What does pilgrimage mean to people today? What did it mean in the Middle Ages? Focusing on pilgrimage in western culture, this course explores how pilgrims’ beliefs, practices and experiences have continued, developed and changed over time. It examines popular pilgrimage motifs – such as health and healing, hardship and challenge, sacred landscape, fellowship, spiritual journeying and quest – and reveals what pilgrimage can tell us about society and culture both today and in the past.
Sacred Landscapes and Spiritual Journeys: Pilgrimage in the Western Tradition
This is an In-person course which requires your attendance to the weekly meetings which take place in Oxford.
Overview
Programme details
Courses starts: 21 Jan 2025
Week 1: Introduction: Pilgrimage in context
Week 2: Medieval pilgrimage
Week 3: Modern pilgrimage
Week 4: Landscapes of pilgrimage
Week 5: Hardship and challenge
Week 6: Health and healing
Week 7: Pilgrim identity and fellowship
Week 8: Inner spiritual journeys
Week 9: Transformation
Week 10: Conclusion
Recommended reading
All weekly class students may become borrowing members of the Rewley House Continuing Education Library for the duration of their course. Prospective students whose courses have not yet started are welcome to use the Library for reference. More information can be found on the Library website.
There is a Guide for Weekly Class students which will give you further information.
Availability of titles on the reading list (below) can be checked on SOLO, the library catalogue.
Preparatory reading
- Pilgrimage: A Very Short Introduction / Ian Reader
- The Pilgrim Journey: A History of Pilgrimage in the Western World / James Harpur
- The Age of Pilgrimage: The Medieval Journey to God / Jonathan Sumption
- On and Off the Road to Santiago: Journeys Along an Ancient Way in Modern Spain / Nancy Louise Frey
Certification
To complete the course and receive a certificate, you will be required to attend at least 80% of the classes on the course and pass your final assignment. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so.
Fees
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Course Fee | £285.00 |
| Take this course for CATS points | £30.00 |
Funding
If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:
Tutor
Dr Anne Bailey
Anne Bailey is based at the History Faculty at Oxford University. Since completing her doctorate in 2010 she has published widely on medieval and modern pilgrimage, and regularly participates in pilgrimages herself.
Course aims
The aim of the course is to explore key themes and ideas which recur within the western pilgrimage tradition, and ask what these can tell us about society, religion and cultural change.
Course objectives:
1. To familiarise students with recurrent themes in the western pilgrimage tradition
2. To enable students to understand the social, cultural and religious conditions which have shaped pilgrimage practices and beliefs in the Middle Ages and in our own times
3. To encourage students to contribute their own experiences and ideas in class discussions and in written assignments
Teaching methods
The course is taught through a mixture of informal lectures using PowerPoint, group discussion and small group exercises. A small amount of reading will be set each week.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course students will be expected to:
1. Understand the changing nature of western pilgrimage across time
2. Evaluate a number of common pilgrimage themes within their medieval and contemporary contexts
3. Assess the social, cultural and spiritual role of pilgrimage in medieval and modern western societies
Assessment methods
Students are required to write a 1,500 word essay on a topic of their choice, to be agreed in advance by the tutor. They are encouraged to prepare a formative 500-word essay plan 2-3 weeks before the deadline so that feedback can be given.
Coursework is an integral part of all weekly classes and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework in order to benefit fully from the course. Only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work the required standard.
Students must submit a completed Declaration of Authorship form at the end of term when submitting your final piece of work. CATS points cannot be awarded without the aforementioned form - Declaration of Authorship form
Application
To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.
Please use the 'Book' or 'Apply' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an Enrolment Form (Word) or Enrolment Form (Pdf)
Level and demands
The Department's Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, i.e. first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class.
Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS)
To earn credit (CATS points) you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. Students who register for CATS points will receive a Record of CATS points on successful completion of their course assessment.
Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process can either register for CATS points prior to the start of their course or retrospectively from the January 1st after the current full academic year has been completed. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.