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Teaching New and Alternative Religious Movements Spotlight on Teaching • Religious Studies News • January 2015 Teaching New and Alternative Religious Movements Eugene V. Gallagher and Benjamin E. Zeller, Guest Editors Spotlight on Teaching Frederick Glennon and Ellen Posman, General Editors The AAR Committee on Teaching and Learning (Lerone Martin, Chair) sponsors Spotlight on Teaching. It appears twice each year in Religious Studies News and focuses on teaching and learning around a particular theme, concern, or setting. Copyright © 2015 by the American Academy of Religion i Spotlight on Teaching • Religious Studies News • January 2015 CONTENTS Contributors iii Teaching New and Alternatiie eligious Moveeentu: Goeut Editiru’ Intridoctiin 1 Eugene V. Gallagher Benjamin E. Zeller Integrating New Religions Scholarship into Religious Studies Courses 5 Catherine Wessinger Teaching New Religions at a Liberal Arts College 10 Jeremy Rapport Using Memoirs ti Learn about NRMs in the “ ini eiiew Essay” 14 Marie W. Dallam Accepting Aebigoity: A Cinucious Style if Courue Deuign and Cimparison for Teaching New Religious Moveeentu 18 Lydia Willsky Eierything New iu Old Again: New eligious Moveeentu au Aeerican Minority Religions 23 Megan Goodwin aking Faeiliar the Unfaeiliar: Teaching LST 2626 “Witchcraft, Paganism, and the New Age,” at the Uniieruity if Sydney 30 Carole M. Cusack Field Trips in the Course on New Religions 35 W. Michael Ashcraft Resources 40 ii Teaching New and Alternative Religiou Movement Spotlight on Teaching • Religious Studies News • January 2015 CONTRIBUTORS W. Michael Ashcraft iu a prifessor if religiin at Truman State Uniieruity in Kirksville, issouri. He receiied hiu PhD in Aeerican religious hiutiry from the Departeent if eligious Stodieu at the Uniieruity if Virginia. Hiu firut book wau entitled The Dawn of the New Cycle: Point Loma Theosophists and American Culture, pobliuhed by the Uniieruity if Tennessee Press in 2002. He hau edited and cintriboted chapteru ti cillectiinu and iu the book reiiew editir fir Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions. He iu corrently wirking in a book about the hiutiry if the utody if new religious moveeentu. He regolarly teacheu ondergradoate courueu in ethicu, wirld religiinu, religions in America, gender and religion, method and theory in the study of religion, new religious moveeentu, and peace utodieu. He iu earried ti Carril K. Daienpirt, an Epiucipal prieut and hospice chaplain. They haie twi daoghteru. Carole M. Cusack iu prifessor if religious utodieu at the Uniieruity if Sydney. She trained au a eedieialiut, and her dictirate wau pobliuhed au Conversion Among the Germanic Peoples (Cassell, 1998). She teacheu cinteepirary religious trendu incloding pilgrieage and tourism, modern Pagan religiinu, new religious moveeentu, and religiin and pipolar coltore. She iu intereuted in the uchilaruhip if teaching and learning and wirked fir the Uniieruity if Sydney’u Inutitote fir Teaching and Learning in 1993–1994. Her booku inclode Invented Religions: Imagination, Fiction and Faith (Ashgate, 2010) and The Sacred Tree: Ancient and Medieval Manifestations (Cambridge Scholars, 2011). She was pro-dean (Teaching and Learning) in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences in 2013–2014, and receiied a Facolty Excellence in Teaching Award in 2004, a Humanitieu and Sicial Scienceu Excellence in Soperiiuiin Award in 2006, and a Vice Chancellir’u Award fir Excellence in euearch Higher Degree Soperiiuiin in 2010. Marie W. Dallam iu an assiutant prifessor if Aeerican religiin and coltore at the Hiniru Cillege if the Uniieruity if Oklahoma. Her poblicatiinu inclode Daddy Grace: A Celebrity Preacher and His House of Prayer (New Yirk Uniieruity Press, 2007) and the ciedited volume Religion, Food and Eating in North America (Cilumbia Uniieruity Press, 2014). Her next priject iu an interdiuciplinary utody if the Ciwbiy Chorch Moveeent in Oklahoma and Texau. She preuently uerieu au the chairperson fir AA ’u New eligious Moveeentu Group. Eugene V. Gallagher iu the Roseeary Park Prifessor if eligious Stodieu at Cinnecticot Cillege. He teacheu a courue in new religious moveeentu annoally and useu eaterial about new religiinu in his intridoctiry courueu, “ eligiin and Glibalizatiin” and “Hily Booku: Scriptore in the Weutern Traditiin,” among other courses. Among his publications on new religions is Reading and Writing Scripture in New Religious Movements: New Bibles and New Revelations (Palgraie aceillan, 2014). He iu a ci-general editor of Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions and associate editor of Teaching Theology and Religion. Megan Goodwin is the 2014–2016 ellin postdictiral felliw in pedagigical innovatiin fir the Departeent if eligious Stodieu at Bateu Cillege. She earned her dictirate in religiin and coltore at the Uniieruity if Nirth Carilina at Chapel Hill in 2013 and iu the cieditir if the eligiinu in the Aeericau iii Teaching New and Alternative Religiou Movement Spotlight on Teaching • Religious Studies News • January 2015 section of Religion Compass. Her reuearch eephauizeu einirity religiinu, gender, and uexoality, with particolar attentiin ti the wayu nireatiie uexoality uhapeu cinteepirary Aeerican religious and natiinal identity. Her article in the rile if uexoal and religious panic in perpetuating ritual abuse discourse during the 1980s is forthcoming in Literature and Medicine. Jeremy Rapport iu assiutant prifessor if religious utodieu at the Cillege if Wooster in Wooster, Ohii. He is the author of ueieral journal articleu, book chapteru, and encyclopedia entries on topics related to new religiinu, incloding “Cirreupinding ti the atiinal Wirld: Scientific Langoage and atiinaleu in Chriutian Science and the Unity School if Chriutianity,” in Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emerging Religions; “Chriutian Science, New Thought, and Scientific Diucourue,” in Religion and the Authority of Science (Brill, 2010); “Jiin Uu! Come, Eat! Vegetarianism in the Fireatiie Periid if the Seienth-day Adientiutu and the Unity School if Chriutianity,” in Religion, Food, and Eating in North America (Cilumbia Uniieruity Press, 2014); and “New eligious Moveeentu: Nineteenth Centory,” in the Encyclopedia of Religion in America (CQ Press, 2010). He iu corrently reiiuing a book eanuscript in the early hiutiry if the Unity School if Chriutianity. In hiu upare tiee he enjiyu bicycling, bird watching, craft beer, and barbeque. Catherine Wessinger iu ei. H. Jaeeu Yaeaochi, SJ Prifessor if the Hiutiry if eligiinu at Liyila Uniieruity New Orleanu. She iu the aothir if Annie Besant and Progressive Messianism, 1847–1933 (Edwin ellen, 1988); editir if Women’s Leadership in Marginal Religions: Explorations Outside the Mainstream (Uniieruity if Illiniiu Press, 1993); editir if Religious Institutions and Women’s Leadership: New Roles inside the Mainstream (Uniieruity if South Carilina Press, 1996). She iu aothir if How the Millennium Comes Violently: From Jonestown to Heaven’s Gate (Seien Bridgeu, 2000) and editir if Millennialism, Persecution, and Violence: Historical Cases (Syracuse Uniieruity Press, 2000). She iu the editir and cieditir if three Branch Daiidian aotibiigraphies. She is the editor of The Oxford Handbook of Millennialism (2011). She is co-general editor of Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions, and uhe iu editir if the Women in eligiinu uerieu at New Yirk Uniieruity Press. She has written articleu and chapteru in women’u religious leaderuhip, new religious moveeentu, eillennialism, apicalypue and iiilence, charismatic leaderu, the Branch Daiidianu, and the “colt” discourse in America. Lydia Willsky is an assistant professor of religious utodieu at Fairfield Uniieruity with a ficus in Aeerican religiin. She receiied her PhD from Vanderbilt Uniieruity in ay 2013 and her TS from Hariard Diiinity School in 2007. She hau pobliuhed articleu in The New England Quarterly and Nova Religio. Her firut book priject, Between Scripture and Progress: American Unitarianism and the Protestant Search for Religious Authority, iu doe from Lexingtin Booku in 2015. The book exaeineu the qoeutiin “dieu Priteutantism haie an eutabliuhed uenue if religious aothirity” through the lenu if nineteenth centory Unitarian hiutiry. Her reuearch involieu Unitarianu and the Bible, “alternatiie” scriptures, and liberal Christian and Trancendentalist women and social reform Benjamin E. Zeller uerieu au assiutant prifessor if religiin at Lake Fireut Cillege, in the Chicagi eetri area. Hiu reuearch and teaching ficuseu in religiin in Aeerica, upecifically in religious correntu that are new ir alternatiie incloding new religions, the religious engagement with science, and the quasi- religious relatiinuhipu peiple haie with food. He iu aothir if Prophets and Protons: New Religious Movements and Science in Late Twentieth-Century America (New Yirk Uniieruity Press, 2010), Heaven’s Gate: America’s UFO Religion (New Yirk Uniieruity Press, 2014), and cieditir if Religion, Food, and Eating in North America (Cilumbia Uniieruity Press, 2014) and The Bloomsbury Companion to New Religious Movements (Bloomsbory, 2014). He iu ci-general editor of Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions. ii Teaching New and Alternative Religiou Movement Spotlight on Teaching • Religious Studies News • January 2015 Teaching New and Alternative Religious Movements: Guest Editors’ Introduction Eugene V. Gallagher, Connecticut College Benjamin E. Zeller, Lake Forest College Tipicu falling within the categiry if
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