Cults: New Religious Movements in America

Catalog description

Brainwashing. Fanaticism. Charismatic leaders. New ideas. Are these the ingredients of a cult? This course offers critical perspectives on what new religious movements are, why they form, and why they are marginalized in contemporary America. The course focuses particularly on the representation of so-called 'cults,' examining how gender, race, and sexuality impact cultural perceptions of new religious movements in the United States. Students in this course will use film as a medium to think about the ways 'cults' get depicted as antagonists of 'religion.' They will make their own films and reflect on the challenges of depicting religious communities that are marginalized, controversial, and wary of outsiders.