Travel to Sacred Space Project

Stage 1: Pick a Destination

Prompt

Research at least five of the following sacred space destinations. Exclude any to which you have already been (and Jerusalem because we covered it in class). Discuss four reasons you would be drawn to plan a trip to that destination. You can add more than four, but since this is a theology course don't let your only four be beaches, shopping, and nightlife. A reason is not just a highlight attraction, but an explanation of why you personally would be drawn to that experience. Your reasons should more personal than “looks beautiful” or “sounds amazing”. Add a bibliography of sources helpful for this level of research. (You’ll need more detailed bibliography for later stages.) Conclude with the overall favorite you will investigate for the remaining stages.

  1. Spain
  2. Ethiopia
  3. Istanbul
  4. Japan
  5. Cambodia
  6. India
  7. Rome
  8. For the rest of the assignment it would be best to not select one of these for your final destination. However, they can count for one of the five at this stage.
    1. Damascus
    2. Mecca
    3. Mexico City
    4. New Mexico

Rubric

  1. 6 points for each of five destinations, including four reasons, bibliography, and personalization.
  2. 30 points total

Sample

I would like to plan travel to Jerusalem, Israel. I am Christian, and would like to visit the places where Jesus lived and died and lived again. I'm considering changing my major to Jewish Studies, and Jersusalem is central to Judaism starting three thousand years ago. There are archaeological sites that show the remnants of very ancient times, while other sites have been preserved by living communities. I took a course on Islamic civilization and would like to see what it is like in a region that has been violently disputed in my own time and in much of history. I'm concerned in general about human rights and have noticed that people who generally share concerns for human rights still disagree about Israel and Palestine. I would like to see and decide for myself. I also enjoy hiking and backpacking, and would be interested in some of the parks and natural features, especially the Dead Sea.

[Do similarly for four more destinations]

Bibliography

  1. Textbook from my Islamic Civilization Class: Marshall Hodgson, The Venture of Islam. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1974.
  2. Tourist Israel, “Holy Sites in Jerusalem.” https://www.touristisrael.com/holy-sites-in-jerusalem/45601/
  3. ReformJudaism.org, “10 Must-See Jewish Sites to Visit in Israel.” https://www.reformjudaism.org/10-must-see-jewish-sites-visit-israel
  4. Wikipedia, “Holy Land.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Land
  5. Amnesty International, “Israel and Occupied Palestinian Territories.” https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/middle-east-and-north-africa/israel-and-occupied-palestinian-territories/report-israel-and-occupied-palestinian-territories/
  6. Daniel Robinson, et al., Israel and the Palestinian Territories. Eighth Edition; Lonely Planet; Footscray: Lonely Planet Publications, 2015. https://archive.org/details/israelpalestinia0000unse_u9x4/