Undergraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2015-2016 (archived)
Module THEO2231: DEATH, RITUAL AND BELIEF
Department: Theology and Religion
THEO2231:
DEATH, RITUAL AND BELIEF
Type |
Open |
Level |
2 |
Credits |
20 |
Availability |
Available in 2015/16 |
Module Cap |
|
Location |
Durham
|
Prerequisites
Corequisites
Excluded Combination of Modules
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.
- Summative essays assess 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.
Teaching Methods and Learning Hours
Activity |
Number |
Frequency |
Duration |
Total/Hours |
|
Lectures |
18 |
1 per week, weeks 1-4 Term 1 then every second week Term 1
and Term 2, concluding with 3 weeks of lectures in Term 3 |
1 hour |
18 |
■ |
Seminars |
10 |
3 in Term 1, 5 in Term 2 and 2 in Term 3 |
1 hour |
10 |
■ |
Preparation and Reading |
|
|
|
172 |
|
Total |
|
|
|
200 |
|
Summative Assessment
Component: Examination |
Component Weighting: 60% |
Element |
Length / duration |
Element Weighting |
Resit Opportunity |
One written unseen examination |
2 hours |
100% |
|
Component: Essay |
Component Weighting: 40% |
Element |
Length / duration |
Element Weighting |
Resit Opportunity |
One summative essay |
3000 words |
100% |
|
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