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Advanced Forensic Psychology: Cults

Each week we will learn about a cult & analyze it using a psychological theory.
Shannon Holleran, PhD.
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:
(358)
Popular
Class

What's included

1 live meeting
30 mins in-class hours per week
Homework
1 hour per week. I will provide a homework worksheet each week. Learners are welcome to turn in the worksheet for credit.
Assessment
1 after class completion
Progress Report
1-2 throughout the class

Class Experience

US Grade 8 - 11
Intermediate - Advanced Level
Why do people join cults? How do cults hold power over their members? Each week we answer these questions by analyze a different cult. I will present a psychological theory and we will use this theory to analyze the cult.

During our meetings, I will teach learners about a psychology theory & share the story of the cult. We will discuss the cult at the end of class.

Here's our schedule. I will update the schedule each month.

Week of April 28th: Raëlism 
Week of May 5th: Penza Recluses (Russian Doomsday Cult)
Week of May 12th: Twin Flames Universe Cult
Week of May 19th: NXIUM
Week of May 26th: The Family International

***New sections will begin September 2025***

Learning Goals

Learn psychological theories
Apply psychological theories to cults
learning goal

Other Details

Parental Guidance
This class focuses on cults. I will focus on the psychology behind cults, but I will not focus on graphic details of crimes committed by cults. For example, I may define a crime (such as homicide is where someone is killed by another person), but I will not give graphic details of the crime. My focus is on the psychological research on cults.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Sources
All of my sources come from scientific research journals, specifically the Journal of Forensic Sciences (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/15564029).
Joined June, 2021
4.9
358reviews
Popular
Profile
Teacher expertise and credentials
Doctoral Degree in Psychology from University of Arizona
I have a PhD in psychology from the University of Arizona. I've taught college classes for over ten years.

Reviews

Live Group Class
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$14

weekly

1x per week
30 min
Completed by 16 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 11-16
1-10 learners per class

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