This class will explore the cultural and anthropological differences in death practices through time, from the earliest evidence of human burial to modern day funerary traditions.  Students will identify and compare the range of ways in which people around the world grieve, commemorate, and celebrate death.  We will answer questions such as:

• Does grief make us human?

• Who were the first to intentionally bury their dead?

• How did 18th century Paris contribute to the evolution of modern burial practices?

• How do cultures balance tradition with technology as our death practices evolve?

These topics and many more will be discussed as we consider the human experience through the lens of death.

Required Text:  From Here to Eternity by Caitlin Doughty

Coursework completed at home will include reading chapters from the text or articles linked in Google Classroom, maintaining a weekly response journal, and completing an end of semester reflection project.  The reflection project is an opportunity to be creative and can take whatever form the student chooses.  It can be poetry, a song, a sculpture, something you draw, something you sew, or something you build.  You can create a game or design trading cards.  Or it can be something I haven’t even thought of!

Content Warning:  This class deals with topics that may provoke strong emotional response.  Course material will include images of human remains.  I will give a warning before showing these images in class.