International students hike St. Olavsleden in new course on peacebuilding
On Monday, students and teachers from Norway, Finland, the Netherlands, Germany and Ukraine, among others, arrived at Mid Sweden University in Östersund. They are studying a new course on pilgrimage and peacebuilding and will during the week hike parts of St. Olavsleden from Östersund to Trondheim.
How can hiking trails serve as a platform for conversations about peace? This is the basis of Mid Sweden University's new summer course Pilgrim for Peace, which is given in collaboration with the universities of Turku and Åbo in Finland and NTNU in Norway. The students, who come from several different countries, have met online a few times during May and learned about pilgrimage and peacebuilding through lectures and workshops. Now they have gathered in Östersund to go on a hike along St. Olavsleden, with Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim as their final destination. Jack Shepherd, researcher in tourism and peacebuilding, is responsible for the course:
– The days during the walk have different themes that the students get to reflect upon and discuss together, and that teachers from the different universities are responsible for. The aim of the course is for the students to explore how pilgrimage, seen as both a religious and a secular tourist phenomenon, is relevant to different forms of peacebuilding. They will reflect on the potential of hiking trails and their different uses to promote peace processes.
On the hike from Östersund, the group will stop at selected locations, and the trip is not only by foot. The participants will sometimes travel by bus to make it to Trondheim on Sunday, where they will end their walk with a ceremony in Nidaros Cathedral.
The course is funded through the Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Program (BIP), which involves a combined virtual and physical mobility with at least 3 participating partner universities. Contact the International Relations Office to learn more about BIP.
Itinerary
Monday 10/6: Östersund: Introduction, lecture, study visit and dinner
Tuesday 11/6: Östersund – Vången
Wednesday 12/6: Vången – Mörsil
Thursday 13/6: Mörsil – Hållandsgården
Friday 14/6: Hållandsgården – Åre
Saturday 15/6: Åre – Falstad
Sunday 16/6: Falstad – Trondheim
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