Admission requirements
Admission to the MA Asian Studies (research), the MA Middle Eastern Studies (research) or another relevant Research MA. Students from other programmes are kindly referred to the course description of the regular MA course.
Preferably, students have some basic knowledge of and interest in the anthropology of religion. Students who lack this knowledge are advised to read D. L. Pals, Eight Theories of Religion (New York: Oxford University Press, 2006) before the start of the course.
Description
This course offers an overview of the study of pilgrimage as a ritual practice and as a journey. We will study examples of pilgrimage and religious landscape in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and Europe, and specifically examine the theoretical orientations being used to interpret them. The course consists of two parts. In the first part, a series of lectures will offer an interpretative and theoretical framework in addition to regional perspectives; in the second, the student will present their own research in preparation of the written term paper.
Course objectives
After successfully completing the course, the student is able:
to provide an in-depth overview of the ritual practice of pilgrimage and holy places discussed in class;
to recognize the various theoretical perspectives informing the study of these pilgrimages and holy places;
to conduct a critical literature review of a particular pilgrimage or holy place;
to report about it orally and in writing.
Career Skills Development
During the course, students
improve their command of English;
develop their analytical and interpretative skills by means of assignments, discussion, and literature analysis;
develop their writing skills by means of assignments;
develop their skills at oral discussion;
develop their ability to conduct independent research on a topic related to the theme of the course, and present their findings in a well-structured and well-substantiated paper.
Timetable
The timetables are available through My Timetable.
The deadline(s) in MyTimetable is/are set for administrative purposes only. The actual date(s) will be communicated by the course convener(s) in Brightspace.
Mode of instruction
Seminar
Attendance is compulsory for all sessions. Students must prepare well and contribute to in-class discussion. If a student cannot attend because of illness or misadventure, they should promptly inform the convener. Extra assignments may be set to make up for missed class time, at the convener’s discretion. Absence without notification may result in lower grades or exclusion from assessment components and a failing grade for the course.
Assessment method
Academic integrity
Students should familiarize themselves with the notion of academic integrity and the ways in which this plays out in their own work. A good place to start is this page. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Students may not substantially reuse texts they have previously submitted in this or other courses. Minor overlap with previous work is allowed as long as it is duly noted in citation. For information on plagiarism (in the context of academic writing at large), see clips 4-5-6 in this series of video clips.
Students must submit their assignment(s) to Brightspace through Turnitin, so they can be checked for plagiarism. Submission via email is not accepted.
ChatGPT: What is possible and what is allowed? Dos and Don'ts.
Assessment and weighing
| Partial assessment | Weighing |
|---|---|
| Participation and reading assignments | 20% |
| Oral presentation of the final paper | 20% |
| Final paper (5,000 words): | 60% |
The final mark for the course is established by determining the weighted average.
In order to pass the course, students must obtain an overall mark of 5.50 (=6) or higher. The course is an integrated whole. All assessment parts must be completed.
Resit
Students who submitted their assignments on time but scored an overall insufficient grade are entitled to a resit. For the resit, students are given the chance to hand in a second version of the final pape (60%)
Inspection and feedback
Feedback will be supplied primarily through Brightspace. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the assessment results, a review will be organized.
Reading list
Please read the following article before the first meeting: Simon Coleman, “Do You Believe in Pilgrimage? Communitas, Contestation and Beyond”, Anthropological Theory 2/3 (2002), 355–368 (full text available via the University Library catalogue).
Further reading assignments will be posted on Brightspace as the course proceeds.
Registration
Enrolment through MyStudyMap is mandatory.
General information about course and exam enrolment is available on the website.
Exchange students having questions regarding registration, may contact the Humanities International Office.
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office Herta Mohr
Remarks
None.