Module THEO2231: DEATH, RITUAL AND BELIEF

Department: THEOLOGY AND RELIGION

THEO2231: DEATH, RITUAL AND BELIEF

Prerequisites

• None.

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• To discuss anthropological and sociological theories of funerary ritual in relation to beliefs concerning human identity, and to relate these to theological perspectives on human destiny.
• To relate current research on death studies to the teaching of this module.
• To prepare students for the skills and knowledge needed to undertake a dissertation in the final year.

Content

• This module is grounded in anthropological and sociological analyses of funerary rites paying particular attention to the way in which they affect the identity of the living and the post-mortem identity of the dead. Through a comparative approach the topics move from historical cases of Egyptian and South American mummification to contemporary accounts of death rites in Europe, India, Africa and the USA. Secular, as well as religious ritual will be studied, and some consideration will be given to the death of social celebrities and to national disasters as well as to more ordinary deaths. By considering various cultural theories and religious ideas of death, grief and bereavement we explore the part they play in a society's coping with corpses and engagement with death.

Learning Outcomes

• A knowledge and critical understanding of the well-established principles of study and main methods of enquiry in anthropological and sociological analyses of funerary ritual along with an understanding of the way in which those principles have developed, and an ability to evaluate critically the appropriateness of different approaches..

• Skills in the acquisition of information through reading and research, and in the structured presentation of information in written form.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Lectures convey information and exemplify an approach to the subject-matter, enabling students to develop a clear understanding of the subject and to improve their skills in listening and in evaluating information.
• Seminars enhance subject-specific knowledge and understanding both through preparation and through interaction with students and staff, promoting awareness of different viewpoints and approaches.
• Formative essays develop subject-specific knowledge and understanding, along with student skills in the acquisition of information through reading and research, and in the structured presentation of information in written form.
• Examinations assess subject-specific knowledge and understanding, along with student skills in the structured presentation of information in written form under time constraints.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

1 essay in Michaelmas term.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University