Anthropology 166

Section 1

The Rise of Religious Cults

Dr. Liam D. Murphy
Spring 2005
Office: MND 4022 (278-6022)
Office Hours: M/W, 4:30-6:00pm (or by appointment)
Webpage: www.csus.edu/indiv/m/murphyl
WebCT: http://online.csus.edu
E-mail: lmurphy@csus.edu (the best way to reach me!)

Course Time and Location:

M/W, 6:00pm-7:15pm
MND 4008

Catalogue Description:
An examination of cult movements, involving comparisons of the ideals, objectives, and
symbolic processes common to ecstatic religious movements throughout the world--from
Melanesian cargo cults to the People's Temple. Anthropological perspectives are used to
examine religious cults as conscious attempts to perpetuate traditional values and social goals or
to radically change the status quo; millenarian movements, crisis cults, nature communes, exotic
religious importations, cult characteristics of modern secular movements. 3 units.

Instructor's Course Description:

This is a survey course designed for GE and anthropology students that share an interest in
"cults," new religions and new religious phenomena, wherever and however they are found. It is
neither a theology course, nor a history course. Rather, using a number of case-studies, readings
and lectures will concentrate on a topics that have assumed centrality in anthropological debates
about the nature of various developments in new and global religions, all of which (from a
Western perspective, at any rate) might be understood as "cult"-like in character.

Required Texts:
1.

Hexham, Irving and Karla Poewe (1997). New Religions as Global Culture: Making the
Human Sacred. Boulder: Westview Press.

2. Dawson, Lorne L., ed. (1998). Cults in Context: Readings in the Study of New Religious
Movements. New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Publishers.
3. McGuire, Meredith B. (1988). Ritual Healing in Suburban America. New Brunswick, N.J.:
Rutgers University Press.
All required texts are available at the Bookstore (278-6446), and one copy of each will be
available on 2-hour reserve at the CSUS Librarys Reserve Book Room.

Recommended Texts:
1. Hexham, Irving (2002). Pocket Dictionary of New Religious Movements. Downers Grove,
Il.: InterVarsity Press.
Note: the assigned books are intended to be read with a critical eye. Accordingly, during the
course of the semester, we might occasionally disagree with the opinions expressed by a
particular author. Also, recalling that cultural relativism has been a central value of critical
anthropological research since its earliest days, please remember that in this class we make no
assumptions about the truth-value of one belief or practice versus another. Through the
anthropological lens, all religious perspectives are equally interesting and worthwhile for the
light they shed on how culture and society operate.

Course Requirements:
1. midterm exam: 35%
2. term paper: 30%
3. final exam: 35%
The exams are not cumulative, and cover only discussions, readings, films, etc., assigned since
the previous exam. Exam formats will variously include multiple-choice, short answers, and
essay questions. Your term paper topic and requirements will be discussed in the first two
weeks of the course.
Final course grades will be based on the following scale:
A=90-100%; B=80-89%; C=70-79%; D=60-69%; F=59 or below
Requests for extra credit assignments will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
I am available for consultation with students, either during my Office Hours, or by appointment.
If you need to contact be and are unable to do so before or after class, please just drop me an email (preferable), or, if necessary, voice mail.
Many course documents will be available for viewing either on my webpage or on WebCT (for
instance, my syllabus and exam study guides). However I NEVER give out my PowerPoint
slidesfor any reason!

All students are expected to adhere to the highest standards of academic integrity in the
completion of assignments and exams. Failure to do so will result in permanent dismissal from
the class. Please consult the CSUS manual for further details on academic and grading policy, or
go to http://www.csus.edu/admbus/umanual/ump14150.htm.

Exam Make-Up Policy:

Make-up exams are given only to students who have discussed their failure to take the exam with
me, and who have provided suitable evidence this was unavoidable. Make-up exams will then be
administered either online (if possible) or in the testing center on the 2nd floor of Lassen Hall
(278-7870). The testing center has its own set of procedural requirements. After consulting with
the instructor, students must call the center a.s.a.p. to make an appointment before arriving to
take an exam. Only one make-up exam is permitted per studentno exceptions.

Exams on WebCT:
Noth exams for Anth 166 will be conducted in an online environment. For this reason, all
students MUST HAVE ACCESS TO WORKING, PREFERABLY HIGH-SPEED
INTERNET CONNECTIONS. If you have doubts about your home connection, then another
must be found BY THE EXAM DATE. If necessary, computer terminals are available
throughout the campus for students to use at will. COMPUTER PROBLEMS WILL NOT BE
ACCEPTED EXCUSES FOR MISSING PART OR ALL OF AN EXAM.
Once you log into the WebCT class page and click the icon for Exams you will be given 90
minutes to take your exam. Both exams (midterm and final) will be available for a period of 1
day (typically on Wednesday, the 2nd class day of the week), beginning at 7:00am and ending at
11:45pm on the days listed in the Course Schedule below. On your exam days, no class will be
held.
IMPORTANT: in order to have the full 90 minutes in which to complete your exam, you must
begin no later than 10:15pm. BE ADVISED: PLAN AHEAD TO TAKE YOUR EXAM!
ONCE THE DAY-LONG EXAM PERIOD HAS EXPIRED, YOU WILL HAVE TO
PROVIDE COMPELLING EVIDENCE WHY A MAKE-UP SHOULD BE GIVEN. IN
THE PAST, MAKE-UP EXAMS HAVE TENDED TO BE MORE DIFFICULT (see
Exam Make-Up Policy above). Be on the safe side: Never wait until the last minute to
take your exam!

Web CT Instructions:
1. You MUST have a CSUS saclink account to use WebCT.
If you do not have a saclink account, get one right away by contacting:
http://www.csus.edu/uccs/inetemail/SacLink/index.htm
You can sign up there, or, if you have trouble contact the UCCS helpdesk on the third floor of
Sequoia or call 278-7337 or email web-courses@csus.edu
3

2. The WebCT address is: http://online.csus.edu/

Once you are there, you login with your CSUS saclink username and password.
When you have done this, you will see this Anth 166 class listed, click on it and it will take you
directly to the correct page.
You can download or print copies of the syllabus, both exam review sheets (study guides),
and other course related documents.
This is also where you access exams. Click on the Exams icon on the
main page and it will take you to the list of quizzes for the class. You can check to see when the
quiz is available for you to access it.
The WebCT server is available almost anywhere there is internet access. You can access it from
the CSUS Library, from home, from any computer lab on campus, from a public library, even
from overseas. Thus, you can take the quizzes at home if you like. If you do not have a
computer, then you can take them anywhere else listed above. FYI: I highly recommend a cable
modem or DSL connection! Otherwise, it's slow!
If you experience trouble with WebCT, contact me or: http://www.csus.edu/webct/contact.htm
You can also contact the UCCS helpdesk on the third floor of Sequoia or call 278-7337 or email
web-courses@csus.edu

Films:
Anthropological films are an important part of the course. On those film days specified below,
students should view assigned films in class. Alternatively, they may arrange to view them at the
library at a time of their choosing (all films will be on reserve for several days at the Library
Media Center during the week they are to be seen).

Course Schedule:
The following is a detailed outline of the lectures and required readings for the course, based on
the sixteen week semester (not including Spring Recess). Please feel free to ask questions, and
email me as needed. This schedule is subject to change at my discretion.

Week

Date

Topics of Discussion

Readings & Exams

Jan 24th --26th

Course Introduction

Hexham/Poewe, Forward, Preface and

Chp. 2

Religion and Science, Film: Cults

Dawson, Introduction and Chp. 1

(Barker)

Jan 31st Feb. 2nd

Defining Cults and New Religions

Hexham/Poewe, Chp. 3
Dawson, Chp 2 (Richardson) and Chp 3
(Wallis)

Feb 7th -- 9th

Joining New Religions

Hexham/Poewe, Chp. 7
Dawson, Chp 7 (Glock), Chp 8
(Lofland and Stark), Chp 9 (Levine)

Feb 14th -- 16th

Coping with the Modern World

Hexham/Poewe, Chp. 8

Film: The Shakers

Dawson, Chp. 4 (Roof) , Chp. 5

(Hunter), and Chp. 6 (Stark and
Bainbridge)

Feb 21st -- 23rd

New Religions and Primal Experience

Hexham/Poewe, Chp. 4 and Chp. 5

Feb. 28th Mar. 2nd

Brainwashing and Coercion

Hexham/Poewe, Chp. 1

Film: Alternative Religions

Dawson, Chp. 10 (Enroth), Chp. 11

(Richardson), Chp 12 (Richardson)

Mar. 7th -- 9th

Range of Groups Studied

McGuire, Chp. 1, Chp. 2, Appendix A

Mar. 14th 16th

Healing as Cultic Focus

McGuire, Chp. 7, Chp. 8

Film: Man, God, and Africa

**March 16th: Midterm Exam**

Mar. 21st 23rd

**SPRING RECESS**

NO READINGS

Mar. 28th 30th

Yogic Traditions

Hexham/Poewe, Chp 6, Pp.99-107

Film: TBA
10

Apr. 4th 6th

Yogic Traditions (continued)

McGuire, Chp. 5, Chp. 6

11

Apr. 11th 13th

Abramic Traditions

Hexham/Poewe, Chp. 6, Pp.107-116

Film: Onward Christian Soldiers

12

Apr. 18th 20th

Abramic Traditions (continued)

McGuire, Chp. 3, Chp. 4

13

April 25th 27th

Ritual, Healing, and Identity

McGuire, Chp. 9, Chp. 10

14

May 2nd 4th

Are New Religions Dangerous?

Hexham/Poewe, Chp. 9

Film: Waco: The Rules of

Engagement

Dawson, Chp. 16 (Robbins and

Anthony), Chp. 17 (Hall), Chp. 18
(Mills)

15

May 9th 11th

Culture, Politics, and New Religions

Film: The Jesus Factor

16

May 14th 20th

**EXAM WEEK**

Dawson, Chp 13 (Lippert), Chp 14

(Moody), Chp. 20 (Lucas), Chp. 21
(Hammond)
**May 16th: Final Exam**
**May 16th: Term Paper Due**