Images, ideas, stereotypes and symbol systems of religion surround us in popular culture, whether in movies, television shows, sports, fashion, the internet, music or literature. From Disney to Harry Potter, "The Simpsons" to "House, M.D.", from rock and roll to hip-hop, the materials for this course will be drawn from a wide range of media. Through the lens of American popular culture, this course introduces students to the academic study of religion by exploring the world's religions and such topics as the problem of evil, the afterlife, myth and the nature of the sacred. The course will culminate with each student presenting his or her own project on one expression of religion and popular culture.