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 explores ways in which ritual and belief are related to each other and to the place of death in human life through anthropological-sociological analysis complemented by theological explorations within a variety of religions. Particular attention is paid to issues of human identity amongst the living and their dead through a comparative study of funerals and memorials including cremation, cemetery and woodland burials, secular ritual, religious liturgies, national and roadside memorials. Issues of the death national figures and celebrities are explored alongside the regular deaths in society, all in relation to a variety of theories of grief, mourning and emotion. In addition to library research - noting that Durham holds the considerable Archive of the Cremation Society of Great Britain - students also have opportunity for some practical work and reflection upon British Remembrance events and crematorium practice as well as having the option of pursuing a personal mini-project on some primary material that will comprise one of the three questions in the final examination paper. The online journal Mortality is a considerable resource for this module whose key textbook is Prof. Davies' Death, Ritual and Belief (2nd ed. Ashgate 2002).

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:

One formative essay (2000 words).

■ 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