Mar 24, 2026  
2021-2022 Undergraduate Bulletin 
    
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2021-2022 Undergraduate Bulletin [ARCHIVED BULLETIN]

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RELI 045 - (HP) “Cults”: Law, Media, Memory

Semester Hours: 3
Periodically
This course will explore those controversial religions that we call “cults.”  How and why do such alternative religious groups emerge? Why do people join – and stay? What role does the media play in stigmatizing emergent religions? What are the implications of these groups for law and public policy? Possible topics include: Scientology, Jonestown, New Age religions, the occult, Rastafarianism, Hindu gurus, Heaven’s Gate, utopian communes, Waco and the Oklahoma City bombing, and the sacramental use of peyote in the Native American Church.


View Course Offering(s):

Summer Session I 2026

Summer Session II 2026

Summer Session III 2026

Fall 2026



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