PTH 1300 - Death, Dying & Bereavement

Death, Dying & Bereavement

Doctorate Degree in Pastoral Counseling & Thanatology

PTH 1300

Breyer State University
Instructor: Juan Kenigstein, PH.D, M.ED., GC-C

SYLLABUS

COURSE OVERVIEW: Welcome to Death, Dying and Bereavement, a Doctorate Level course in the curriculum for the Degree, Doctorate in Pastoral Counseling & Thanatology. I'm pleased to offer you this course. This is an exciting course. This course will provide practical, specific intervention strategies in grief, dying and death. "The person who sets out to increase his or her knowledge of death and dying is embarking on an exploration that is partly a journey of personal discovery".

TIME FRAME: This is a six-semester hour course. This course is allotted ten weeks of time. You must complete all of the requirements for the course successfully by the end of the ten-week period. The first day of week one will begin the day that you register for the course, or the day which you notify me that your text book(s) have arrived and you are ready to begin your studies. Please be cognizant of the time frame. It is rare that extensions of time are permitted, unless you have good justification. Upon successful completion of this course, you will be awarded six semester hours of credit. Students may accelerate, but may not complete this course in less than four weeks.

TEXTBOOK: There are two (2) required textbook for this course.

Book 1: The Last Dance: Encountering Death and Dying. DeDpelder & Strickland, McGraw Hill, 7th Edition, 2005: ISBN # 0-07-292096-3.

Book 2: A Journey Through The Last Dance: Activities and Resources. Despelder & Strickland, McGraw Hill, 2005: ISBN # 0-07-293047-0.

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EXAMINATIONS: There are two examinations for this course.

GRADING SCALE: The grading scale for this course is as follows:

90-100%    = A
80-89%      = B
70-79%      = C
Below 70% = Fail

GRADING COMPOSITION:

15 Activities 50%
Self evaluation 5%
Discovery & Intention Statement 5%
Mid-Term Exam 20%
Final Exam 20%

TOTAL 100%

GOALS: The aim of education about death, dying and bereavement is to assess each individual's unique situation within a psychological, sociological, physiological, and socioeconomic framework. Also to understand your personal and professional feelings, fears and expectations, those factors affect patient care. The aim is to offer a comprehensive introduction to the study of Death, Dying and Bereavement. It emphasizes the positive values of compassion, listening, and tolerance for the view of others.

COMMUNICATION: You are encouraged to communicate with me. I am available as a teacher, coach, and mentor to assist you in meeting your goals for this course. Primarily, communication is through email. However, I am also available for conversation by telephone if you would like. Our classroom for this course has a "chat" room. I am also very willing to meet with you one-on-one in the chat room at your request. From time to time, depending on how many students are enrolled in this course at a particular time, we will have some scheduled group chats. You will receive more detailed information at the time such chat sessions are scheduled. Please keep my email address handy so that you can contact me whenever necessary. Upon registration, you will receive my email address. If at any time during this course you change your email address, please be sure to notify me right away.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

1). Discuss the topic of death, thereby opening up previously avoided lines of communication with family and friends.
2). Have seriously contemplated and accepted the reality of one's death.
3). Have an understanding of some of the cross-cultural and cross-theological approaches to death.
4). Argue both sides of controversial issues related to death: Euthanasia, capital punishment, the funeral industry, and findings on life after death.
5). Understand issues related to homicide.
6). Have developed some beginning skills to understand and communicate with terminally ill and bereaved people.
7). Have know on the facts on suicide as well as suicide intervention techniques.
8). Understand the process of adjustment to a death to the extent that assistance can be offered to a friend or relative in time of need.
9). Have planned one's funeral, burial, and estate in sufficient enough detail so as to place minimal burden on the family.
10). Have knowledge of the present and future trends in medical and psychological attitudes toward death in order to gain insight into the workings of today's hospitals.
11). Understand the child's reactions to death and ways to offer support.
12). Understand the reactions to death of children, parents, siblings, and widowed persons as well as ways to offer assistance.
13). List community services related to death and dying.
14). Challenge systems that continue to make our society one, which is death denying.
15). Explain common reactions to loss and suggestions for coping with it.
16). Know the factors that contribute to the intensity of grief reactions.
17). Become more motivated to live now, take risks, and accomplish life's goals.

COURSE OUTLINE:

1). Attitudes Toward Death: A Climate of Change.
2). Learning About Death: The influence of Sociocultural Forces.
3). Perspectives About Death: Cross-Cultural and Historical.
4). Health Care Systems: Patients, Staff, and Institutions.
5). Death Systems: Matters of Public Policy.
6). Facing Death: Living with Life Threatening Illness.
7). End-of-Life Issues and Decisions.
8). Survivors: Understanding the Experience of Loss.
9). Last Rites: Funerals and Body Disposition.
10). Death in the Lives of Children and Adolescents.
11). Death in the Lives of Adults.
12). Suicide.
13). Risks of Death in the Modern World.
14). Beyond Death / After Life.
15). The Path Ahead: Personal and Social Choices.