What is Religion? Cults, Cosmic Orders, and The First Amendment
RELI 151
Spring 2026
| Section:
01
02
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What difference is there between calling a community a cult rather than a religion? Does secularism protect religion from the government or the government from religion, or neither? What exactly does the First Amendment protect? How do religions influence how we understand our relationship to the social and natural worlds? This class will introduce you to the empirical study of religions by reading critical case studies that help us explore various theoretical and methodological approaches -- including the relationship between thought and practice, the role of ritual, and the intersections of religion with law, culture, race, gender, and national identity. Perhaps most importantly, we will examine some of the historical, social, and political processes that have produced "religion" as a category in the first place. This is not a survey of world religions, and once you've taken What is Religion?, you'll know why we don't teach that at Wes. You will also have a critical set of intellectual tools for understanding the role of religion in the contemporary world. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
SBS RELI |
| Course Format: Lecture / Discussion | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (Caribbean Studies Minor)(Religion Minor)(Religion)(Science and Technology Studies) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: 50% - 74% |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Tabor and Gallager, WHY WACO? CULTS AND THE BATTLE FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN AMERICA
Saskia Abrams-Kavunenko, ENLIGHTENMENT AND THE GASPING CITY: MONGOLIAN BUDDHISM AT A TIME OF ENVIRONMENTAL DISARRAY
Winnifred Sullivan, THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
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Examinations and Assignments:
Assignments include reading responses and three critical papers dealing with scholarly evidence and argumentation |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
Attendance and participation are required. |
| Instructor(s): Quijada,Justine Times: ..T.R.. 08:50AM-10:10AM; Location: TBA |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 19 | | SR major: 2 | JR major: 2 | | |
| Seats Available: 19 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 0 | JR non-major: 0 | SO: 7 | FR: 8 |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 0 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
| SECTION 02 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Saba Mahmood, THE POLITICS OF PIETY: THE ISLAMIC REVIVAL AND THE FEMINIST SUBJECT (¿ 0691149801)
Tulasi Srinivas, THE COW IN THE ELEVATOR: AN ANTHROPOLOGY OF WONDER (9780822370796)
Winnifred Sullivan, THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM (0691180954)
James D. Tabor and Eugene V. Gallagher, WHY WACO?: CULTS AND THE BATTLE FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN AMERICA (9780520208995)
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Examinations and Assignments:
Assignments include two critical papers dealing with scholarly evidence and argumentation. Three in-class tests and a final exam
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Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
Attendance and participation are required.
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| Instructor(s): Gottschalk,Peter Times: ..T.R.. 02:50PM-04:10PM; Location: TBA |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 19 | | SR major: 2 | JR major: 2 | | |
| Seats Available: 19 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 0 | JR non-major: 0 | SO: 7 | FR: 8 |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 0 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
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