New Religious Movements in America

Catalog description

This course examines new religious movements, more pejoratively known as "cults" on their own terms and in their American context. Students examine multiple religious traditions, including those born and grown in the United States, as well as those imported from outside the United States. Traditions studied may include Christian Science, the Nation of Islam, Heaven's Gate, and Scientology. Throughout the course, students seek to answer the following questions: why do new religious traditions arise, how do they thrive, and does the context of American culture have anything to do with their success or failure?