Description:
| Aims:
* To introduce students to a range of perspectives on dying, death, bereavement rituals and afterlife beliefs;
* To introduce theories, methods and data associated with these perspectives;
* To introduce students to critiques of these perspectives.
Learning Outcomes: By the end of the unit students will be able to:
* Describe and assess the usefulness for practice of a range of perspectives on death, dying and bereavement; ;
* Describe and assess the different theories used to explain these perspectives;
* Describe and assess the types of evidence used to assist in understanding different perspectives;
* Describe the social and religious contexts of death and dying in the UK.
Skills:
* To think creatively and analytically;
* To evaluate arguments and research;
* To consider research evidence as well as a variety of other information;
* To synthesise information from a number of sources in order to gain a coherent understanding;
* To recognise how working with issues around mortality impacts on our sense of self identity and the way we view others.
Content: Students are introduced to the major issues and trends associated with death, dying and bereavement in Western societies:
* The changing nature of death in society
* Death, denial and diversity
* Demographic trends in mortality
* Death 'out of time'
* Religion and spirituality
* The medicalisation of dying
* The institutional management of dying
* The concept of the 'good death'
* Traditional models of grief
* The notion of 'continuing bonds'
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