010088 VU New Religious Movements (2025S)

In this course, students will gain a basic understanding of New Religious Movements (NRMs) from a modern religious studies perspective. We will address the problem of definitional features and the historical and social classification of the phenomenon. Students shall become familiar with various approaches to NRMs and learn to apply the scientific approach. The course will provide a cross-sectional introduction to key theories that have addressed the phenomenon over the past decades, major topics worthy of scholarly attention, as well as examples of some popular NRMs (e.g. ISKCON, Scientology, Unification Church, Sōka Gakkai International). The main goal of the course is to acquire a scholarly perspective on socially often controversial religious organisations and offer the conceptual tools to critically engage in scholarly debate on NRMs.