A well-received response to last year’s offering of a West Side Senior Scholars course prompted Case Western Reserve University’s Laura and Alvin Siegal Lifelong Learning Program to return this fall with a new course, “Medieval Christian Pilgrimage: Canterbury, Santiago, Rome and Beyond.”
The eight-week course runs Wednesdays, Sept. 24 to Nov. 19 (no class on Oct. 8), from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., at the Don Umerley Civic Center, 21016 Hilliard Blvd. in Rocky River. The fee is $85. Registration is required by calling 216.368.2090.
Senior Scholar classes are open to anyone with an intellectual curiosity about their past, present and future.
Elizabeth K. Todd, a lecturer in history at Case Western Reserve since 1994, will explore the popular and widely traveled to holy sites and shrines visited by western Christians during the Middle Ages.
During the two-hour sessions (with a break), she will illustrate her lectures with images from manuscripts, art, architecture, maps and video, with sounds of the era in selected music related to medieval pilgrimage.
Many of the course materials concentrate on areas associated with pilgrimages to Canterbury, Santiago de Compostela and Rome. Todd will provide a more in-depth look at what happened in Jerusalem, where many armed crusades happened.
The class has no required book assignments, but Todd will offer suggested readings for those interested in learning more.
Todd will draw from her primary area of expertise: medieval church history and the history of the Christian religion, from its ancient roots around 500 to 1500 A.D.
For a schedule of course offerings, call 216.368.2090 or visit cwru.edu/lifelonglearning.