Magic, Marvel, and Sinners: Exploring Religion in Popular Culture

Beginning with the religious history of American magic and conjure and moving towards the twentieth century, this course explores the American fascination with the metaphysical realm as expressed through the Marvel cinematic universe and Ryan Coogler's Sinners. Together, we will ask questions of how religious concepts such as magic, Hoodoo, and witchcraft appears in the popular imagination, their role in the success of the Marvel franchise and Coogler's film, and the terms on which we define the category.