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Unit of study_
RLST1005: Cults, Conspiracies, and Fundamentalisms
2025 unit information
This unit develops skills to investigate with due scholarly care and cultural sensitivity the more controversial aspects of new religious developments, exploring the sociological mechanisms and creative reactions that encourage individual conversion and the rise of novel community structures. It will cover the operation of charismatic leadership, sacred enthusiasms, imaginative world building through cultural and literary artefacts, and the sudden eruption of moral and ethical panics. The broader focus will be on how communities and their faith systems work to critique, limit, and sometimes violently attack the operation and central assumptions of Modernity.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Arts and Social Sciences
| Study level | Undergraduate |
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| Academic unit | Studies in Religion |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
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None |
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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None |
| Assumed knowledge:
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None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. identify world religions and describe historical and theoretical relationships
- LO2. conduct research using academically reputable print and online sources, accessed via search engines, library catalogues and databases
- LO3. communicate in clear and effective prose, and using an academic referencing system correctly
- LO4. demonstrate the ability to learn independently
- LO5. demonstrate an informed and open-minded perspective about social, cultural, linguistic and religious diversity in Australia and the world
- LO6. critically evaluate news media and popular cultural sources of information about religions and spiritualities
- LO7. demonstrate oral communication skills by working in small groups in tutorial classes.
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
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Semester 2 2025
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Normal day | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
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