Death, Dying and Grief: Through the Lens of Art and Spirituality (CH9214Y)

Content

This unit applies insights drawn from Christian spirituality, and material culture as well as pastoral practice 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. Reflection on and critical assessment of these practices will acquaint students with an understanding of the needs of the terminally ill and the bereaved.

Learning outcomes

Unit sequence

24 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