SOC 230 - Sociology of Death and Dying

Credits: 5
Examines the connection between culture and the process of death, dying and bereavement. Focuses on how social class, family structures, ethnicity, religion and technological changes influence American customs, taboos, and rituals around death by applying sociological theories.

Prerequisite: Eligible for ENGL& 101 or instructor’s permission.

Satisfies Requirement: Social Science

Course Outcomes:
Students who successfully complete this class will be able to:

Explain how people have responded to death and dying historically.
Describe how one’s social position influences the rituals associated with the death rite.
Identify the role of technology in influencing our expectations around death.
Differentiate between macro level factors, such as social policy and cultural norms, and micro level consequences, such as personal behaviors, choices and attitudes.

Program Outcomes

Demonstrate how inequality, privilege, and stratification are connected to course-specific content.

College-wide Outcomes

Critical Thinking - Critical thinking finds expression in all disciplines and everyday life. It is characterized by an ability to reflect upon thinking patterns, including the role of emotions on thoughts, and to rigorously assess the quality of thought through its work products. Critical thinkers routinely evaluate thinking processes and alter them, as necessary, to facilitate an improvement in their thinking and potentially foster certain dispositions or intellectual traits over time.
Responsibility - Responsibility encompasses those behaviors and dispositions necessary for students to be effective members of a community. This outcome is designed to help students recognize the value of a commitment to those responsibilities which will enable them to work successfully individually and with others.
Written Communication - Written Communication encompasses all the abilities necessary for effective expression of thoughts, feelings, and ideas in written form.