DRAFT
Theology and Practice of Medieval Pilgrimage
Undergraduate (Writing) Course
Instructor: Layla Karst
Department of Religious Studies
Office Hours TBA and by appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION
What is a pilgrim? Why do they go and what do they do on the way? This course will explore the medieval practice of Christian pilgrimage by examining the places, practices, and narratives of pilgrims from the sixth to the 15th centuries. Pilgrimage will serve as a window into the medieval religious imagination and piety. We will study the historical context of this religious practice, but our focus will be on the primary texts produced by pilgrims of the time.
This course is meant to develop your reading, writing, and critical thinking skills as you encounter people throughout history who have taken up travel as a means of transformation. We will read and write across a wide range of audiences, genres, and occasions. By reading, analyzing, and responding to stories written by and about pilgrims throughout the ages, you will develop writing skills and practices that will serve you throughout your academic journey.
REQUIRED TEXTS
Whalen, Brett. Ed. Pilgrimage in the Middle Ages: A Reader. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2011.
All other readings will be available via Course Reserves.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
1. To improve reading skills and comprehension for historical texts in the humanities.
2. To improve writing skills using primary source evidence and clear argumentation.
3. To develop awareness and facility of the following terms, along with the ability to critically assess their use in contemporary media and public scholarship: religion, medieval, pilgrimage, theology, practice, sacred space, and piety.
4. Competence for further academic study of Religion in general and Christianity in particular.
SOURCES, METHOD, AND EVALUATION
The primary work in this course consists of careful reading and reflection on the primary source materials. Lectures will largely be limited to brief introductory comments. Students are required to come to each class having thoroughly considered the assigned reading (see instructions for reading attached). The reading has been limited to around 40 pages per class period or, on average, no more than 90 pages per week. In order to facilitate our work as a class, you are required to post a brief response on the readings to Canvas each week. Participation is evaluated as a combination of contributions to classroom discussion and contributions to our Canvas discussion.
The course will have two exams—a midterm and a final, which will focus on mastery of key terminology and overarching themes and patterns that emerge in the readings and class discussions. In lieu of a study guide for each exam, we will identify key terms and patterns during each class. As a general rule of thumb—if we write it on the board, you may be held responsible for that material on an exam.
In addition, this course asks you to undertake your own research project related a particular medieval pilgrimage tradition. You will be asked to submit portions of your work over the course of the semester and the sum of these assignments will comprise half of the final grade. They will be evaluated in terms of the quality of argumentation and their accurate use of sources. Each of you will also be asked to present your research to your classmates at the conclusion of the semester.
SUMMARY OF EVALUATION
Canvas Posts / 150 pointsMidterm Exam / 75 points
Final Exam / 100 points
Research Paper
Description of Pilgrimage Site / 50 points
3 analyses of primary texts / 120 points (40 each)
Thesis Statement and Premises / 30 points
Research Paper (15-20 pages) / 100 points
Pecha Kucha Presentation / 50 points
Research Paper Revision / 50 points
Revision Memo / 25 points
Participation / 50 points
TOTAL / 800 points
Final Grades will be assigned according to the following scale:
745-800 points / A / 585-616 / C720-744 / A- / 560-584 / C-
697-719 / B+ / 537-559 / D+
665-696 / B / 505-536 / D
640-664 / B- / 480-504 / D-
617-639 / C+ / 0-479 / F
COURSE POLICIES
Attendance: Regular and active engagement with the course material and participation in course discussions are essential to your success in this course. A maximum of three absences is permitted. Further absences will result in a 5% reduction in your grade for each missed class period. Please notify me by email if you are going to miss more than one consecutive class. Furthermore, as a courtesy to your classmates and your professor, please make it a point to arrive in class on time. A regular habit of late arrivals may result in a lower participation grade for the course.
Late Work: Late work is generally not acceptable in this course. Canvas reflections are meant to “prime the pump” for our class discussions and constitute weekly participation in the course. Therefore, reflections submitted to Canvas after the deadlines will not be accepted. Writing assignments related to the final research project build on one another—falling behind on one assignment generally means falling behind on all. Therefore, late assignments will only be accepted within 48 hours of the original due date and will incur a full letter grade deduction. Assignments will not be accepted more than 48 hours late.
If there is an extenuating event that will prevent you from completing an assignment on time, please speak with me at least 24 hours in advance of the deadline. In certain situations, an extension may be granted at my discretion.
Technology: In general, there are no strict guidelines for computer usage in this class. Our readings are all available through Canvas or electronic reserves, so you may use your computer or tablet to refer to the texts or for note taking only. Nevertheless, one of my goals is to have you think carefully about the use of computers and technology relative to your academic practices. Reading on a screen is different from reading in print. Typing on a computer is different than handwriting. To that end, I will periodically ask you to print hard copies of the text, complete brief in-class written assignments using pen and paper, and to occasionally put your computers away during class discussion.
As a final note, our current technology creates a strong temptation to “multi-task” in the classroom—checking emails, sending texts, and looking at the latest Facebook photos from last night. This activity is distracting for those sitting around you and disrespectful to the person speaking during this time, be it the professor or a classmate. I reserve the right to ban the use of electronics either individually or as a group if they prove distracting to the learning environment of the class.
Contact/Communication: Email is the best way to contact me if you have questions or concerns. Generally, I will respond to all student email within 24 hours (although on weekends and holidays, it may take a little longer). Likewise, there may be instances when I will need to contact you by email. It is your responsibility to check your Emory-based email account at least once every 24 hours.
Honor Code:
For over half a century, academic integrity has been maintained on the Emory Campus through the student initiated and regulated Honor Code. Upon every individual who is a part of Emory University falls the responsibility for maintaining in the life of Emory a standard of unimpeachable honor in all academic work. The Honor Code of Emory College is based on the fundamental assumption that every loyal person of the University not only will conduct his or her own life according to the dictates of the highest honor, but will also refuse to tolerate in others action which would sully the good name of the institution. Academic misconduct is an offense generally defined as any action or inaction which is offensive to the integrity and honesty of the members of the academic community. The Honor Code, a list of offenses, and the Honor Council process may be found here: http://catalog.college.emory.edu/academic/policy/honor_code.html. Cheating and plagiarism represent a violation of the standards and freedom instituted and recognized by the Emory student body as central to a liberal arts education. Suspicion of these actions will initiate the formal process of inquiry by the Honor Council.
STUDENT SUCCESS RESOURCES
Peer Tutoring Writing Support
Tutors in the Emory Writing Center and the ESL Program are available to support Emory College students as they work on any type of writing assignment, at any stage of the composing process. Tutors can assist with a range of projects, from traditional papers and presentations to websites and other multimedia projects. Writing Center and ESL tutors take a similar approach as they work with students on concerns including idea development, structure, use of sources, grammar, and word choice. They do not proofread for students. Instead, they discuss strategies and resources students can use as they write, revise, and edit their own work. Learn more and make an appointment at http://writingcenter.emory.edu. Please review tutoring policies before your visit.
Access and Disability Resources
In light of Emory’s commitments as well as the aims of our work together over the semester, I am committed to ensuring the full participation of every student. I am invested in your success in this class and at Emory, so please let me know if anything is standing in the way of your doing your best work. This can include your own learning strengths, any classroom dynamics that you find uncomfortable, ESL issues, disability or chronic illness, and/or personal issues that impact your work. I will hold such conversations in strict confidence.
Access, Disability Services, and Resources (ADSR) offers support to students with disabilities and medical conditions that impact academic work. Please visit ADSR online, by phone, or in person to learn more about what they offer, to seek answers to any questions, or to request specific accommodations:
Access, Disability Services, and Resources
http://equityandinclusion.emory.edu/access/students/index.html
Administration Building | Suite 110
Phone: 404-727-9877 | TTD 404-712-2049
Students who request and receive accommodations from ADSR will be provided with a letter of confirmation. Upon receipt of the letter, ADSR policy requires that the student present this letter to the instructor in person and have a conversation regarding the specific accommodations with the instructor. Following our conversation and my receipt of this letter, all necessary accommodations will be made immediately to support the you in your full participation.
Emory Counseling Services
Free and confidential counseling services and support are available from the Emory
Counseling Center (404) 727-7450. This can be an invaluable resource when stress makes your work more challenging than it ought to be. http://studenthealth.emory.edu/cs/
ASSIGNMENT OVERVIEW
Reading and Participation Instructions – 50 POINTS
PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SOURCES
In this course, we will be working with both primary and secondary sources. For the purpose of this class, primary sources refer to texts written by, for, or about pilgrimage during the Middle Ages. Many of these texts are written by pilgrims themselves and include journals, letters, guidebooks, maps, and stories. Secondary sources are texts written from a scholarly perspective, which reflect on, interpret, or theorize the accounts and materials of the pilgrims themselves. A main task of our course will be to read both primary and secondary sources and to reflect on these sources both verbally in class and through written assignments.
We can think of our primary source documents as data for theorizing pilgrimage, culture, and sacred space. Our secondary sources will serve as a starting point for interpreting and theorizing our data. One of our tasks will be to consider how well our scholarly theories fit or explain our data in the primary texts. At times, we may question or challenge these theories based on our reading of the primary documents. We may even have to develop our own theories based on these sources.
It is important to remember that, unlike a science laboratory, our results are not quantifiable. Instead, we rely on critical reasoning and argumentation to “test” our theories. The choice of language in expressing these arguments is crucial. While it is true that there may be more than one “correct” answer (more than one way to read and interpret a text), it does not follow that there are infinite possible answers or that all answers carry equal merit. Some readings and interpretations are better than others! It is our job as a group, and mine as your instructor, to evaluate arguments and to specify criteria by which they may be evaluated.
READING PRIMARY SOURCES
Primary sources in this course will often be translated from medieval Latin or another pre-modern language. The first task in reading a primary source will be to identify and understand the key terms of a given passage. A key term is a word or a phrase that seems to be crucial to the text—without understanding it the passage would be unintelligible. Once you have identified these key terms, try to figure out how they are used in context. Look at the sentences in which they are used and try to specify its meaning. Next, try to determine the relevance of these key terms. Can you find important passages that feature this term? Can you relate the key terms to one another? Do they help you pull out key ideas or emphases in the text as a whole? Finally, how do these terms and the language of this primary source help you build an argument as to how this text should be interpreted? How does this text relate to the larger theoretical themes of this course?