Middlebury

FYSE1391A-S13

Cults and Violence

Cults and Violence
It is often assumed that religious cults are prone to violence since many seek to transform society into an idealized state based on their theology. Yet history suggests that cultic groups are more often the targets of violence or that they peacefully await the millennial kingdom. In this seminar we will consider a range of factors that produce cultic violence. We will examine such cases as violence and anti-Mormonism in 19th-century America; the collective suicide of 900 Peoples Temple members in Jonestown, Guyana in 1978; the 1993 assault by the American government on the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas; and apocalyptic violence by the Japanese group Aum Shinrikyo. 3 hrs. sem.
Course Reference Number (CRN):
22480
Subject Code:
FYSE
Course Number:
1391
Section Identifier:
A

Course

FYSE 1391

All Sections in Spring 2013

Spring 2013

FYSE1391A-S13 Seminar (Rochford)