While I am away from Fairfax almost until the class begins, I have managed to bring along my course materials, and as promised here is the outline for the first session:
Pilgrimage Session I
26 March 2009
Pilgrimage, an Introduction
I. A brief description and examination of three pilgrimages.
II. What is pilgrimage?
a. Religious motivations.
b. Secular motivations.
III. Definitions of pilgrimage.
a. A religious definition from the Catholic Encyclopedia (The whole article is worth reading at http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12085a.htm )
b. Secular pilgrimages.
c. Social scientific definitions.
IV. Where do pilgrims go?
V. How do they go?
a. The destination alone as the pilgrimage.
b. The route as a key part of the pilgrimage.
VI. Who are pilgrims and why do they go?
VII. A brief overview of the remaining sessions.
VIII. Some Limitations of this course.
a. A socio-cultural examination and not a discussion of theology.
b. Tolerant of almost all religious viewpoints .
c. Biased toward Christian examples in Europe and the Americas.
d. My other biases and my limitations as course leader.
Reading Suggestion:
A good overview of religiously motivated pilgrimages is provided by a well-illustrated book available at the Fairfax County Public Library and the George Mason University Library:
Coleman, Simon and Elsner, John. 1995. Pilgrimage: Past and Present in the World Religions. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-66765-4. LCCC BL619.P5C65 1995.
