STANDARD COMPETENCIES:

 

 I.      Define and explain coping mechanisms used to deal with the death of others and with one¿s own mortality

 II.     Explain ways in which to be more sensitive to the needs of others.

 III.    Define and discuss the historical aspects of dealing with death,

 IV.     Define and discuss the political and religious aspects of differing cultures regarding death

 V.      Address current issues related to death, brought about by new technology.

 VI.     Apply sociological perspectives to the topic of thanatology, using three major theoretical paradigms

 VII.    Define the social and political questions surrounding the topic of Dr. Assisted suicide.

 VIII.   Explain the relationships of gender, age, and race/ethnicity to the dying process

 IX.     Define and explain the Bereavement Role, disenfranchised grief and the four tasks of mourning.

 TOPICAL OUTLINE:

 

 I.      Understanding Death and Dying

         A.      The American way

         B.      The social meaning of dying and death

 II.     Children and death

         A.      The dying child

         B.      Parents and siblings of the dying child

         C.      Explaining death to children

         D.      SIDS etiology

 III.    Adolescence through older adulthood

         A.      Helping adolescents cope with death

         B.      AIDS and young adulthood

         C.      Middle age philosophies

         D.      Eriksons final stage of life

         E.      Taboos and the elderly

         F.      Fears

         G.      Places of dying

 IV.     Religion and death

         A.      understanding using religion

         B.      interpretations of death

         C.      Near death, or afterlife experiences

 V.      The dying process

         A.      Death meanings

         B.      Physicians and the dying patient

         C.      Relating to dying patients

         D.      Living with dying

         E.      Dying as deviance in the medical setting

         F.      The autopsy

 VI.     Hospice

         A.      History

         B.      Nature of contemporary hospice

         C.      Models of hospice care

         D.      Hospice issues

         E.      Evaluation of hospice programs

         F.      Aids and hospice

 VII.    Euthanasia and Biomedical issues

         A.      sanctity and quality of life

         B.      passive and active euthanasia

         C.      living wills

         D.      organ donations

 VIII.   Suicide

         A.      Theoretical perspectives

         B.      Social factors, signs and methods of suicide

         C.      Childhood suicidal behavior

         D.      Adolescent Suicidal behavior

         E.      Media and suicide clusters

         F.      Suicide and the elderly

         G.      Physician Assisted Suicide

         H.      Rational suicide

 IX.     Death Rituals

         A.      Cross cultural aspects

         B.      Death as a rite of passage

         C.      Rituals of mourning

         D.      Attitudes of death

         E.      Customs at death

         F.      Burial rites

 X       The History of Bereavement and Burial Practices in American Culture

 XI.     The Funeral

         A.      social and cultural roots of American funeral traditions

         B.      History of funeral practices in the US

         C.      Alternatives to funerals

         D.      Expenses related to funerals

         E.      New trends in funeral services

 XII.    The Grieving process

         A.      the bereavement role

         B.      coping with grief

         C.      the four tasks of mourning

         D.      assisting the bereaved

         E.      support groups

         F.      grieving parents

         G.      death of pets.