Pilgrimage Across World Religious Traditions

RELS 4290 (CRN 85710)/PHIL 6290(85711)

Classroom South 205

Tuesday & Thursday 2:30-3:45

Course Description:

There are three main objectives to this course. First, we will be reading and discussing pilgrimage in a variety of religions, and thus we will learn about those religious traditions. Second, we will be thinking about one of the most important and persistent forms of religious activity and expression, and thus we will hopefully learn something about pilgrimage per se. Third, and perhaps most importantly, we will be examining a variety of approaches to the study of pilgrimage, in order to understand these approaches and perhaps to critique them.

Thus, while there will be a certain emphasis on learning about the religious traditions that we are studying, as well as an emphasis on pilgrimage as a common and important religious practice, the focus of this course will be on interpretation of pilgrimage, both by the participant pilgrims and by scholars of religion.

While we will cover pilgrimage in several different religious traditions and historical epochs, two areas will be used for an in-depth examination of pilgrimage: Muslim pilgrimage, primarily but not exclusively to Mecca, and pilgrimage to what I will call the “Holy Land,” meaning Jerusalem and its environs in modern-day Israel and the occupied West Bank.

• Coleman, Simon, and John Elsner. Pilgrimage: Past and Present in the World Religions. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1995.
• Endo, Shusaku. Deep River. Translated by Van C. Gessel. New York: New Directions, 1994.
• Course Reader, which will be available on docuweb or in hard copies on reserve

Reading will be required as per the course schedule.

Quizzes and final examination: There will be two short quizzes throughout the semester, the aim of which is to make sure that you are keeping up with the reading and engaging the material. There will also be a final examination, which will be a way of testing how thoroughly you have dealt not only with the factual aspects of our reading, but the interpretive side as well. This will all be clear by the time the examination comes around!

Papers: There will be one term paper due one week before the end of this course (December 1, 2005). Your papers can be on any aspect of pilgrimage, and in any religious tradition, including your own if you come from a specific tradition. There will be plenty of time to decide on topics, and we will work on refining your term paper topics before you start writing or researching.

Attending class is not mandatory, although handing in the written assignments and participating in class discussion is. I will be noting attendance, and those who do not attend, and therefore cannot participate, will be graded accordingly.

Tests and papers will take place according to the course schedule. In case of major medical or other emergency, for which there is documentation, please speak to me. Otherwise, there are no makeups, so please do not ask.

Please carefully look over the attached sheet on plagiarism and cheating. For your sake and mine, bear closely in mind that the following is plagiarism and will be treated as such by me, without exceptions: material taken without citation from the web; material taken from any book or other publication without citation; any ideas that I can trace to another source that you are not citing. These are all forms of cheating, and will subject you to serious consequences. I will, regardless of all other steps taken, report you to the administration so that the plagiarism charge will go permanently onto your record..

I realize that some students do not feel comfortable speaking in front of others. If at all possible, I want to encourage you to do so in any case. If you have a very hard time participating, an alternative assignment of two short writings (critical book reviews) is available.