RLB13 The Unification Church

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2013
Extent and Intensity
1/1. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
PhDr. Andrea Beláňová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Šárka Londa Vondráčková (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. PhDr. David Václavík, Ph.D.
Department for the Study of Religions – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Lucie Čelková
Supplier department: Department for the Study of Religions – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
each even Thursday 10:50–12:25 J22
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 30 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/30, only registered: 0/30
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The aim of the course is to enable the students to become familiar with the approach of religious studies to the social reality through the study of the Unification Church, which is one of the most known and most discussed new religions. The course deals theoretically with the teaching and practices of this group, with the context of its appearance and activities, its history and the public and academic debate concerning the movement. The attendees of the course will have the opportunity to discuss with the officials of Unification Church in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Also the students will learn the methodology of the research in the field of religious studies through conducting a practical project.
Syllabus
  • 0. Introduction to the course;
  • 1. Basic orientation in the theoretical and methodological approaches;
  • 2. Introduction into Unification Church;
  • 3. The context of appearance of the group and its activities;
  • 4. Group discussion over the student projects I;
  • 5. The founder of the movement – Reverend Moon;
  • 6. Basic text – Divine Principle;
  • 7. The practices of the group;
  • 8. Group discussion over the student projects II;
  • 9. Discussion with the group officials;
  • 10. The current situation – the death of Messiah, the changes of the movement in time;
  • 11. Final group discussion over the student projects;
  • 12. The public group presentation of the results of the student projects.
Literature
    required literature
  • Boží princip :výklad. Vyd. 1. Praha: Ideál, 1998, xxiii, 412. ISBN 80-901017-1-2. info
  • BARKER, Eileen. The Making of a Moonie. Choice or Brainwashing? Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 1984. info
  • BARKER, Eileen. Of Gods and Men: New Religious Movements in the West. Macon: Marcer University Press, 1984. info
    recommended literature
  • LOFLAND, John. Doomsday Cult: a Study of Conversion, Proselyzation, and Maintenance of Faith. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1966. info
  • LUŽNÝ, Dušan. Nová náboženská hnutí. 1. vyd. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 1997, 181 s. ISBN 8021016450. info
Teaching methods
The course is organized by the form of seminars. One part of the seminars is based on lectures dealing with general theoretical and methodological topics related to the study of new religious movements, Unification Church and the methodology of research in the field of religious studies. The second part consists of seminars where the students together with teachers discuss their exact projects. The lectures will be supported by PowerPoint presentations and results of teachers’ own field researches. The task for students will be to conduct case studies in small groups and discuss their own researches at seminars and through online platforms. The usefulness and problems of the results of these studies will be presented and discussed at the final meetings.
Assessment methods
Sufficient attendance and active participation at the seminars, completing the project on the chosen topic and public presentation of its results. The course is closed by the public presentation of the group student projects where each student will prove the knowledge gained during the course as well as the ability of creative and professional approach to the problematic.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught once in two years.
Information on course enrolment limitations: Zápis mimo religionistiku je podmíněn souhlasem vyučujících.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2009.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/autumn2013/RLB13