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To add an interdisciplinary flavor to an otherwise solid history course, consider adding "Hospitality - to receive the pilgrim" ranging from the initial CF route infrastructure built by Cluny (and the politics and finances thereof) to the economic impact of modern hospitality industry on CF.Thank you for any input ...
1) Pilgrimage as a universal human phenomenon-- the Eighty Temples, the Hajj, the three pilgrimages to Jerusalem, Benares, Lac Sainte Anne, etc. 2) Pilgrimage in Christianity, beginning with the Patristic period and leading up to Fatima-- this could be broken into two sessions. 3) Contemporary pilgrimage-- Jerusalem, Fatima, Hill of Cumorah (Mormons) 4) Revival of pilgrimage- Walsingham, Santiago, Rome via the Francigena. 5) The practice of Pilgrimage, and pilgrimage in literature and film. Or something like that-- these areas are not water-tight and can likely be shuffled.
...and adding to number 4) Trondheim in Norway and Szombathely in Hungary.1) ... 4) Revival of pilgrimage- Walsingham, Santiago, Rome via the Francigena...
@oursonpolaire,
You have the outline for a good book there.
If you write it, they will read it.
Buen (food for thought) Camino
There is also "Pilgrimage in Literature" - Chaucer, Pilgrim's Progress, etc - could also be combined with "Pilgrimage in Art".
If this is for a university course, partly it will depend on the department offering the course (History? Geography? Religious Studies?) and the level of the course (first year degree course? graduate course? continuing studies course not part of a degree program?).
As for my degrees...they are in Special Education MS, Nursing BSN, Forensics BS, and Mental Health Counseling MS. I have minors in Literature, Psychology, Women's Studies, Architecture and Art History...
Would you like to update your avatar picture? It MUST be old. You can't possibly be as young as you look with all those degrees behind you;-)
The Celtic traditions and dolmen along the modern Caminos are overlooked.There is also "Pilgrimage in Literature" - Chaucer, Pilgrim's Progress, etc - could also be combined with "Pilgrimage in Art".
If this is for a university course, partly it will depend on the department offering the course (History? Geography? Religious Studies?) and the level of the course (first year degree course? graduate course? continuing studies course not part of a degree program?).
This is more a question than a suggestion. It would appear every great world religion and their various offshoots have traditions and places of pilgrimage. All bar the Protestant variants of Christianity - or at least so it seems to me. If my assumption is correct, then I wonder why this is the case?I have been asked to conduct a series of six , 1.5 hour long sessions in a course on pilgrimage. I've had numerous opportunities to speak to groups of all sizes, ages, with different purposes/topics. My question to the forum readers is " if you needed to present a broad overview of pilgrimage, what would be most important to include? "
I'm thrilled to have " more time", than the usual single presentation, and find I want to make the perfect use of that time. The class of 25 is already filled for a Spring course! Excited that the interest is so great, so want to do the topic justice.
Thank you for any input you may have to offer.
I'm a member of a similar program at the University of Texas and our curriculum committee and have been thinking about developing a course on pilgrimage for our group for 2020. I'll be very interested to see your course outline and hear how it's received by your members. Perhaps you'll be interested in bringing your course on the road to Austin.I have been asked to conduct a series of six , 1.5 hour long sessions in a course on pilgrimage. I've had numerous opportunities to speak to groups of all sizes, ages, with different purposes/topics. My question to the forum readers is " if you needed to present a broad overview of pilgrimage, what would be most important to include? "
I'm thrilled to have " more time", than the usual single presentation, and find I want to make the perfect use of that time. The class of 25 is already filled for a Spring course! Excited that the interest is so great, so want to do the topic justice.
Thank you for any input you may have to offer.
Slightly off topic, but a few years back I mused that modern day music festivals have taken the place of pilgrimage in the UK. I'd just returned from the Camino, with all its wonderful social interactions, and the small festival I went to bore a number of similarities. No doubt due to the sense of common purpose/interest.This is more a question than a suggestion. It would appear every great world religion and their various offshoots have traditions and places of pilgrimage. All bar the Protestant variants of Christianity - or at least so it seems to me. If my assumption is correct, then I wonder why this is the case?
On a personal level, I regard medieval pilgrimages in Europe as a part of Protestant heritage. Catholics and Protestants share this common past.All bar the Protestant variants of Christianity - or at least so it seems to me. If my assumption is correct, then I wonder why this is the case?
And the largest pilgrimage in the world - Kumbh Mela in Allahabad, India - about 8 million Hindu pilgrims and assorted tourists attend. The Haj gets about 2,5 million muslims. Of course, as with Rome and Camino and all the major Christian pilgrimages, so in the Hindu ones, there are people from outside of the faith. But non-Muslims are no permitted on the Haj.1) Pilgrimage as a universal human phenomenon-- the Eighty Temples, the Hajj, the three pilgrimages to Jerusalem, Benares, Lac Sainte Anne, etc. 2) Pilgrimage in Christianity, beginning with the Patristic period and leading up to Fatima-- this could be broken into two sessions. 3) Contemporary pilgrimage-- Jerusalem, Fatima, Hill of Cumorah (Mormons) 4) Revival of pilgrimage- Walsingham, Santiago, Rome via the Francigena. 5) The practice of Pilgrimage, and pilgrimage in literature and film. Or something like that-- these areas are not water-tight and can likely be shuffled.
Ahhh...the course mentioned is not part of a degree program, but largely made up of seniors 55+/retired lifelong learners who have the wonderful opportunity to enroll in 5-6 sessions/semester to learn about something fascinating on the university campus. The courses fill up fast and in my experience, most 'students' are indeed vibrant life-long learners, highly educated and welcoming of everything and anything new. This will certainly not be a debate on boots vs sneakers...lol ( though the final class may be one of details and prep for those would be walkers, many of my audiences were quite interested in the gear, guidebooks, clothing, etc )
As for my degrees...they are in Special Education MS, Nursing BSN, Forensics BS, and Mental Health Counseling MS. I have minors in Literature, Psychology, Women's Studies, Architecture and Art History...
Thank you for all of the wonderful suggestions so far...keep them coming !
And the largest pilgrimage in the world - Kumbh Mela in Allahabad, India - about 8 million Hindu pilgrims and assorted tourists attend. The Haj gets about 2,5 million muslims. Of course, as with Rome and Camino and all the major Christian pilgrimages, so in the Hindu ones, there are people from outside of the faith. But non-Muslims are no permitted on the Haj.
The "they" obviously includes a large number of members of this forum.
Hmm. Estevez used The Wizard of Oz for plot points. Was Dorothy of the book/movie on a pilgrimage? Can you use this? What about journeys undertaken with no intention of being a pilgrimage but could be seen, at least at the end, to have the effect of one?You might include a showing of "The Way" followed by a debunking session to point out the literary license taken in making the film. This would dispel misimpressions and frustration if some folks actually do a Camino.
Hmm. Estevez used The Wizard of Oz for plot points. Was Dorothy of the book/movie on a pilgrimage? Can you use this? What about journeys undertaken with no intention of being a pilgrimage but could be seen, at least at the end, to have the effect of one?
The two will not be conflated...but, I was asked specifically to speak on "pilgrimage". I hope to include information for walks other than Europe, but wise speakers speak to what they know, so the bulk of what I will discuss will be the Camino de Santiago. It's interesting that in your surveys along the routes very few were walking for spiritual reasons ( or traditional pilgrimage ), as I have had the exact opposite result in my survey of the walkers. It's all timing and who you are exposed to in any given moment in time along The Way. I wish I had the opportunity to include lots of the broader concepts, but it's a 5-6 session course....maybe Part II, Part III? It would be wonderful to really explore all angles.First, as several early posters mentioned - try to be universal and not too Euro-centric.
Secondly, I personally am pretty much of an agnostic and cannot embrace myself as a "pilgrim". After about 1200 miles of walking on a couple of these Camino routes, it has been my experience that few of the walkers considered themselves to be walking for religious reasons. I am not saying that the majority were not religious, I am just saying that the motivations shared with me by the people I conversed with were almost never a "pilgrimage" in the historic meaning of that word. So the point I am leading to is that the growth in popularity of the Camino routes is not, based on my personal experience, attributable to people wanting to go on a "pilgrimage" (again, in the historic meaning of that word).
"Pilgrimage" carries cachet, given its historical significance, and gravitas. "Adventure" does not. Same for "pilgrim" vs. "hiker". But the two should not be conflated when you are educating your lifelong learners.
Just my thoughts.
It's a question of definitions and I'm curious to know what you will use as a definition of pilgrimage for your lessons. For many here, it means long term, long distance and on foot, on your own, perhaps with some more or less vague spiritual elements thrown in. I have no issues with such a definition - it's fine for me when someone self-defines as pilgrim. But for me, and perhaps for @TMcA whose observations on the Spanish caminos I share, traditional pilgrimage means that the religious element is the main ingredient and the main reason for the pilgrimage.It's interesting that in your surveys along the routes very few were walking for spiritual reasons ( or traditional pilgrimage ), as I have had the exact opposite result in my survey of the walkers.
It's a question of definitions and I'm curious to know what you will use as a definition of pilgrimage for your lessons. For many here, it means long term, long distance and on foot, on your own, perhaps with some more or less vague spiritual elements thrown in. I have no issues with such a definition - it's fine for me when someone self-defines as pilgrim. But for me, and perhaps for @TMcA whose observations on the Spanish caminos I share, traditional pilgrimage means that the religious element is the main ingredient and the main reason for the pilgrimage.
There is a kind of Catholic pilgrimage still alive in Europe, also on foot only and also becoming more popular again these days, that illustrates a traditional pilgrimage for me. Often lasting only a few days, perhaps not more than a week or 10 days there and back, in a group, accompanied by a priest or not, regularly praying and singing while walking or entering a village, staying with the villagers, stopping at the old crosses along the way for prayers and religious songs, carrying a small crucifix in front of the group. They walk centuries old paths to centuries old pilgrimage sites, without the need for yellow arrows. For me, it's a world of difference from what I observe on the Caminos.
On a personal level, I regard medieval pilgrimages in Europe as a part of Protestant heritage. Catholics and Protestants share this common past.
Hmm. Estevez used The Wizard of Oz for plot points. Was Dorothy of the book/movie on a pilgrimage? Can you use this? What about journeys undertaken with no intention of being a pilgrimage but could be seen, at least at the end, to have the effect of one?
... cannot lay claim to being the originator of this plot structure. Rather, credit goes to Homer and his tale, the Odyssey. But it's an interesting frame of reference for this new pilgrimage course @KJFSophie is designing. I once (long ago and far away) took a literature course organized on the Odyssey theme, starting with Homer and ending with James Joyce's Ulysses. (Unfortunately can't recall the titles in the middle.) Organizing a new course around the literature angle would have great appeal, I think."The Wizard of Oz"
Was your PhD on pilgrimage more generally or the Camino in particular? Is it available on line? Would love to take a lookIt might be helpful to look into some of the anthropological literature out there on pilgrimage. Victor Turner, Eade & Sallnow, Nancy Frey are all foundational. If you’d like to reach out to me directly, feel free! This was what I studied for my PhD and the topic of my dissertation, and I would be happy to share material if you’d like.
I have been asked to conduct a series of six , 1.5 hour long sessions in a course on pilgrimage. I've had numerous opportunities to speak to groups of all sizes, ages, with different purposes/topics. My question to the forum readers is " if you needed to present a broad overview of pilgrimage, what would be most important to include? "
/QUOTE]
A Pilgrimage always includes a return, whether by the same route or (as is usually the case with the Camino) by transportation. But if there is no return, it is a journey, not a pilgrimage. Also, try and take a moment to look backwards to remember where you've come from -- even from five km the look backwards is different than the look forwards. But for me, my real learning was about the nature of hospitality, which I had never seen as normalized, ever in my life, as when I was walking the Frances...and always say hello/bonjour/hola to everyone you meet, since you are never alone on the Camino.
David (elperegrinodave.blogspot.ca)
I have been asked to conduct a series of six , 1.5 hour long sessions in a course on pilgrimage.
Lots of great pilgrimage suggestions. Don’t forget The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe is the number one Catholic pilgrimage (more than the Vatican or Jerusalem) and the 3rd most visited sacred site in the world. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_Our_Lady_of_GuadalupeI have been asked to conduct a series of six , 1.5 hour long sessions in a course on pilgrimage. I've had numerous opportunities to speak to groups of all sizes, ages, with different purposes/topics. My question to the forum readers is " if you needed to present a broad overview of pilgrimage, what would be most important to include? "
I'm thrilled to have " more time", than the usual single presentation, and find I want to make the perfect use of that time. The class of 25 is already filled for a Spring course! Excited that the interest is so great, so want to do the topic justice.
Thank you for any input you may have to offer.
. It's interesting that in your surveys along the routes very few were walking for spiritual reasons ( or traditional pilgrimage ), as I have had the exact opposite result in my survey of the walkers. It's all timing and who you are exposed to in any given moment in time along The Way.
The one thing The Camino teaches us all is that if you ignore this ONE simple component then all the degree's in the world are null and voidvibrant life-long learners, highly educated a
Did you take 2 years to complete the Camino 14/15 ?
or
Did you walk 2 seperate Camino's and did they end @ Muxia?
The one thing The Camino teaches us all is that if you ignore this ONE simple component then all the degree's in the world are null and void
COMMON SENSE
. In 2014 I walked all the way to Muxia,
For pilgrimage in art, please check out Katherine Barush's Art and the Sacred Journey in Britain.There is also "Pilgrimage in Literature" - Chaucer, Pilgrim's Progress, etc - could also be combined with "Pilgrimage in Art".
If this is for a university course, partly it will depend on the department offering the course (History? Geography? Religious Studies?) and the level of the course (first year degree course? graduate course? continuing studies course not part of a degree program?).
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