[Past] 42 Migrations: Pilgrims, Immigrants, Refugees, and Tourists - A Study of Humanity through Movement - Spring 2021

Revised

January 1, 2021

WATCH THE COURSE PREVIEW VIDEO

CLASS NUMBER:

780-28

INSTRUCTOR:

CHARLES D THOMPSON

TIME:

Wednesdays, 3:05-5:35 PM

LOCATION:

GLS House, 2114 Campus Drive

DESCRIPTION:

Humanity is on the move. Climate refugees, exiles of war, economic migrants, expatriates seeking new opportunities, along with others compelled to flee their current circumstances and look for a new life, are moving across borders comprise a chaotic movement en masse in greater numbers than ever in the history of humanity. Combine these movers with the billions of religious pilgrims, adventure travelers, and tourists, and we find ourselves in a chaotic world of migrations in every direction. How to make sense of it? What does this world of travel tell us about our future?

In this course, we will seek to make sense of all the movements in which we find ourselves and others. Readings on pilgrimage will intermingle with memoirs and essays on travel, writings and films on the act of walking, and readings and explorations of refugees, immigrant life, and border crossings. We will seek to understand this means for humanity and for us personally.

We will place ourselves in this mix of movers as we consider our impact on the world. We will consider related questions, such as: How should we think of places and identities in a world in motion? Are there ethical means of travel in this age of climate change and political upheaval? How does travel and an act as simple as an afternoon walk resemble the pattern of a human life? How does a labyrinth give us a glimpse into the meaning of movement in larger contexts? What can pilgrimage mean for non-traditional participants on a religious journey? How do we make sense of our place in a world where refugees are knocking at our door asking to be let in to American safety? What of border walls and their meaning for our collective human future? And more!

We will explore such readings as:

Ian Reader’s Pilgrimage: A Very Short Introduction
Selection from three books by Rebecca Solnit: A Book of Migrations, A Field Guide to Getting Lost and Wanderlust
Henry David Thoreau’s Walking
Frederic Gros’s: A Philosophy of Walking
Duncan Minshall’s While Wandering: A Walking Companion
Suketo Mehta’s This Land is Our Land: An Immigrant’s Manifesto
John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath
Sonia Nozario’s Enrique’s Journey
John F. Kennedy’s A Nation of Immigrants
Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek
Timothy Egan’s A Pilgrimage to Eternity
Gloria Anzaldua’s Borderlands/La Frontera
Valeria Luiselli’s Lost Children Archive
Charles Thompson’s Border Odyssey: Travels Along the US/Mexico Divide
And more.

In addition to readings, we will watch and discuss such films such as Estevez’s The Way, Herzog’s Pilgrimage, Apted’s 63 Up, and the classic, Wizard of Oz, among others.

This course should appeal to anyone interested in current affairs, especially those reflecting on the meaning of life, whether backwards or forwards; those considering the meanings and ramifications of travel; global citizens hoping to live ethically in a world of the displaced; humanists concerned about climate change and movement; and generally anyone who has ever walked and, with Thoreau, wanted to reflect on what it means “to saunter.” Hint: the root word signifies walking is a holy undertaking.

Seminar format. Participation mandatory. Applied studies of pilgrimages, work with immigrants, and travel encouraged. No prerequisites. Meant to appeal to all GLS students.