Multicultural Counseling

Doctorate Degree in Pastoral Counseling & Thanatology

PTH 1600

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

SYLLABUS

COURSE OVERVIEW: Welcome to Multicultural Counseling, 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. For most the mystery of death and dying continues to defy imagination. What is seen of death is the finality of the physical body. But what is believed about the meaning of death, how it should be faced, and what happens after physical death varies by culture and its associated religion (DeSpelder & Strickland, 1992; Johnson &McGee, 1991).

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 (3) required textbook for this course.

Book 1: Cultural Issues in End-of-Life Decision Making: Sage Publications Inc., Kathryn L. Braun, James H. Pietsch, and Patricia L/ Blanchette. 2000: ISBN # 0-7619-1217-7.

Book 2: Multicultural Counseling and Psychotherapy: A Lifespan Perspective. Merrill, an imprint of Prentice Hall, Leroy G. Baruth, and M. Lee Manning. 1999: ISBN # 0-13-271925-8.

Book 3: Ethnic Variations in Dying, Death, and Grief, Edited by Donald P. Irish, Kathleen F. Lindquist, and Vivian Jenkins Nelsen, ISBN# 1560322780

These texts may be found at your local bookstore. Your local bookstore most often will order them as a special order for you. Or, you may purchase them online from:

Amazon.com at
www.amazon.com

Barnes & Nobel at
www.bn.com

Borders Books at
www.borders.com

EXAMINATIONS: There is one (1) Final exam. Grades are based on completion of assignments, activities, and final exam.

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:

10 Activities                              40%
Self evaluation                          10%
Research Report                        20%
Discovery & Intention Statement 10%
Final Exam                                20%

TOTAL 100%

GOALS: The aim of education about Cultural Issues in Death and Dying is to explain why this death has occurred at this time and this way. We look at our culture for advice on how to act when a death occurs, how to express grief, and how to remember the person who has died. We find comfort in the rituals that the culture prescribes, and culture presents a structure within which death takes on meaning (DeSpelder & Strickland, 1003; Johnson & McGee, 1991). Integrating multicultural and lifespan considerations is crucial to counseling effectiveness.

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). Become acquainted with the diversity of death-rituals and beliefs found in various cultures.
2). Assess the correspondences among various cultures relative to death-related rituals and beliefs.
3). Describe the historical changes in death-related beliefs and practices in the Western World.
4). Analyze the impact of various beliefs and practices and to assess their value for survivors.
5). Concentrate on death related experiences from a Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and Buddhist issues and perspectives on End-of-Life.
6). Describe typical and/or distinctive features of death related encounters, attitudes, and practices in four selected cultural groups (African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian and Pacific Islanders, and Indian and Alaska Native Americans).
7). Understand End-of-Life issues in institutional cultures.
8). Improve communication across cultures.
9). Understand End-of-Life issues for special populations.
10). Demonstrate heterogeneity, diversity. And richness, as well as similarities and communality, within American experiences with End-of-Life.
11). Become familiar with the medical, legal and ethical context of death and dying.

COURSE OUTLINE:

1). An Introduction to Culture and Its Influence on End-of-Life Decision Making.
2). Physical Aspects of Dying.
3). Cognitive Changes That Affect Capacity and End-of-Life Decisions.
4). Autonomy, Advance Directives, and the Patient Self-Determination Act.
5). Ethical Considerations and Court Involvement in End-of-Life Decision Making.
6). Cultural and Religious Issues for African Americans.
7). Advanced Directives and End-of-Life Care: The Hispanic Perspective.
8). Cultural Issues in End-of-Life Decision Making Among Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States.
9). End-of-Life Decision Making in American Indian and Alaska Native Cultures.
10). Christian Perspectives on End-of-Life Decision Making: Faith in a Community.
11). Catholic Perspectives on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: The Human Person and the Quest for Meaning.
12). Jewish Perspectives on End-of-Life Decision Making.
13). Muslim Perspectives Regarding Death, Dying, and End-of-Life Decision Making.
14). Buddhist Issues in End-of-Life Decision Making.
15). Issues in End-of-Life Decision Making and Nursing Home Culture.
16). End-of-Life Issues in the Military Culture.
17). End-of-Life Issues in the HIV/AIDS Community.
18). End-of-Life Issues: A Disabilities Perspective.
19). Talking to Patients About Death and Dying: Improving Communication Across Cultures.
20). Introduction to Multicultural Counseling and Psychotherapy.
21). The counselor's Cultural Identity.
22). The Culturally Effective Counselor.
23). Multicultural Human Growth and Development.
24). Understanding African American Clients.
25). Counseling African American Clients.
26). Understanding Asian American Clients.
27). Counseling Asian American Clients.
28). Understanding European American Clients.
29). Counseling European American Clients.
30). Understanding Hispanic American Clients.
31). Counseling Hispanic American Clients.
32). Understanding Native American Clients.
33). Counseling Native American Clients.
34). Issues in Multicultural Counseling.

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