Welcome to the homepage of William D. Romanowski, Professor of Communication Arts & Sciences at Calvin College.

With a background in American culture studies, a field of inquiry marked by interdisciplinary methodologies, I've set out to chart the territory existing at the intersection of American Christianity, popular art and culture. More specifically, my research interests are centered on what was known for a long time in conservative Protestant circles as the "worldly amusements." Although I continue to write about popular art and culture, over the years my teaching, speaking engagements and research agenda has increasingly focused on the cinema.  

Currently I am working on a book tentatively entitled, Reforming Hollywood: American Protestants and the Movies. Based largely on original historical sources, this is a significant, yet untold story that goes to the heart of the role of film and religion in a democratic society. It traces what scholars have identified as an "epochal...transition from Protestant America to pluralist America" by focusing on a crucial aspect of contemporary life--the emergence of the cinema as a means of mass communication.

The revised and expanded edition of Eyes Wide Open: Looking for God in Popular Culture was published in February 2007. Several new chapters were written keeping in mind those people who are using this book in educational settings, especially liberal arts courses in film, media and popular culture.

From the links above, you can link to material on my research and writing and find a biographical sketch and full curriculum vita as well as contact information.

Communication Arts & Sciences, Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 | 616.526.8527 | romw@calvin.edu

  [last updated 09.06.2007]