Content

This unit applies insights drawn from Christian spirituality, and material culture to study a variety of responses to death, dying and bereavement. Students will be expected to engage with historical and contemporary theories and practices dealing with death and grieving. Theological reflection on and critical assessment of these practices will acquaint students with an understanding of the needs of the terminally ill and the bereaved.

Unit code: DS3214Y

Unit status: Approved (Major revision)

Points: 18.0

Unit level: Undergraduate Level 3

Unit discipline: Spirituality

Delivery Mode: Blended

Proposing College: Yarra Theological Union

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Learning outcomes

1.

Articulate the foundational beliefs that underlie two Christian rituals surrounding death and dying

2.

Identify how a work of art (of your choice) expresses cultural and spiritual attitudes to death and dying

3.

Demonstrate familiarity with several theories of grieving

4.

Identify (with visual examples) how art in the past might have enhanced pastoral care of the dying and the bereaved

5.

Critically assess two or three themes that have emerged in recent literature on how Christian spirituality relates to death, dying and bereavement.

Unit sequence

18 credit points in either CH or DS

Pedagogy

Six bi-weekly classes of six hours each conducted face to face. This unit explores the role of material culture as a source for identifying and interpreting Christian spiritual practices in the care of the dying and bereaved

Indicative Bibliography

  • Anderson, M. Sacred Dying: Creating Rituals for the End of life. New York: Marlowe and Company, 2003.
  • Burke, Laurie A. and Edward Rynearson, (eds.). The Restorative Nature of Ongoing Connection with the Deceased: Exploring Presence Within Absence. New York: Routledge, 2022.
  • De Pascale, Enrico. Death and Resurrection in Art. Translated by Anthony Shuggar. Los Angeles: 2007
  • Kellehear, A. Death and Dying in Australia. Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 2000.
  • Kellehear, A. Visitors at the End of Life: Finding Meaning and Purpose in Near-Death Phenomena. New York: Columbia University Press, 2020
  • Kelly, M. Grief: Contemporary Theory and The Practice of Ministry. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2010.
  • Muehlberger, Ellen. Moment of Reckoning: Imagined Death and Its Consequences in Late Ancient Christianity. New York: Oxford University Press, 2019.
  • Morrill Bruce and Susan Rodgers and Joanna Ziegler (eds.). Practicing Catholic Ritual, Body and Contestation in Catholic Faith. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006.
  • Musgrave, B. And N. McGettigan, (eds.). Spiritual and Psychological Aspects of Illness: Dealing with Sickness, Loss, Dying and Death. New York: Paulist Press, 2010.
  • Rothschild, Liz, (ed.). Outside the Box. Everyday Stories of Death, Bereavement and Life. Manchester: PCCS Books, 2020.

Assessment

Type Description Word count Weight (%)
Essay 1000 30.0
Essay 1000 30.0
Essay 3000 40.0
Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by Prof Albert Haddad on 27 Jun, 2023

Unit record last updated: 2023-06-27 15:14:17 +1000