Department of Social & Policy Sciences, Unit Catalogue 2007/08 |
SP50146 The social context of death and dying |
| Credits: 12 |
| Level: Masters |
| Semester: 1 |
| Assessment: CW 100% |
| Requisites: |
|
Aims:
* To introduce and critically assess sociological perspectives on dying, disposal of the body, funeral and mourning rituals, and afterlife beliefs, and to place these in the context of perspectives used in related disciplines. * To introduce the theories, methods and data associated with these perspectives, and the limitations of each. * To introduce students to a wide range of areas that will assist them to decide their dissertation topic. Learning Outcomes: By the end of the unit, students will be able to: * Describe and critically assess the approaches sociology and related disciplines use in the study of death. * Describe and critically assess the types of evidence each discipline uses. * Critically assess what each discipline and perspective has to offer to the understanding of death in society, and critically assess their limitations. * Assess the potential and challenges of interdisciplinary research. Skills: * Develop skills to reflect on the suitability of diverse approaches for investigating and analysing problems. * Synthesise information from a variety of academic perspectives for a relevant understanding of theoretical and practical approaches. * Appreciate and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of a range of disciplinary and theoretical approaches. * Identify and access relevant information sources. * Communicate complex issues and perspectives through written and oral media. * Develop skills of time management, workload prioritisation and related planning skills. * Develop good writing and presentation skills. Content: A range of approaches to the sociology of death, for example the idealist, structural and materialist perspectives of Durkheim, Ariès, Walter and Kellehear, will be critically examined. Contemporary debates concerning the denial, professionalisation, secularisation, and sequestration of death will be discussed. The unit then goes on to look specifically at the three key areas of dying, funeral rites, and mourning, along with other empirical areas such as death in the media and in tourism, examining the very different theorisation of these empirical areas. Once the sociological foundations have been laid, the contributions of anthropology, archaeology, history, law and psychology will be critically examined. Finally the potential and limitations of inter-disciplinary work will be discussed. |