DM8611

All the world's religions have traditions about how to die well, versus a poor death. In medieval Europe, a poor death, one that was frightening and unwanted, was a quick, surprising death. Such a death left no time or space to say goodbye to loved ones and this world, and to prepare, mentally and spiritually, for what would come beyond death. Many in modern Western culture seek the reverse: Either the indefinite extension of life, or a quick death in one's sleep. The Western medical system often supports these values. This course looks at what it means to die, at what a poor death looks like, and how to have a good death. Using recent works from medical doctors as well as memoirs, it describes how we die in the West, how it can be painful and alienating. Its focus, however, is on religious understandings of how to die well. Taught in a seminar style with close discussion of readings, the course is useful for pastors and social workers, hospice workers and hospital chaplains, and persons in the health care professions. Midterm and final papers. Open to MA, M.Div., D.Min., and Ph.D. students. [Faculty Consent required; 4 max enrollment]

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