Fall 2016
Rel. 213: Perspectives on Death and Dying
Required Books
The Grim Reader, ed. Spiegel & Tristman
No Death, No Fear, Thich Nhat Hanh
The Bhagavad Gita, translated G. Thomas
Rites of Assent, Abd al-Hakim Qasim
The Slavery of Death, Richard Beck
Course pack [CP]
Meetings and Assignments:
September
9 Introduction to the course
Non-religious experiences and reflections
12 Read “Categories for thinking about Cultural and Religious Responses to Death” [CP]
Read: Grim Reader, “Wrestling”: read the selections by Freud, Montaigne, Nagel
14 Grim Reader, “Brave”: read the poem by Larkin and the essays by Zweig and Hazlitt
CP: read “Wild Darkness” by Eva Saulitis
16 Grim Reader, “Brave”: read the essay by Stevenson; “Fight”: Browne’s essay; “Old”: Larkin’s poem; “Left Behind”: Dickinson’s poems
19 Grim Reader, “Daughters”: Baldwin, Roth, Rosen; “War, Pestilence, Genocide”: Monette
21 Grim Reader, “War, Pestilence, Genocide”: Boccaccio, Levi, Lifton
23 Grim Reader, “Rites” and “Cultures”: Gorer, George B Shaw, Selzer, Aries, Mitford
26 Coursepack: from When We Die, “What is Death?” “The Body After Death,” Mims [CP]
“The Undertaking,” Lynch [CP]
“Joking with Death,” Neale [CP]; two selections from The Onion [CP]
28 End-of-life issues: Grim Reader, “Ethical Issues”: Dworkin
Coursepack: Gawande, “Letting Go: Rethinking end-of-life treatment” [CP]
“How Doctors Die” by Ken Murray; view online
“How do People die from cancer?” by Ranjana Srivastava [CP]
* One journal entry due (send by email)
30 End-of-life issues, continued: Grim Reader, “Ethical Issues”: Munley (on Hospice)
Coursepack: “Terminal neglect” (2-page excerpt) by Whoriskey & Keating [CP]
“Hospice Volunteers: serving in life and in death” by Jay Collier [CP]
Work on Essay test. (In-class: instructions for reading responses.)
October
3 *Essay Test due.
5 Visit to Stonewall Jackson Cemetery
Study the powerpoint slides “Cemetery Markers” (Sakai) before the visit.
* Two journal entries due (send by email)
Religious stories and reflections
7 A Modern Buddhist Reflection
Thich Nhat Hanh, No Death, No Fear, Chaps. 1-3 {A}*
10 No Death, No Fear, Chaps. 4 (to p.75), 5, 6 (105-108 only) {B}*
12 Visit to Harrison Funeral Home, 714 S Main (Alternate date: December 1)
* Two journal entries due (send by email)
17 No Death, No Fear, Chaps. 8 and 9 {A}*
19 A Classical Hindu Reflection on Life and Death
The Bhagavad-Gita, Intro, Chaps 1 – 3 (read each chapter twice, and the chapter notes at the end of the book); a class lecture on the main concepts {B}*
21 The Bhagavad-Gita, Ch 4-8 (read twice, and notes at the end of the book) {A}*
24 The Bhagavad-Gita, 9-12, 18:49-78 (twice, and notes at the end of the book) {B}*
26 A contemporary Christian theology and psychology of death
Richard Beck, The Slavery of Death, Prelude and Chaps. 3 and 4 {A}*
28 Richard Beck, The Slavery of Death, Chaps. 5 and 6 {B}*
31 Beck, The Slavery of Death, Chaps. 7 and 8, plus Interlude and Epilogue {A}*
November
2 Islamic Scripture: death and life in the Quran {B, write on the Quran, not Esposito}*
Selections from the Quran [CP] (focus on the imagery of death and life)
Esposito, on the Quran, from Islam, the Straight Path (1998) [CP]
4 A modern Muslim story interpreting death and judgment
Abd al-Hakim Qasim, “Good News from the Afterlife,” pp. 67-101, in Rites of Assent (1984) {A}*
7 “Good News from the Afterlife” pp. 103 – 154 (skim 103-123; try to understand what the angels mean by these four words: murder, life, death, judgment) {B}*
9 The Ideal Judgment: a student dialogue
* Write a journal entry on “the best form of judgment”
11 “Good News from the Afterlife” pp. 155-72 {A}*
14 A Stoic view of death
Selections from the writings of Seneca (Roman, 1st century CE) [CP] {B}*
16 Workshop: comparison of the religious perspectives
Prepare assigned reading for class comparison. Work on your paper.
18 *Paper due (no class)
Ending it (three films)
30 Film: “Departures,” a Japanese approach to living in the face of constant death (2006, 2 hours; view before class) {A}*
December
1 (Thursday) *4 – 5 pm: Visit to Harrison Funeral Home, 714 S Main (required)
* Two more journal entries due
2 Two modern existentialist (and Christian) films by Ingmar Bergman
Encounter with imminent death: “The Seventh Seal” (Sweden, 1957, 96 min.); view before class. {B}*
Read excerpts from the screenplay [CP]
5 * Completed journal due, noon (by email, send one document containing all your entries)
No class
Also please submit reading responses before midnight (by email, send one document containing all your paragraphs, arranged chronologically)
7 Psychological death, forgiveness, and rebirth: Bergman’s “The Wild Strawberries” (Sweden, 1957, 90 min.); view before class. {A and B}*
Read excerpts from the screenplay [CP]
9 End-of-course concluding discussion