Day 26 (July 18): Journalists Look at Southern California's Religious Pluralism

a)Morning Session - Panel of Journalists

Journalists play a significant role shaping public perceptions of religious communities and they relate to the public. This session explores this role in the context of both print and visual media. Journalists will reflect upon their own profession and comment on how they (and their editors) make decisions about which religious stories make the front page, decide about the use of pictures, and gain reliable information.

Panel:

Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times

Rhonda Parks-Manville, Santa Barbara News-Press

b)Afternoon Session - Comparative Perspective on Religion and Nationalism

Continuing the discussion from the morning, the afternoon session will examine religion and nationalism across various nations. Religious fundamentalism in the U.S. will be compared and contrasted with that found in other parts of the globe today.  How is it different and how is it similar? Again, the question arises: how exceptional is the US when compared with other nations?

Speaker:

Roger Friedland, Professor of Sociology and Religious Studies, UCSB

Assigned Reading:

N.J. Demerath III., "Excepting Exceptionalism: American Religion in Comparative Relief," The Annals