A 2001 course by Lorne Dawson at the University of Waterloo “is designed to serve two ends: first, to provide an introduction to some of the types of cults or new religious movements (NRMs) active in North America, examining their origins and their basic beliefs and practices; second, to provide an introduction to some of the results of the social scientific study of new religious movements . . . ” with special attention to “Theosophy, Scientology, The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (i.e., Hare Krishna), and The Unification Church (i.e., Moonies) in North America.”
