Since the 1960s, there has been a vast increase in New Religious Movements around the world. We will investigate the beliefs, practices, and symbolism of several New Religious Movements. Additionally, we will look at how these groups formed in order to better understand their relationships with more traditional mainstream religions and society at large. We will also look at how these groups attract followers, and some of the accusations posed against these groups and their leaders. More generally, students will ponder the relationship between human rights, religious freedom and the role of government.

Students will be able to:  

• Express a general understanding of the scholarly categories of: religion, church, sect, cult, denomination, and New Religious Movement
• Explain key theories about how and why New Religious Movements develop, and how they generate and maintain a following.
• Compare and analyze these New Religious Movements in relation to their more mainstream counterparts by exploring their beliefs, practices, and symbols.
• Articulate one's own beliefs about the role of New Religious Movements in the larger religious world, and how other aspects of society, including governments, ought to respond to these groups.

• Global Awareness: Students will be able to situate New Religious Movements within interrelated contemporary and historical contexts. 
• Global Perspective: Students will be able to develop an analysis of a core religious concept (e.g., the nature of God, reincarnation, karma, justice, etc.) via the perspective of multiple New Religious Movements. 
• Global Engagement: Students will demonstrate a willingness to engage in an ongoing dialogue about current global concerns in order to address problems arising from the interaction between global concerns and local religious beliefs and practices as manifested in New Religious Movements

 This is a Global Learning Discipline-Specific course that counts towards your Global Learning graduation requirement.

The ideas and materials presented in this course do not necessarily represent the ideas and beliefs of the professor, nor those of the university at large. The beliefs systems found within these various new religious groups, cults, and sects will range from curious and benign to racist, homophobic, misogynist, incendiary and downright dangerous. One goal of the course is to provide the students with a wide range of examples to explore in order to better understand the true diversity found within the realm of the religious. In addition to the scholarly articles in your textbooks, I have provided a variety of source materials. Some of these materials, e.g., videos and websites, are "official" sources from the groups, while other sources may be produced by members. Conversely, I have also added some materials that were clearly created by the various groups' detractors to allow for additional perspectives. There are also non-academic materials, for which I cannot attest to their veracity, but I felt that they add important elements at least in regards to the popular beliefs about the groups.

It is also important to note that I, nor the university, do not endorse or deny the validity or right to exist of any particular group, no matter how personally offended I may be by their beliefs and practices. While religion can be personal, this is an academic course taken for college credit and thus students are expected to examine the topics rigorously. Religion shall not be exempt from the scrutiny placed on any and all academic subjects.

This means that class participants can expect academic freedom to express their views. Students are not being graded on their opinions, beliefs, or values. I sincerely encourage (and expect!) that students will contribute to the discussion honestly. Feel free to free to critique and analyze the various groups' ideas and practices, as well as your texts and other materials. Given that this is an academic setting, it is important to do our best to refrain from polemical attacks by avoiding disrespectful or derisive commentary, and articulating our criticism into well-substantiated arguments.

As the student, it is your job to THINK and decide what you believe in regards to these and any other materials. As the professor, it is my job to present you with a wide variety of theoretical constructs and source materials, and to help you understand these materials as you go through the learning process and expand your vision of reality.

Please review the FIU's Policies webpage. The policies webpage contains essential information regarding guidelines relevant to all courses at FIU, as well as additional information about acceptable netiquette for online courses. For additional information, please visit FIU's Policy and Procedure Library.

 As a member of the FIU community you are expected to be knowledgeable about the behavioral expectations set forth in the FIU Student Conduct and Honor Code.

One of the greatest barriers to taking an online course is a lack of basic computer literacy. By computer literacy we mean being able to manage and organize computer files efficiently, and learning to use your computer's operating system and software quickly and easily. Keep in mind that this is not a computer literacy course; but students enrolled in online courses are expected to have moderate proficiency using a computer. Please go to the What's Required webpage to find out more information on this subject.

Privacy Policy Statements for Partners and Vendors

• Canvas
• YouTube
• Turnitin
• Zoom
• Respondus LockDown Browser

Please visit our Technical Requirements webpage for additional information.

The Disability Resource Center collaborates with students, faculty, staff, and community members to create diverse learning environments that are usable, equitable, inclusive and sustainable. The DRC provides FIU students with disabilities the necessary support to successfully complete their education and participate in activities available to all students. If you have a diagnosed disability and plan to utilize academic accommodations, please contact the Center at 305-348-3532 or visit them at the Graham Center GC 190.

For additional assistance please contact FIU's Disability Resource Center.

Web Accessibility Statements for Partners and Vendors 

• Canvas
• YouTube
• Turnitin
• Zoom
• Respondus LockDown Browser

Please visit our ADA Compliance webpage for additional information about accessibility involving the tools used in this course.

Florida International University is a community dedicated to generating and imparting knowledge through excellent teaching and research, the rigorous and respectful exchange of ideas and community service. All students should respect the right of others to have an equitable opportunity to learn and honestly demonstrate the quality of their learning. Therefore, all students are expected to adhere to a standard of academic conduct, which demonstrates respect for themselves, their fellow students, and the educational mission of the University. All students are deemed by the University to understand that if they are found responsible for academic misconduct, they will be subject to the Academic Misconduct procedures and sanctions, as outlined in the Student Conduct and Honor Code. Academic Misconduct includes:

 Cheating

• The unauthorized use of any materials, information, study aids or assistance from another person on any academic assignment or exercise, unless explicitly authorized by the course Instructor; 
• Assisting another Student in the unauthorized use of any materials, information, study aids, unless explicitly authorized by the Instructor; and 
• Having a substitute complete any academic assignment or completing an academic assignment for someone else, either paid or unpaid; and 

Plagiarism

• The deliberate use and appropriation of another's work without any indication of the source and the representation of such work as the Student's own.
• Assisting another Student in the deliberate use and appropriation of another’s work without any indication of the source and the representation of such work as the student’s own. 

Learn more about the academic integrity policies and procedures as well as student resources that can help you prepare for a successful semester.

If you are looking for help for yourself or a fellow classmate, Panthers Care encourages you to express any concerns you may come across as it relates to any personal behavior concerns or worries you have, for the classmate’s well-being or yours; you are encouraged to share your concerns with FIU’s Panthers Care website.

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) offers free and confidential help for anxiety, depression, stress, and other concerns that life brings. Professional counselors are available for same-day appointments. Don’t wait to call (305) 348-2277 to set up a time to talk or visit the online self-help portal.

This course will serve to embrace the diversity and inclusivity found within Florida International University. We appreciate and respect diversity, equality, equity, cooperativeness, community, and sustainability within our online courses. We are committed to the ongoing education of our students and their participation within the course regardless of gender, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, geographical location, religion, and disability. We strive in encouraging collaboration by preparing our students to value the differences in others. At the core of our intentions is the encouragement of acceptance and appreciation of differences within our student population and community.

There are no prerequisites for this course.

This is an online course, meaning that most of the course work will be conducted online. Expectations for performance in an online course are the same as for a traditional course; in fact, online courses require a degree of self-motivation, self-discipline, and technology skills that can make them more demanding for some students.

Students are expected to:

• Review the how to get started information located in the course content
• Introduce yourself to the class during the first week by posting a self introduction in the appropriate discussion forum
• Take the practice quiz to ensure that your computer is compatible with Canvas
• Interact online with instructor/s and peers
• Review and follow the course calendar

Communication in this course will take place via the Canvas Inbox. Check out the Canvas Conversations Tutorial or Canvas Guide to learn how to communicate with your instructor and peers using Announcements, Discussions, and the Inbox.

The message feature is a private, internal communication system. Users must log on to Canvas system to send/receive/read messages. It is recommended that students check their messages routinely to ensure up-to-date communication.

This is the best method to communicate with your instructor privately.

There will be six blog topics. All students are required to participate in at least five topics (at least 250 words), so you will have one "free" topic that you can skip without a penalty. Students must post well thought-out comments based on the required work throughout the semester. Participation is required and represents 15% of your final grade. Both the quantity and the quality of your posts will contribute to your grade. Discussions must be posted during the period they are assigned and are due by 11:59 pm on the Monday which ends that particular lesson.

Once you have composed your original posting, take some time to carefully review other postings. Pick two that are most interesting to you and provide meaningful, detailed, and constructive feedback.

Keep in mind that forum blog posts are viewed by the whole class, and care should be taken when determining what to post.

Keep in mind that your discussion forum postings will likely be seen by other members of the course. Care should be taken when determining what to post.

There will ten short online quizzes throughout the semester which will help you to prepare for the exams. Quizzes will be based on the materials presented in the PowerPoints, Readings and Videos. Each quiz will cover one section and will consist of multiple choice, fill in the blank, and true and false questions. There will be 10 questions on each quiz and once you open the quiz you will have 15 minutes to complete and submit it. You will have two attempts at each quiz and the highest grade will be used. All of the quizzes will be averaged together for a final grade which is worth 15% of your final grade. A quiz will be available from Monday 12:00 am till Monday 11:59 pm of the following week. The due date on quizzes is extended when the Monday falls on a holiday observed by the University.

Please note that the inclusion of relevant websites is only for student interest and will not be featured in the quizzes.

In order to mitigate any issues with your computer and online assessments, it is very important that you take the "Practice Quiz" from each computer you will be using to take your graded quizzes and exams. It is your responsibility to make sure your computer meets the minimum hardware requirements.

Assessments in this course are not compatible with mobile devices and should not be taken through a mobile phone or a tablet. If you need further assistance please contact FIU Online Support Services.

There will be two non-cumulative exams based on the readings and materials covered throughout the course. Each exam which will be comprised of 50 multiple choice, true and false, fill in the blank, and short essay questions, and each question will be worth 2 points. Each exam will be worth 20% of your final grade and can only be attempted one time.  Once you open an exam, you will have 60 minutes to complete and submit it.

In order to mitigate any issues with your computer and online assessments, it is very important that you take the "Practice Quiz" from each computer you will be using to take your graded quizzes and exams. It is your responsibility to make sure your computer meets the minimum hardware requirements.

Assessments in this course are not compatible with mobile devices and should not be taken through a mobile phone or a tablet. If you need further assistance please contact FIU Online Support Services.

There will be weekly journal reflections, which will only be seen by the student and the professor. These reflections will only be graded that they were completed, but not for content. This will provide an opportunity for students to interact privately with the professor in regards to the course content. Journals may be a short paragraph, but must be turned in on time to receive credit. Altogether, the journal entries will be worth 5% of your overall grade.

There will be two one-minute papers during the semester. They are worth 1.5% each and will be due before your exams. 

There will be one paper analyzing a New Religious Movement (NRM) with an accompanying presentation. The paper will be at least 1500 words double-spaced, Times New Roman 12 font. This is a formal academic essay and students must cite their sources. MLA is the preferred citation style in Religious Studies.

Submission: Students must submit their essays to Turnitin. Review the detailed Turnitin Instructions on how to submit your assignments and how to review the Grademark comments (feedback).

Each person will create a presentation for the class, which will either be a PowerPoint or a video presentation. These presentations will be shared with the class through the discussion. Students are expected to review their classmates' presentations and the final quiz will be based on the presentations.