Sociology of Death and Dying

3 cr · Undergraduate

Students will learn to connect what are normally assumed to be individual, private experiences of death and dying to broader social and structural contexts. Using sociological theories and concepts, the class will examine how and why Western societies manage and construct dying, death, and bereavement in certain ways, with implications for the oft-contradictory individual interpretations and experiences of these phenomena in modern times. Social processes of institutionalization, secularization, bureaucratization, professionalization are examined, and a sociological lens is used to examine palliative care, death doulas, assisted dying, hospices, funerals, and other death practices. Social inequalities related to dying, including access to palliative care are also investigated and students will critically reflect on public policies related to death in Canada. May not be held with SOC 2310 or SOC 3460 when titled “Sociology of Death and Dying."