First-Year Writing Seminar: Pilgrimage & the Pilgrim's Tale in the Medieval World

Catalog description

This course will examine the concept of pilgrimage within the medieval world. The first half of the course will explore the function of pilgrimage in medieval Western Christianity, Islam and Judaism including the reasons why individuals set out on pilgrimage, how belief and travel intertwined, the necessary preparation for pilgrimage, the enaction of ritual and use of specific objects and the pilgrimage sites themselves, particularly Jerusalem, Mecca, Canterbury, Santiago de Compostela and related sites We will also look at some examples of pilgrimage from medieval Buddhism and Shintoism, such as those described in Lady Sarashina’s eleventh-century memoir, in order to reflect on both the universality of pilgrimage and differences within distinct cultures and religions. The second half of the course will then turn to specific tales of pilgrimage and how pilgrimage came to be portrayed by those who documented their experiences. Along with the examination of the pilgrimage itself, students will be encouraged to closely analyse texts in order to understand how the documentation of personal pilgrimage provided a window into diverse medieval perceptions of geography, history, study of religion, politics and socio-economic life. Texts that will be discussed include the ‘Travels of Egeria’, Adomnán of Iona’s ‘On the Holy Places’, ‘The Travels of Ibn Jubayr’, Alî al-Harawî’s ‘Lonely Wayfarer’s Guide to Pilgrimage’, the account of Benjamin of Tudela, ‘The Travels of Rabbi Petachia of Ratisbon’ and Chaucer’s ‘Canterbury Tales’. In addition, texts reacting to pilgrimage, such as anecdotes of Irish clerical students potentially critiquing distant pilgrimages and Islamic legal regulations about pilgrimage, will be investigated. Students will gain a familiarity with global medieval studies and hone critical thinking and writing skills. This course will enable students to study…