Medley.
Look over these sites. See what they have to say about faith, social justice, the dignity of life, the dignity of the human person, media literacy and how your can relate to them. And tomorrow in class we will take it from there.
Teens and Religion (Conclusion)
14 years ago
In taking this course, It amazes me how much faith and God are found in popular culture. Already, I have seen things in various music, TV commercials, and movies that Christ is everywhere. In the blog named "Jesus Goes to Disney World" I read that there will now be a theme park based on the Bible. I wonder how the reactions might be on this particular theme park, and how popular it will be compared to the others.
ReplyDeleteI think that in our culture today we miss a lot of the messages that are given to us through commercials, movies, etc. In order to fully understand a message it has to be fully broken down, however the problem is that once it is broken down it can be interpreted a hundred different ways which is why I believe the main message in many forms of media will continue to be a mystery.
ReplyDeleteHello, Mr. Wilson!
ReplyDeleteI have been reading the comments from many of your students to the posts on the blog, and it is encouraging to see their thoughtfulness and faith. You must be doing something right! keep up the good work!
Fr Austin
it is good to see that there is a class that brings god and the media together as one and gets the message out to all by using the modern media to bring god in our living rooms, in th car, and now on the computer.
ReplyDeleteBy helping us identify faith in media, it is much more comforting and helpful to spot the truth and motive behind peoples actions on TV, radio, etc. Because of this course, I am more aware of how a Catholic like myself should respond to some of these messages that are presented in the media.
ReplyDelete