Sacred places have long transported people off-world, providing a source of community and continuity as well as a means to understanding life's greater mysteries. We begin with traditional, religious spaces such as shrines, pilgrimage routes, churches and graveyards (from Native American faiths, Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, and Islam) before moving onto a series of modern, recreational environs that reflect our individualistic, thrill-seeking or escapist mentality: museums; wilderness; theme parks; and festivals. We look into how such places are incarnated through spectacle, speed, size, sharpness, strangeness, rarity, isolation and sacrifice. In addition to readings and on-site visits, students will come up with research projects that investigate contemporary and emerging places where we get in touch with other sides of being.

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