Course & e-Book Introduction

On Death & Dying

This course provides a critical exploration of a variety topics related to the study of death and dying. Topics covered include: historical and cross-cultural perspectives; genocide; plagues and pandemics; palliative care and hospice care; medical assistance in dying (MAiD); grief and bereavement; memorials and commemoration; and death planning (e.g., obituary writing, advanced directives for care, appointment of power of attorney for personal care, funeral planning, etc.).

Each chapter of this eBook requires students to read and watch course material and then complete an assignment. Chapter assignments are designed to encourage students to critically and personally engage with and reflect upon the chapter topic and materials. There are a series of questions at the start of each chapter that are meant to facilitate student engagement with the chapter materials. The assignments and questions also provide a foundation for small group and classroom discussions on the topics covered.

Given the potentially challenging and sensitive focus of this course, it is important for each student to recognize that they may find some course content emotionally difficult or distressing. It is therefore recommended that students read the syllabus and carefully peruse the course text material and assignments, to determine if this course is right for them. 

Understanding Text Font Colours & Style

FONTS	MEANING
Bolded Red Font	Content warnings
Bolded Royal Blue Font	Required reading and/or video course content. Instructions for students
Black underlined titles or hyperlinks                  inside shaded boxes	Required reading and/or video course content.
Black underlined words, titles, hyperlinks	Supplementary information (hyperlinks or definitions). Not required course content.