REL 207 - Death and Dying

Description: Introduction to the academic study of issues surrounding religion, culture, death, dying, and bereavement. Engages death and dying from the perspective of various religious traditions, both in terms of doctrinal belief and lived practice. Examines death practices in various global locations. Explores personal narratives of death and grief in contemporary society and asks questions about what makes life worth living. Topics may include: the social impact of COVID-19, physician-assisted dying, shifting funerary practices, and the scientific pursuit of immortality.

Disclaimer: This course is currently under review for eligibility as a General Education course. It will not fulfill a General Education requirement unless it is recognized as such by at least one of the three public state universities, and also accepted as a departmental elective by at least one other.

Credits: 3
Lecture: 3
Lab: 0

Course Content:

1. Religious studies methods
2. Death, dying, and religion
3. Death practices in the world
4. Death, dying, and living
5. Death, dying, and society
6. Funerary practices
7. Death and ethics

1. Identify various religious approaches to death and dying. (1)
2. Analyze various ethical debates around death and dying. (6)
3. Identify the relationship between social structures and human death beliefs and practices. (4)
4. Analyze academic sources regarding religions. (1)
5. Analyze a key issue relating to death and dying. (1-7)