Admission requirements
This course is open to students of the MA Asian Studies (research) or MA Middle Eastern Studies (research) only. Other students who are interested need to get permission from the Board of Admissions. To obtain this permission they need to contact the student advisor, Ms. Nicole A.N.M. van Os.
Description
The practice of pilgrimage, visiting holy or symbolic places, often but not exclusively on privileged occasions, occupies an important place in cultures worldwide. The religious, social, political and material aspects of pilgrimage and its rites have given rise to a wide variety of judgments and interpretations, both in inside sources and in scholarly literature. Recent contributions from archaeology and the social sciences have proven particularly fruitful for our understanding of these phenomena. The course, therefore, combines a general and theoretical approach with a problem oriented review of a particular body of evidence, relevant for the study of pilgrimage in both ancient and modern cultures of the Middle East and Asia.
The course comprises two complementary parts. The first (block 1) consists of six lectures that, in addition to offering an interpretative framework, cover particular themes or topics related to pilgrimage in the Middle East and Asia (case studies). The second part (block 2) consists of oral presentations by the students, with one of the other students acting as a referee. Students are free to chose any subject in the field, after consultation of one of the tutors. The presentation can take the form of a discussion of, for example, a particular site, a relevant text or body of texts, or a class of artifacts. A written paper of about 10,000 words (20-25 pp.), covering the same subject as the oral presentation, is also part of the course requirements.
Course objectives
The aim of the course is to acquire a general knowledge of current approaches to pilgrimage and related phenomena as well as the ability to apply the insights of recent scholarship to a particular body of relevant evidence from any given area of the Middle East or Asia.
Timetable
Mode of instruction
- Lectures
Course Load
Assessment method
Oral presentation: 40%
Written paper: 60%
Blackboard
Literature and other course materials will be made available in
Blackboard
Reading list
To be announced in Blackboard and during the classes.
Registration
Registration through uSis is compulsory.