NSB Film School: Cults in Film & Theory [Durham, NC]
**This course is in-person only. There is no virtual component. Participants must be age 21+
Full Tuition: $280 — Sliding-scale tuition options are available in the drop-down menu. To pay in installments, choose to pay with PayPal at check out.
Instructors: Nicole Berland and Charles Rousseau | 4 Weeks | Thursdays February 6 - 27 | 6:00 - 9:30 PM ET | In-Person | 719 N Mangum St, Durham, NC
What’s the difference between a religion and a cult? Or, for that matter, an intentional community, a multi-level marketing venture, or a political movement? How do we even know if we’re in a cult? Cults are social formations that test the limits of collectivity. Disreputable, yet commonplace, cults demonstrate the uneasy proximity between meaning-making and manipulation. They expose the vulnerabilities of longing, the perils of truth-seeking, and our susceptibility to the seductions of ensnarement. Using a combination of theoretical readings, television, and films, we will think about what motivates cult formations, how individuals understand their own participation in cults, and what the captivating medium of cinema can teach us about the forces that shape our awareness.
This is a 4-week, co-taught course that alternates between classes focused on readings and short video clips, and classes that feature full-length viewings followed by discussion. Films will include Martha Marcy May Marlene (Sean Durkin) and The Master (Paul Thomas Anderson). Readings may draw from the fields of religious studies, psychoanalysis, and popular media. Selections may include authors such as Émile Durkheim, William James, Arthur Fauset, James Baldwin, Eileen Barker, Julia Kristeva, Sylvester Johnson, Kathryn Lofton, and others.
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This class will take place in person at Night School Bar in Durham. Night School requires that students refrain from attending in-person classes when sick. For more on our class policies, see our FAQ. Instructors will also follow this policy. If your instructor is sick, class may be moved to online for a session or rescheduled to the week following the final scheduled session at the instructor’s discretion.
Sliding Scale: Night School Bar pays instructors and staff a living wage. We ask that people who make above the living wage threshold for their area strongly consider choosing the full or mid-level tuition tiers in order to support our own living wage program. For Durham, NC, where we are located, the living wage threshold is $49,000 for an individual. All scholarship needs are self-assessed, and we will never request or require proof of need.
Scholarships: We are currently able to offer three full scholarships per class. Our full scholarship tier is a nonrefundable offering, limited to one per student per month. Because our scholarship funding is limited, selecting multiple full scholarships in a single month will result in disenrollment from all classes. If the scholarship tier you need is sold out please email us directly, and we will add you to a waitlist and notify you if additional scholarships become available. Please see our FAQ for more information, including installment plans and refund policy.
**This course is in-person only. There is no virtual component. Participants must be age 21+
Full Tuition: $280 — Sliding-scale tuition options are available in the drop-down menu. To pay in installments, choose to pay with PayPal at check out.
Instructors: Nicole Berland and Charles Rousseau | 4 Weeks | Thursdays February 6 - 27 | 6:00 - 9:30 PM ET | In-Person | 719 N Mangum St, Durham, NC
What’s the difference between a religion and a cult? Or, for that matter, an intentional community, a multi-level marketing venture, or a political movement? How do we even know if we’re in a cult? Cults are social formations that test the limits of collectivity. Disreputable, yet commonplace, cults demonstrate the uneasy proximity between meaning-making and manipulation. They expose the vulnerabilities of longing, the perils of truth-seeking, and our susceptibility to the seductions of ensnarement. Using a combination of theoretical readings, television, and films, we will think about what motivates cult formations, how individuals understand their own participation in cults, and what the captivating medium of cinema can teach us about the forces that shape our awareness.
This is a 4-week, co-taught course that alternates between classes focused on readings and short video clips, and classes that feature full-length viewings followed by discussion. Films will include Martha Marcy May Marlene (Sean Durkin) and The Master (Paul Thomas Anderson). Readings may draw from the fields of religious studies, psychoanalysis, and popular media. Selections may include authors such as Émile Durkheim, William James, Arthur Fauset, James Baldwin, Eileen Barker, Julia Kristeva, Sylvester Johnson, Kathryn Lofton, and others.
—
This class will take place in person at Night School Bar in Durham. Night School requires that students refrain from attending in-person classes when sick. For more on our class policies, see our FAQ. Instructors will also follow this policy. If your instructor is sick, class may be moved to online for a session or rescheduled to the week following the final scheduled session at the instructor’s discretion.
Sliding Scale: Night School Bar pays instructors and staff a living wage. We ask that people who make above the living wage threshold for their area strongly consider choosing the full or mid-level tuition tiers in order to support our own living wage program. For Durham, NC, where we are located, the living wage threshold is $49,000 for an individual. All scholarship needs are self-assessed, and we will never request or require proof of need.
Scholarships: We are currently able to offer three full scholarships per class. Our full scholarship tier is a nonrefundable offering, limited to one per student per month. Because our scholarship funding is limited, selecting multiple full scholarships in a single month will result in disenrollment from all classes. If the scholarship tier you need is sold out please email us directly, and we will add you to a waitlist and notify you if additional scholarships become available. Please see our FAQ for more information, including installment plans and refund policy.
**This course is in-person only. There is no virtual component. Participants must be age 21+
Full Tuition: $280 — Sliding-scale tuition options are available in the drop-down menu. To pay in installments, choose to pay with PayPal at check out.
Instructors: Nicole Berland and Charles Rousseau | 4 Weeks | Thursdays February 6 - 27 | 6:00 - 9:30 PM ET | In-Person | 719 N Mangum St, Durham, NC
What’s the difference between a religion and a cult? Or, for that matter, an intentional community, a multi-level marketing venture, or a political movement? How do we even know if we’re in a cult? Cults are social formations that test the limits of collectivity. Disreputable, yet commonplace, cults demonstrate the uneasy proximity between meaning-making and manipulation. They expose the vulnerabilities of longing, the perils of truth-seeking, and our susceptibility to the seductions of ensnarement. Using a combination of theoretical readings, television, and films, we will think about what motivates cult formations, how individuals understand their own participation in cults, and what the captivating medium of cinema can teach us about the forces that shape our awareness.
This is a 4-week, co-taught course that alternates between classes focused on readings and short video clips, and classes that feature full-length viewings followed by discussion. Films will include Martha Marcy May Marlene (Sean Durkin) and The Master (Paul Thomas Anderson). Readings may draw from the fields of religious studies, psychoanalysis, and popular media. Selections may include authors such as Émile Durkheim, William James, Arthur Fauset, James Baldwin, Eileen Barker, Julia Kristeva, Sylvester Johnson, Kathryn Lofton, and others.
—
This class will take place in person at Night School Bar in Durham. Night School requires that students refrain from attending in-person classes when sick. For more on our class policies, see our FAQ. Instructors will also follow this policy. If your instructor is sick, class may be moved to online for a session or rescheduled to the week following the final scheduled session at the instructor’s discretion.
Sliding Scale: Night School Bar pays instructors and staff a living wage. We ask that people who make above the living wage threshold for their area strongly consider choosing the full or mid-level tuition tiers in order to support our own living wage program. For Durham, NC, where we are located, the living wage threshold is $49,000 for an individual. All scholarship needs are self-assessed, and we will never request or require proof of need.
Scholarships: We are currently able to offer three full scholarships per class. Our full scholarship tier is a nonrefundable offering, limited to one per student per month. Because our scholarship funding is limited, selecting multiple full scholarships in a single month will result in disenrollment from all classes. If the scholarship tier you need is sold out please email us directly, and we will add you to a waitlist and notify you if additional scholarships become available. Please see our FAQ for more information, including installment plans and refund policy.