Religion and Theology Television Show Analysis
Project description
Please choose one of the following nine television episodes as the subject of your analysis. (You are responsible for obtaining your chosen show on your own, though all should be widely available.) Even if you have seen the episode before, you should watch it again (perhaps numerous times) for the purposes of this assignment.
How does this show comment on Jewish identity in present day North America?
[NB: This question applies even if the show itself is not set in 21st century America.]

To help guide you, in general the most successful papers will:
A. Be stylistically perfect (i.e., no typos, run-on sentences, or strange language issues).
B. Open with a single overall point (a “thesis statement”), follow with a presentation of supporting evidence, and end with a clear restatement of your main point.
C. Place your discussion of the episode within the show’s broader plot/subplots.
D. Present your best ideas based on the evidence in front of you. (You may also bring in additional material for comparison so long as you do it judiciously.)

EPISODES:
1. Mad Men, Season 5, Ep. 6 (“Far Away Places”) (AMC, 2012)
2. Glee, Season 2, Ep. 18 (“Born This Way”) (FOX, 2011)
3. Weeds, Season 5, Ep. 8 (“A Distinctive Horn”) (SHO, 2009)
4. Finding Your Roots: Either “Rick Warren/Angela Buchdahl/Yasia Qadhi” or “Robert Downey Jr./Maggie Gyllenhall” (PBS, both 2011)
5. Magic City, Season 1, Ep. 1 (STARZ, 2012)
6. Girls, Season 1, Ep. 4 (“Hannah’s Diary”) (HBO, 2012)
7. Being Erica, Season 1, Ep. 8 (“This Be The Verse”) (CBC, 2009) [Available on Hulu.]
8. The Goldbergs, Season 1, Ep. 15 (“Muscles Mirsky”) (ABC, 2014) [Available on Hulu and http://abc.go.com.]
9. Orange is the New Black, Season 1, Ep. 9 (Netflix, 2013)