The Most Magical Course on Campus

Fall 2024

Prof. Porter in front of Prof. Porter’s Trading Post, Disneyland Hong Kong

Having spent a number of years researching the religious dimensions of Disney films and theme parks, I’m thrilled to share this awesome topic with interested students. January 2024 will mark the third time Memorial University’s Department of Religious Studies has offered RELS 4812: Religion in Disney Parks, and provided interested students the chance to travel to Walt Disney World to study first-hand the relationship between religion and pop culture.

This course has a prerequisite or you may register with permission of the instructor. Possible prerequisites include one of the following courses:

  • RELS 2812: Religion and Popular Culture – FALL 2023 CRN 72766
  • RELS 3812: Religion in Disney Films: Not Just Another Mickey Mouse Course – FALL 2023 CRN 72763
  • RELS 3860: From Elvis to the Undertaker – Religion Outside the Box – FALL 2023 CRN 78786

Contact me ((Dr. Jennifer Porter, jporter@mun.ca) if you would like to take the course but do not have one of the prerequisites. Enrolment is limited, so please reach out ASAP.

Disney theme parks have attracted millions of visitors since the opening of Disneyland in California in 1955. In this course, will explore the explicit and implicit religious dimensions of Disney theme parks through on-campus instruction and a field trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. On campus, students will explore a variety of ideas useful for understanding religion in contemporary pop cultural contexts, as well as explore the ideological underpinnings of Disney’s Theme Parks. During the winter break, we will travel to Walt Disney World in Orlando Florida to research a variety of topics related to religion and Disney theme parks. When we return, we will present the results of our research to the university community.