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In this course we will be exploring the contexts, contours, and conceptions of religiously motivated travel in several traditions (focusing primarily on Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism). We will be reading primary literature (that is, "first-hand" accounts of pilgrimage) as well as secondary literature (scholarly analyses of pilgrimage) in an effort to understand a religious phenomenon that spans time and space. In addition to asking specific questions related to pilgrimage practices, we will also be inquiring into broader themes of significance to religious studies, such as:
* space and holiness * time and holiness * travel and ritual * texts and material culture * identity and community * religious conflict and difference * the local and the universal
We will also consider different ways that pilgrimage has been studied: historically, anthropologically, sociologically, archaeologically, politically, and so forth. How are studies of pilgrimage, and pilgrimage as a religious practice, related or different? Can an "outsider" adequately appreciate the experience of religiously motivated travel? Can an "insider" adequately convey the motivations and experiences of religious pilgrimage? Are auditory or visual accounts (for instance, tape recordings or films) more "authentic" than textual descriptions? Can the experience of religious pilgrimage extend outside the realm of "religion"? Why do some people find materially oriented religious practices like pilgrimage to be ridiculous, or offensive, or even sacrilegious?
Attendance at and participation in class meetings is mandatory; more than four absences will result in a lowering of your participation grade.
In addition, you are responsible for completing several in-class and take-home assignments, including a final project analyzing a pilgrimage site and/or pilgrimage practice of your choice. The breakdown of final class grades will be as follows:
1. Participation: 20%
This means both attending and participating in discussions in class, especially on those days set aside for group discussion (see the course schedule below).
2. Two response papers: 15% each (30% total)
Due on January 27 and February 22, these 2-4 page response papers are written in response to the reading assignments and discussion questions for those class days (Medieval Pilgrimage and Buddhist Pilgrimage). Details on the nature of the assignment and format requirements are found on the course website. Both response papers are due at the beginning of class.
3. Two "show and tells": 10% each (20% total)
Due on January 11 and February 8. On these days, you are to bring in to class some item--an object, a story, a book, anything--related to some aspect of pilgrimage that has peaked your interest, along with a written (roughly one-page) description of the object. Details and examples of appropriate "show and tell" items and write-ups can be found on the course website. Be prepared to discuss your "show and tell" item, explain why you chose it, and describe its significance to your classmates.
4. Final project: 30%
For a final project for this class, you must find and analyze a particular instance of pilgrimage. You may focus on a particular pilgrimage text, or a specific site, or a phenomenon related to pilgrimage in one or more traditions (specific examples can be found on the course website). Your grade for this project will be broken down into three stages:
1. Project Proposal (5%). A general, one-page description of the subject you have chosen for your project including an overview of the subject (what is it, why have you chosen it); the resources necessary for completing an analysis of this project (including significant books or articles, if appropriate); and a general idea of how you hope to approach your analysis of this subject. More detailed instructions for the Project Proposal can be found on the course website). Due at the beginning of class February 15.
2. Brief in-class presentation (5%). On the last day of class, you will briefly (in roughly five minutes) describe your final project to the rest of the class, highlighting especially the significance of your object of study and one or two surprising things you have discovered about it in the course of your analysis. In class on March 10.
3. Final Project Paper (20%). You will complete a 10-15 page description and analysis of your pilgrimage subject (page length does not include any illustrations, charts, or figures you may choose to include). Detailed instructions on content and format can be found on the course website, but it should consist not only of a description of the pilgrimage subject you have chosen, but an analysis and focus (argument, or thesis) drawn from your study of this subject. Due by 2 p.m. to the Professor's office on the scheduled day of the final exam: Friday, March 18 (note, there is no final exam).
You must turn in all assignments to receive a final grade for the course. Late assignments will not be accepted. All students should be aware of UCR policies on academic dishonesty (cheating and plagiarism); students caught plagiarizing or cheating are subject to university sanctions.
The follow required books have been ordered for this course, and should be available in the UCR Bookstore; they are also on reserve at Rivera Library:
Simon Coleman and John Elsner, Pilgrimage: Past and Present in the World Religions (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1995)
Conrad Rudolph, Pilgrimage to the End of the World: The Road to Santiago de Compostela (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2004)
Ch'Eng-En Wu, Monkey, tr. Arthur Waley (New York: Grover Press, 1984)
Photocopied readings are available on Reserve in Rivera Library and on-line (through the Blackboard site) (these readings are marked with an asterisk [*] in the course schedule).
On-line readings are available through the main course website, on the Course Schedule page.
A course website has been set up for this class at:
[link removed]
All course assignments, requirements, and information (including links to online readings) can be found through this main course website. Please check the course website frequently: announcements related to assignments, as well as links and various resources for the course, will be added throughout the quarter.
Additionally, a Blackboard site will be activated for this class (log-in through [link removed]). While most of the materials for this course are found through the main course website, the following will be found on the Blackboard site:
* digital versions of photocopied reserve readings * communications options (in case you want to email your fellow students) * discussion boards (in case you want to continue discussion after class)
Mark your calendars now! January 11: First "show-and-tell" assignment due in class January 27: First response paper due in class February 8: Second "show-and-tell" assignment due in class February 15: Project Proposal due in class February 22: Second response paper due in class March 10: Brief presentation of final project in class March 18: Final project due (to professor's office) by 2 pm
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