RELS 264: Death, Dying and the Afterlife
Spring 2009
Instructor: Patricia (Micki) Lennon Classroom: Glenn 216
Phone: 898-5263 Meeting Times: MWF 11:00-11:50 a.m.
Email: plennon@csuchico.edu Office hours : MW 2-3, Tu 9:30-11:30
Office: Trinity 234 and by appointment
Course Objectives
What do religions such as Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism believe happens when we die? Do we go to heaven? Are we reincarnated? What do these religions teach about preparing for death? Why do we die? How should the fact of human mortality affect the way we live? Is there a good way to die? What do these traditions teach about proper memorials for the dead? How do funeral customs reflect fundamental religious assumptions?
This course will answer these questions and more. We will examine how religious values and religious cultures shape the experiences of death, grieving, and expectations about mortality and immortality, focusing especially on the ways the experience of death poses an existential crisis of meaning. We will examine several theodicies, that is, religious explanations about why human beings suffer and die. We will also look at the ways changes in American culture have affected the way we die, and explore ethical issues related to the medicalization of death and the funeral industry.
This course meets the General Education requirement for Area E, Lifelong learning, which is “designed to equip human beings for lifelong understanding and development of themselves as integrated physiological, psychological and sociological entities.” The student learning outcomes for this class are: (1) Students will be able to explain and differentiate between major world religions’ views of death and the afterlife; (2) students will be able to identify the deathways and funeral rituals of different cultures, and how these ritualizations and their change over time reflect changes in beliefs about the meaning of life and death; (3) students will be able to articulate major positions in modern ethical debates over dying, such as those relating to end-of-life care, euthanasia, and physician-assisted suicide; and (4) students will reflect on their own perspectives on death and the afterlife.
Required Texts
Harold Kushner, Why Bad Things Happen to Good People
C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed
Sogyal Rinpoche, The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying
Annie Dillard, For the Time Being
Course Reader, available at Mr. Kopy (119 Main St.)
Assignments and Grading (1000 point scale)
Participation 15% 150 points
Homework 20% 200 points
Self-Analysis Paper 10% 100 points
Exams 35% 350 points
Final Paper 20% 200 points
Grading will be on a 1000 point scale. 935 or more points, A; 895-934 points, A-; 875-894 points, B+; 835-874 points, B; 795-834 points, B-; 775-794 points, C+; 735-774 points, C; 695-734 points, C-; 675-694 points, D+; 595-674 points, D; below 595, F.
Participation (150 points):
This will be a discussion-oriented course, so your attendance and participation is vital to its success. If you need to miss class for legitimate reasons (religious holidays, illness, family emergencies, etc.) please let me know. More than three unexcused absences will hurt your participation grade.
I recognize that everyone has a different contribution to make in class discussion. Showing good listening skills and demonstrating respect for the other participants is as important as speaking. Being prepared and participating in small-group discussions will also be factored into your participation grade.
If you regularly come in late or leave early, this will negatively impact your participation grade. If you have a serious and compelling reason to leave class early, please let me know in advance. It is your responsibility to make sure I know you were in class if you arrive after attendance has been taken.
Homework (200 points):
In order for our class discussions to be successful, it is essential that everyone complete the required readings and reflect on them. To ensure this, there will be brief homework assignments approximately every week.
Homework questions are listed in the syllabus next to the assigned reading for the day. Homework is due at the beginning of class on the date it is listed on the syllabus. Late homework assignments will be accepted for HALF credit. (Most assignments will be worth a maximum of 10 points, unless otherwise specified in the syllabus). To ensure that late assignments are not misfiled, you must write LATE at the top of the page, and they should be turned in with your next assignment. Be sure to write the original due date on the assignment!
I would prefer that you type these assignments, but they may be handwritten as long as (1) your handwriting is legible (I’ll let you know if I can’t read it!) (2) you use standard 8 1/2 by 11 paper; (3) you write in blue or black ink. Be sure and write your name, RELS 264, and the due date listed in the syllabus (even if it is a late assignment) on the top right-hand corner of every assignment. If you are handing it in late for partial credit, also write LATE on the top.
Unless otherwise specified (e.g. assignments worth double points), your answers should be 1-3 paragraphs long. (More than two sentences, but not more than a page).
We may experiment with replacing some of the written homework assignments with online discussions on Vista/Blackboard. We will discuss this option more in class.
Self-Reflection Paper (100 points)
2-3 pages
Due date: February 6
This should be a brief reflection on your own views of death, dying, and the afterlife and the cultural sources which shaped these. Before you begin to write this paper, look at the exercises in “Personal Reflections on Death, Grief and Cultural Diversity” under “death awareness” in the reader. As you work through these exercises, think about the messages you have learned about death, the afterlife, or both, in your own life so far. What was your first experience with death? What did you parents teach you about death? What did your religion teach you? What did other sources (friends, family, books, movies, etc.) teach you about death and the afterlife? Write an essay which talks about the way all these sources have contributed to your own understanding of death.
This essay will not be graded on content; I will be looking for (A) the extent to which you have really tried to reflect on what your own views of death; (B) the extent to which you have attempted to analyze the sources of your ideas and perspectives on death, whether those sources are your family, your religion, the media, or other sources; and (C) the overall structure and organization of the paper
Exams (350 points)
Exam 1: 150 points (March 4)
Exam 2: 200 points (May 4)
There will be two exams in this course. They will be a combination of multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions. I will give you a study guide a week in advance of each exam. Exams cannot be missed/turned in late except in cases of severe illness or other significant emergencies (e.g. death in the family), and you must notify me in advance if you have such an emergency.
Final Reflection Paper (200 points)
3-6 pages (Due May 18)
Because Annie Dillard’s For the Time Being discusses theodicies from Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, and Chinese religion, this essay will serve as a chance not only to reflect on the book but also to reflect on the course as a whole and to bring together many of the themes we’ve discussed in class. Before writing this essay, you should look back over the “self-reflection” paper you wrote at the beginning of the semester and reflect on whether your understanding of death has changed over the course of this class. A more complete study guide and set of guidelines for this paper is contained in the course reader.
General Guidelines for writing assignments
· Students are required to keep a copy of all written assignments submitted to me, and to resubmit written work if I request them to.
· All written assignments should be typed, double-spaced, on standard 8 1/2 by 11 paper. Margins should be one inch on all sides. Please use a 12 point font; I prefer Times New Roman. All assignments should include your name, class and section number, the day the assignment is due, and the title of your paper. A title page is not necessary. All assignments must be stapled! If you turn in an assignment in which the pages are not stapled together, I accept no responsibility for lost pages. Please do NOT turn in assignments in binders or plastic covers.
● Please be aware that I will not grade any assignments submitted via email. If you have to miss class for a serious reason (e.g. illness, family emergency) and want credit for handing in the assignment on time, you may submit it in the text of an email, but I will only grade the assignment when I receive a hard copy of it. (When you turn in the hard copy, write “submitted on time via email” at the top). Also please note that because of problems I’ve had the past with students inadvertently sending me viruses, I will automatically delete any messages with attachments. Cut and paste the assignment into the body of the email—don’t send me attachments, please!
· All assignments should be accompanied by a bibliography or works cited page, in addition to citations you use in the text. The only exception is homework assignments; there it is sufficient to use in-text citations, e.g. (Rinpoche, 47), without a works-cited page.
· Any instance of plagiarism or other academic dishonesty (e.g. copying someone else’s homework) will result in an “F” for the course and a report of academic misconduct submitted to Student Judicial Affairs. If you borrow the ideas of others in composing your written work, they must be cited; if you borrow the words of others, they must be enclosed in quotation marks and cited. If you have any doubts as to whether or not something needs to be cited, play it safe and cite it—or ask me about it. Any standard citation format (MLA, APA, etc.) is fine.
·Please note that material from the internet is still someone else’s work, and must be cited appropriately! If you are unsure of how to do this properly, consult the following website:
http://www.csuchico.edu/engl/Links/style_guide.html
· If you are having health or work problems or personal crises which might tempt you to plagiarize, please talk to me. In some cases, I may be able to make accommodations for your situation; in other cases, I may advise you to take the late penalty (see below). Students who plagiarize on more than one occasion will be expelled from the university. In the long run, it is far better to receive a lower grade (or even a failing grade) than to jeopardize your entire academic career.
· Non-homework assignments (e.g. the self-reflection paper) will receive a 20% late penalty if submitted late. The last day I will accept such late work is the last day of classes before finals. Homework assignments will be accepted late for half credit. Please submit late homework assignments on the same day another assignment is due (so they don’t accidentally get misfiled), and be sure to write “LATE” and the original due date on the top of the assignment.The last day to hand in late homework assignments is the Friday before finals.
Students with certified disabilities
Please notify me of any special need relating to your disability within the first two weeks of the semester. I will make every reasonable effort to facilitate your success in this course. Please note that you may be required to show documentation of your disability.
If you have a documented disability that may require reasonable accommodations, please contact Disability Support Services (DSS) for coordination of your academic accommodations. The DSS phone number is 898-5959 V/TTY or FAX 898-4411. Visit the DSS website at <http://www.csuchico.edu/dss/>.”
Course Calendar and Assigned Readings
·Assigned readings are indicated by the author’s last name or by “Reader,” which indicates the course reader (course packet).
·Please note that this schedule is tentative and subject to change if necessary.
· Readings should be completed by the date they are listed, e.g. by February 2 you should have read the selections in the reader from Lundquist and Levin, since we will be discussing it in class that day.
1/26: Introduction to the class
1/28: Death and the self
Film: “After Life”
1/30: Exploring death and the afterlife
Film: “After Life”
Homework: Bring in a photo of yourself. (You will not get this back). A photocopy of your ID or driver’s license is acceptable; you can get color copies made at the copy center in the library for $1.
2/2: Exploring death and the afterlife
Film: “After Life”
Readings: Lundquist, “Personal Reflections on Death, Grief and Cultural Diversity” (Reader); Stephen and Ondrea Levin. “Who Dies,” (Reader)
Homework question: What does the film “After Life” suggest happens when you die? What do you think of this concept of the afterlife? How does it compare to your own concept of the afterlife?
2/4: Examining attitudes about death
Selections from Studs Terkel , Will the Circle Be Unbroken (Reader); Reading:
Homework question: How have the life experiences of the firefighter, the doctor, and the actress influenced their understandings of death? How much do you think people’s ideas about death are shaped by their life experiences?
2/6: Self-reflection paper due
UNIT One: Understandings of death, selfhood, and the afterlife in Asian religions
2/9: Hinduism: An introduction
Lecture
2/11: Hindu concepts of self and other
Readings: Easwaran, “A Dialogue with Death” and the Katha Upanishad (Reader)
Homework question: What does Death teach Naciketas (Naciketa, Nachiketas—all the same name) about the true nature of the self?
2/13: Hinduism, reincarnation, and moksha
Readings: David Chidester, “Hindu Liberation;” Alex Ninian, “Life, Death and Sacred Cows (Both in Reader).
2/16: Buddhism: an introduction
Reading: Rinpoche, chapter 6
2/18: Buddhist v. American understandings of death
Reading: Rinpoche chapters 1-3
Homework question: What are some of Rinpoche’s criticisms of the American way of dying? Do you agree with them or not?
2/20: Buddhist death rituals
Reading: Rinpoche chapter 5 & 4
Film: Jacob’s ladder
2/23: Tibetan Buddhism on the dying process.
Readings: Rinpoche, chapter 11-14
Film: Jacob’s ladder
2/25: Tibetan Buddhism and the bardo state
Film: Jacob’s ladder
2/27: Jacob’s ladder: discussion Readings: Rinpoche, chapter 18 (Optional: chapters 16-17; 19); James Whitlark, “The Paranoid Jacob’s Ladder,” http://human-threshold-systems.whitlarks.com/bpchp6p5.html (also in reader).
Homework Question: What are some events people experience in the bardo state? Where do we see examples of these in Jacob’s Ladder?
3/2: Wrap-up of Asian religions unit
3/4: Exam one
Unit Two: Understandings of death and the afterlife in Judaism, Christianity and Islam
3/6: Judaism: An introduction
Reading: Applebaum, “What does Shiva Mean”; Samuel Heilman, “Shivah: Seven Days of mourning” (Reader)
3/9: Mortality in the Jewish tradition
Reading: Start reading Kushner, When Bad Things Happen to Good People
Film: Generation to Generation
3/11: Judaism and the problem of suffering
Readings: Kushner, chapters 1-2; optional: Book of Job (you can read it online at www.biblegateway.com)
Homework question: List 3 or 4 of the common explanations for suffering (theodicies) Kushner talks about in chapter 1. Why does he reject them? Do you agree with him?
3/13: Film
HAVE A GOOD BREAK!!
3/23: Jewish theodicies
Reading: Kushner, chapters 3-8
Homework question: What is Kushner’s solution to the problem of reconciling an omnipotent, loving God with the suffering in the world? What do you think of his solution?
3/25: Christianity: an introduction
Reading: Kenneth Kramer, “Christian Attitudes towards death” (Reader)
3/27: Christian perspectives on death and the afterlife
Reading: “The Late Medieval View of Death” (Reader); Lewis chapter 1
Film: Shadowlands
3/30: Christianity, suffering, and the problem of meaning
Readings: Lewis, chapter 2
Film: Shadowlands
4/1: Dying in the Christian tradition
Readings: Lewis, chapter 3-4
Film: Shadowlands
4/3: Making sense of death in the Christian tradition: Shadowlands discussion
Homework question: In the beginning of the film, Lewis offers several theodicies (religious explanations for why human beings suffer). (A) Do you think his theodicies change over the course of the film? Why or why not? (B) According to your interpretation of the book, does his religious faith help him deal with his wife’s death? Why or why not?
4/6: Islam: An introduction
4/8: Islam and death
Reading:Juan Campo, “Muslim Ways of Death” (Reader)
Homework Question: What are some of the core Islamic teachings on funerals and the afterlife? How do individual Muslim observances of grief sometimes challenge official teachings?
Unit three: Rituals of death in American history and culture
4/10: Nineteenth century American death rituals: memorializing the Civil War dead
Readings: Sarah Vowell, “John Brown’s Body”; Steven Cornelius, “Music in Everyday Life”
(Both in reader)
Homework question: Bring into class some example of a way that a dead person has been memorialized: for example, a song lamenting the death; a poem; a printout or picture of a shrine or other kind of memorial (e.g. material left at the Vietnam Veterans memorials; the shrines that spring up around sites like victims of automobile accidents, or Ground Zero, etc.). You don’t have to write anything about it unless you miss class, in which case you must describe the item and explain its significance.
4/13: Nineteenth-century America burial practices
Readings: Colleen McDannell, The Religious Symbolism of Laurel Hill Cemetery; Roberta Halpern, “American Jewish Cemeteries.” (Both in the reader) You might also look at this online site: “A Brief History of Cemeteries”, www.alsirat.com/silence/history.html
Homework question: What was new about the design of Laurel Hill Cemetery? What cultural changes in attitudes about death are reflected in the design of this cemetery?
4/15: Dealing with dead bodies: the cremation controversy and the transformation of the funeral industry
Readings: James Farell, “The Modernization of the funeral service;” Leany, “Ashes to Ashes’: (Both in reader)
4/17: Dying and the hospice movement
Guest speaker: Lance Ferris, MSW, LCSW
Readings: To be announced
Everyone who attends today’s class gets 10 points toward their homework grade.
4/20: Remembering the dead
Reading: Sarah York, “Giving Sorrow Words” (Reader)
Homework question: Why, according to York, are funeral services important? What do you want done with your bodily remains when you die? What do you want your own funeral/memorial service to look like?
4/22: Medicalization of death rituals: the hospital and the funeral home
Readings: Michael Kearl, “Death and the Medical System” (Reader)
4/24: Ethical problems caused by the medicalization of death: Terminating medical care
Case study: Terri Schiavo
Readings: Matt Conigliaro, “The Terri Schiavo information page”; Joan Didion, “The Case of Theresa Schiavo.” (Reader)
Homework question: Before this class, you will be assigned to write some of the arguments either for or against the removal of Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube. Write about 2 paragraphs in support of your assigned position; if you like, you may conclude with your own position on this issue.
4/27: Ethical controversies raised by the medicalization of death: Physician assisted suicide
Guest Speaker: Dr. Joel Zimbelman
Readings: To be announced.
Everyone who attends today’s class gets 10 points toward their homework grade.
4/29: Ethical issues in dying: Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide
Readings: Margaret Battin, “Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide.” (Reader)
Homework question: What are the arguments in favor of PAS? What are the arguments against it? Which of these arguments do you find most persuasive, and why?
5/1: Review
5/4: Exam 2
5/6: Reading day. Start reading Dillard. Don’t forget to look at the study guide in the reader first; it may help you understand the book better.
5/8: Making sense of death, making sense of life
Reading: Dillard chapters 1&2. Before reading Dillard, take a look at the study guide in the reader. Optional reading: Geertz, “Religion as a Cultural System.” (Reader)
5/11: The Individual in the span of history
Reading: Dillard chapter 3-4
Homework question: Answer one of the following questions from the Dillard study guide:
1. Dillard uses a number of powerful images in the first four chapters. Which did you find most striking, and why?
2. Dillard makes several references to kabbalah (Jewish mysticism). How does the kabbalah explain evil?
3. What did you think of Dillard’s discussion of the relationship between the number of humans who are dead and the number of those who are living?
5/13: Religious explanations for impermanence
Reading: Dillard chapter 5-7.
Homework question (Double points): Answer one of the following questions from the Dillard study guide (in the course reader):
1. Why do you think she chose the themes she did (birth, sand, China, clouds, numbers, encounters, thinkers, evil, now)? What do they have in common?
2. What theodicies does Dillard reject? Is there any theodicy she accepts? (As you answer this, be aware that she is often ironic in tone throughout the book; sometimes her apparent agreement with a statement is a veiled criticism of its absurdity).
3. What do you think Dillard thinks about God?
5/15: Concluding thoughts
5/18: Final paper due at noon. in the regular classroom.
This syllabus is subject to revision if necessary.