Sociology of Death and Dying

The experience of death and dying is one that is personal and deeply meaningful but also constructed and shaped by social environment, varying across socio-cultural and socio-historical contexts. This course explores death, dying, and bereavement through a sociological lens. Sociological theory and methodology are applied to understandings of death and processes of dying. Learners examine narratives of dying to uncover differences in symbolic meaning, expression, and practice across time and across cultures. They delve into the ways we socially organize dying in legal, medical, familial, religious and spiritual institutions. Further topics include bereavement and grief as they apply to individuals and caregivers. In addition to reading scholarly works, learners explore death, dying, and grief through literature, art, music, film, and storytelling. This course challenges learners to explore their own personal understandings of death and journeys of dying toward seeing the social forces that shape us.