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All the material in
this website is copyrighted to Kathleen L. Fowler unless explicitly indicated
otherwise. Permission is granted to use and distribute this material
freely but please attribute properly by retaining the full header information.
11/16/99 Page revised Jan. 14, 2009
Class hour and
room: Tues. 6-9:15 E215; Office: School of Social and Human Services , Room E-222
Office Phone : 684-7565 (don't leave
voicemail) Email: kfowler@ramapo.edu; URL: http://phobos.ramapo.edu/~kfowler/
Office hours: Tues.
12:30-1:30; Wed. 4:30-5:30 Other times by appointment.
Course Description: Perhaps nothing is more profoundly human and universal than the experience of and awareness of mortality and loss. Perhaps nothing is more unique and personal -- and yet informed by our community, our culture, and our sense of history -- than the ways in which we experience, process, and express our awareness. And, finally, perhaps nothing is more paradoxical and remarkable than the ways in which such awareness can be brought to enrich our lives to challenge us to live differently and to act differently -- to enhance our creativity, social commitment, compassion, thoughtfulness, and joy. This course allows students to focus in on questions of Death and Dying and on Life and Living. The semester's work will emphasize the topics of grief, bereavement, illness, caregiving, aging, and the dying process. These topics will be considered with an awareness of history and of various cultures with the central stress being on the present and on American multiculture. We will consider too how such topics are complexified by issues of race, class, gender, cultural values, etc. Although the focus on various topics at different points in the semester (see Assignment Calendar) allows us to consider many areas, there is much interweaving of the materials of this course. Thus topics such as aging or grief are not just treated separately in a strictly linear approach, but are woven togther in an "intellectual tapestry." As various texts and a/v materials "talk to" and "talk back to" other texts, so I encourage you to engage thoughtfully, critically, and imaginatively with the texts and the materials we encounter during the semester. I especially encourage you to bring the materials to bear on your own experiences and to bring those experiences to bear on the course materials.
Course Objectives: The objectives that follow are not sequential or
linear in any sense. They will be approached in various ways, at various times,
and in various pieces throughout the semester's readings, discussions, and
writings, etc.
By
the end of the course students will:
1. Understand and recognize the impact on individuals and society of the
universality of impermanence, death, and loss
2. Appreciate the various ways that people can live and value their own lives,
and address the inevitability of death and loss
3. Understand the uniqueness of death, dying, and bereavement for each
individual in terms of relationship, manner of death, complicating emotions, age,
circumstances etc.
4. Recognize the significant variability in the experience of death, dying,
grief, and healing depending on culture, economics, race, religion, gender,
nation and a number of other factors and develop basic cultural competence in
their professional areas.
5. Develop compassion for individuals, community, and the larger world and a
commitment to activism, equity and social justice
6. Gain a basic familiarity with the field of thanatology and thanatology
concepts, and with research techniques and appropriate resources for
thanatology, bereavement counseling, care for the dying, etc.
7. Know the primary formulations of the concepts of the "pool of
grief," "stages of grief," "grief work", "the
tasks of grief," "the processes of grief" etc. and the way that
these models have challenged, refined, and built on one another to offer
alternative ways of understanding grief
8. Be aware of and appreciate the experiences and challenges of the caregiver
and of strategies that can assist the caregiver
9. Gain familiarity with key legal, medical and health approaches to dying and
death such as hospice, palliative care, living wills etc. and of ethical
debates concerning death and dying such as euthanasia, availability of
transplants, differential delivery of health care, lack of appropriate
insurance, etc. and will develop ability to make critical and complex decisions
around health care
10. Appreciate the rich complexity of literature, humor, art, music, and other
cultural and artistic media which address death, dying and loss and which help
individuals and cultural groups heal, cope, come to terms with and transcend.
11. Appreciate the multiple ways that people seek to "make meaning"
of loss, pain, illness, etc. through spiritual care and/or social activism
and/or learning and/or creativity and/or relationship strengthening etc. and
identify and develop coping strategies. 12. Sharpen critical thinking
skills, research skills, and writing skills.
Required Texts: Walsh, F. & McGoldrick, M. (2004)
Living beyond loss: Death in the family. 2nd ed. NY: W. W.
Norton & Co.. Lorde, A. (1980) Cancer
Journals . Argyle, NY: Spinsters, Ink . Get your books early from the bookstore. Do not wait
until they are due because the bookstore returns leftover books to the
distributors shortly into the semester. The remaining texts are available
on WebCT or the Web. Full citations for all WebCT readings are
provided at the end of this syllabus,.
Writing Tasks and
Projects: Loss History (Due
Class 2); Grief/Illness/Caregiving Essay (Draft 1 Due Class 3; Draft 2 Due:
Class 13); 2 Experiential Projects (Class 6 and Class 11); Group
Presentation, Topic Overvew with Annotated Bibliography and 3 Abstracts (due
date assigned for each group); Midterm (in-class Class 8); Hope Assignment (Due
Class 14); Final Exam (Class 14 and the day of the Final Exam).
Writing Guidelines: Note: In all written work footnotes and bibliography
of any external works used must be included. Page numbers from course
materials (as well as research materials must be included.)
a. Grief/Caregiving essay Guidelines: You have three alternatives for this first paper:
Grief; Illness or Caregiving. Describe
in 3-4 pages drawn from your own personal experience (no research is necessary
at this point) an encounter that you have had with death or loss or grief;
with life-altering illness or disability; or with caregiving. Reflect thoughtfully on how this
experience has affected the social, emotional, psychological, spiritual, and
physical dimensions of your life.
Consider how this has changed you, what you have learned, and what
questions it has raised for you.
Where are you now in relation to this experience? Since this is a very personal paper you
may choose how much you feel comfortable in revealing. Your paper will be shared only with me
unless you wish to share it with others.
In some cases I may ask if you are willing to share part or all of it
with the class but you may absolutely decline to share with no explanation and
no penalty.
Alternative 1. Grief: Explore and describe any experience that you have had with loss or
grief or death that has had a strong impact on you. It could be a death
or the life-threatening illness of yourself or of someone you love, or
the loss of an ability, or a relationship, the loss of a pet, etc. Grief
takes many forms. Use the Loss Assessment sheet completed the first
class and the Loss History completed for the second class to help you in
thinking about and drafting the Grief Essay.
Alternative 2. Illness: Explore and describe an experience that you have had (or are having) in living yourself with
a life-altering illness, disability, or
diagnosis. Be detailed and
specific about this experience.
Alternative 3. Caregiving: Explore and describe an experience that you have had in caregiving
for someone else who is dying or living with a life-altering illness or
disability. The experience can be
a personal one or one you have experienced in a professional capacity. You may have been the sole caregiver or
part of a team of caregivers or caregiving at a distance. Be detailed and specific about this
experience.
Note: Keep
a copy for yourself. When you receive this paper back with my
comments make a xerox immediately to attach to the final revision which is due
Class 13. The revised version will need to incorporate insights
-- and be reshaped through the lens of the course and will need to demonstrate
clearly and convincingly (with appropriate documentation) where reading, a/v,
discussion, and experiential materials from the semester have helped
further your understanding and thinking about this experience -- or have led
you to explore in detail an entirely different one. (Let me know if you
expect that your focus will change dramatically on the second version of the
essay!) You must use
at least 4 of the scholarly articles assigned for the class (this must include
at least one of the chapters from Walsh & McGoldrick as well as those on WebCT.
You may use additional chapters from Walsh & McGoldrick or Lorde’s
Cancer Journals among the remaining 3 required sources). The brief
handouts I pass out during the semester are not appropriate
as source materials for your revised essay. To help you distinguish note that
the articles you select must be at least 5 pages in length. Where
appropriate you may also cite one or more of the videos we have viewed as a
class but only as additional sources besides the 6 required articles. The
second draft of the essay must be appropriately documented with parenthetical citations
and a bibliography page. Please follow MLA or APA style for your
documentation. I don't care which as long as you are consistent in following
one or the other. Attach a copy of your first version with my comments to
the revised version. Your grade will in part depend on how well you
address suggestions made at the earlier stage, Due Class 13. Worth
20% of the overall semester grade.
b. Quizzes and Exams: There may
be a quiz every class on the readings. These quizzes will collectively
factored into your class participation grade (which will also reflect attendane
and active participation in large class and small group activities and
discussion). Class
participation is worth 15% of the semester’s grade. I will drop the lowest quiz grade from the final
average. If you are absent your quiz grade will be a zero for that
class. You may make up one missed quiz. A midterm exam
(in-class) will be given Class 8 and will cover
all the readings for the class up to and including those due for class 8. The
midterm is worth 10% of the overall semester grade. The final exam (worth
10%) will start Class 14 and continue the day of the final exam -- details will
be announced later.
c.
Group Panel Presentation: Group A: Living with Life-Altering Illness/Disability: Class
5; Group B: Professional Caregiving; Class 7; Group C: Children: Illness
and Death: Class 9; Group D: Aging/The Elderly: Class 11. Note:
Instead of a full-scale research paper for this class you will be asked to do a
limited research task as a part of a group working on a common theme. The
group will pursue a research project which will result in a collective
annotated bibliography and a panel presentation on the date of the assigned
topic. See D&Dsp09PanelGuide
PDF
d.
Individual Journal Article Abstracts (3) Each member of the group
will research one particular specific aspect of the group's larger
topic. (In other words if there are 6 students in the group there will be
six specific elements of the group’s theme. For example: If
you the group were researching “The Dying Process” – elements might be: physical/medical dimensions of dying;
spiritual and philosophical aspects of dying; living and coping as you die;
ethical/problem-solving issues for the dying; emotional/psychological needs of
the dying; social/cultural relationships around the dying person.)
Each
group member will identify 3 key juried journal articles on the aspect of the
topic they are exploring. Note you
are seeking the best 3 relevant articles – not just the first 3 your
search produces. Ideally each group member will seek articles
written from the perspective of that student's particular professional field --
i.e. a social work major should be looking at social work articles on the
selected aspect of the group topic e.g. "social work interventions in
family/friend caregiver burnout." The individual group member
will also prepare a full formal abstract (your abstract that is, not the
one provided by the database!) of your three articles (see guidelines Preparing
Abstracts )
These abstracts will be submitted along with copies of the original articles as
well as copies of the abstracts provided by the databases. on the day that the Group presents. You will
receive an individual grade on the abstracts and a group grade on the class
presentation and collective annotated bibliography. The abstracts are worth
collectively 10% of the semester's grade. NOTE: Although they will be based on the same journal articles, the
abstracts are separate (and more extensive) than the brief annotations included
on the annotated bibliography which is being assembled by the group as a whole.
e.
Experiential Projects (2 of
these) EP1 due Class 6; EP2 Class 11. Under the Curriculum
Enhancement Program (CEP) students are expected to do a minimum of 5 hours of
experiential work outside the class. This requirement will be satisfied
for this class by completing (and submitting a write-up of the experience) two
Experiential Projects from the linked list of Experiential Projects
options. Experiential Project #1 is due Class 6; Experiential Project #2
is due Class 11. Each EP2 is worth 10% of the overall semester
grade. For options and
guidelines see: D&D
Experiential Projects
Student Obligations and Course Policies:
A:
Attendance: As this
course proceeds throughout the semester, the written materials, lectures, class
discussions and contributions of guest lecturers build upon each other and
integrate into a cohesive whole.
Thus attendance is a "must" and it is expected that no more
than one class will be missed.
Attendance will be gathered via quiz papers at the beginning of each
class and may be taken again at the end of the class. NOTE: YOU MUST RETURN AFTER THE BREAK IN
ORDER TO BE PRESENT FOR THE CLASS.
In case of difficulty, see me.
Tardiness over ten minutes or leaving the class early counts as 1/2
absence.
B. Class
Participation: In class we
will be approaching the material through a number of techniques including large
group discussion, small group exploration, sharing of experiences, brief
in-class writings, and reading aloud. We are a community of learners
approaching the subject of death and dying together to understand, to celebrate,
to commemorate and to share. I expect all of you to participate actively in all
of these forms of engagement with the texts and the minds behind the
texts. And I expect that your
comments and participation will demonstrate thoughtful reading and analysis of
the assigned materials. And -- to encourage you to take an active role -- the
more you talk, the less I talk! Participation is important and will count as
15% of your grade. (Quiz grades
will be factored into the participation grade).
C. Electronic
Communication: I will
communicate with you electronically solely at your Ramapo email address (i.e.
ending in @ramapo.edu).
Furthermore, I will only read email sent from the Ramapo email
address. (I delete most messages
that come from unknown addresses).
If your email needs a quick reply please put URGENT in the message
field. Otherwise I will try to
respond as rapidly as possible. DO
NOT LEAVE voice mail on my office phone.
I do not reliably check my voice mail messages.
D. Class Decorum: Class decorum is essential. Please be
on time and orderly about your arrival. Late arrivals and early departures not
only damage your learning but disrupt the concentration of others in the class.
If you must be late, for some reason, please enter quietly and take a seat near
the door. Be respectful of the opinions and contributions of your classmates.
On occasion this class will raise difficult feelings in members of the
class. Please treat yourselves and
each other with compassion and patience.
I will not hesitate to ask anyone to leave who chooses not to behave in
a responsible and respectful manner. Your conduct will enter into your
participation grade.
E. The Ouch Rule: All students are expected to adhere to
rules of conduct that contribute to an atmosphere conducive to the discussion
of perspectives which spring from differences in age, race, gender, physical
and mental abilities, ethnicity, sexual orientation, class background, and
personal experiences. Because we
are reading, writing about, and discussing very sensitive material -- and
because we have all been acculturated in a society which remains
racist/sexist/heterosexist/classist etc. at the most profound linguistic level
-- we need to be aware when we make comments which are hurtful or offensive to
others. Hence -- "the Ouch
Rule." If someone makes a remark which causes you pain or offense, say
"Ouch." It is not necessary to explain why you have said
"ouch," although you may if you wish. The word itself will cause us
to pause and rethink what has just been said.
F. Academic
Integrity: Academic Integrity
is essential. Do Not Violate! Plagiarism and cheating are the theft
of another's words or ideas and can result in penalties as serious as expulsion
from the college. See the Student Handbook for guidelines on plagiarism and
cheating. If you have any doubts about how to present material from other
sources, please come see me for help. If I find a paper which I believe has
been plagiarized I will forward it to the Vice President's Office for
action. Don't do this to me or to
yourself!
The following is an All College Statement: Academic Integrity (College
Guidelines):
All students at Ramapo College are expected to maintain academic
integrity. There are four broad forms of academic dishonesty.
1. Cheating: An act of deception by which a student
misrepresents his or her mastery of material on a test or other academic
exercise.
2. Plagiarism
(including internet) Representing someone else's words, ideas, phrases,
sentences, or data as one's own work without citing the source.
3. Academic
misconduct: Alteration of grades,
involvement in the acquisition or distributions of unadministered tests and the
unauthorized submission of student work in more than one class.
4. Fabrication: The deliberate use of invented
information or the falsification of research or other findings with the intent
to deceive.
Violation of any of these may result in an "F", and
students may be subjected to disciplinary proceedings.
G. Note on Collaborative
Learning: I encourage you to work together in study groups to enhance your
engagement with these materials.
This course should be collaborative rather than competitive. Student Presentations and writings
should, of course, be your individual product but understanding should be our
collective achievement.
H. Note on Service Learning Option: (May be undertaken
instead of the Midterm and one of the Experiential Projects). Service Learning allows you to work in
an agency or other organization (often nonprofit). Through a reflective journal you will combine your academic
course material with "hands on" experience. You must put in 40 hours total (including attending Cahill
Orientation and Reflection sessions) and turn in a reflective journal analyzing
what you are learning through your service learning experience. The journal should be maintained
regularly during the experience (not written retrospectively at the end!) and
should incorporate relevant course materials. Consult Cahill Center and me
about this option Contact person:
Karen Booth, Office of Experiential Learning C209, X7447. See the Service Learning Web page at http://www.ramapo.edu/studentlife/cahill/servicel/info.htm
I. Note for Honors
Students : If you wish to take this class as an Honors option, you must
notify me right away. We will
develop together a plan of additional readings and assignments.
J. Note for
Students with Special Needs: Please let me know as soon as possible if you
will have special needs or challenges in taking this course. If you are a
student with a documented disability seeking academic accomodations that are
disability related, you need to be registered with the Office of Specialized Services
(OSS). This is a college
policy. After you have registered
with OSS, please make an appointment with me during the first three weeks of
the semester to discuss any requests or accommodations that you may need. See the Office of Specialized Services
website at: http://www.ramapo.edu/studentlife/studentServices/oss/home.html
Grading Policy:
Grief/Caregiving Essay (grade is based on the revised draft) = 20%;
Group Project group grade = 10%
Individual Abstracts for group project (3) = collectively 10%;
Experiential Projects (2) = 10% each; total 20%
Hope Project = 5%; Take Home Midterm = 10%; Final Exam = 10%
Class participation (including attendance, participation in large
class and small group activities, and quizzes) = 15%.