FSE 2061 - Thanatology

Health Science Department

Credit(s): 3
Contact Hours: 47
Effective Term Spring 2012 (450)

Requisites

(Prerequisite ENC 0025 and
Prerequisite REA 0017) or
Prerequisite EAP 1695 or
Prerequisite appropriate score on the college placement test

Course Description

This course emphasizes the psychological and sociological dynamics of death, dying, and bereavement and the funeral director's role in counseling families through the process. Students will study the symbolic and ritualistic aspects of memorialization and their impacts upon the emotional experience of the bereaved. A clear understanding of the grief process and its variations among individuals as influenced by psychological factors is addressed. The course also addresses the funeral director as a facilitating agent for effective mourning through personal interaction and the design and implementation of the funeral.

Learning Outcomes and Objectives

  1. The student will understand the value of the funeral and the importance of the ritual in the grief process for the deceased's family and friends by:
    1. identifying the needs of the bereaved.
    2. defining the terms: funeral service psychology, bereavement, mourning, and grief and how to apply them to the funeral service practitioner.
    3. identifying the purposes and values of the funeral.
  2. The student will identify typical responses to death and their variation based on developmental levels, gender and cultural differences by:
    1. outlining the theories of grief addressed in:
      1. Lindermann's Grief Syndrome
      2. Bowlby's Attachment Theory
      3. Kubler-Ross' Five Stages of Death
      4. Worden's Tasks of Mourning
    2. memorizing the normal grief reactions addressed by J. William Worden.
    3. evaluating the determinants of grief.
    4. listing the factors which may complicate grief.
    5. classifying types of complicated grief reactions.
    6. summarizing a child's understanding of death by age development.
    7. explaining what not to say and what to say when explaining death to children.
  3. The student will evaluate various styles and definitions of counseling and the necessary counseling skills as they apply to funeral service pre-need, at-need, and post-need situations as outlined by the American Board of Funeral Service Curriculum Outline by:
    1. recognizing and differentiating various definitions of counseling provided by Webster, Rogers, Jackson, and Ohlsen.
    2. differentiating between directive and non-directive styles of counseling.
    3. identifying different types and styles of counseling.
    4. listing the major goals as well as the major functions of a funeral counselor.
    5. identifying the characteristics of the caring funeral director.
    6. participating in classroom discussion of counseling principles as applied to pre-need, at-need, and post-need services.
    7. identifying interpersonal skills necessary for the successful funeral service practice.
  4. The student will recognize the differences between grief counseling and grief therapy, as well as identify his or her personal limitations and the importance of making referrals to the appropriate community resources by:
    1. discussing appropriate crisis intervention counseling.
    2. memorizing Howard Stone's "ABC" method of crisis intervention.
    3. interpreting the family system and its effect on the grief process.
    4. explaining the funeral director's own grief symptoms
    5. determining characteristics of stress and burnout in funeral service.

Criteria Performance Standard

Upon successful completion of the course the student will, with a minimum of 75% accuracy, demonstrate mastery of each of the above stated objectives through classroom measures developed by individual course instructors.

History of Changes

C & I 10/28/97; DBT 12/15/97 Effective Sess I, 1998-99. SCNS Effective Sess I, 2001 (20011). 3-Year Review 20011. Online 20032. 3 Year Review 2005. 3 Year Review 2009. Amended prerequisites effective 20112(0450).
C&I Approval: 10/28/1997, BOT Approval: 12/15/1997, Effective Term: Spring 2012 (450)

Related Programs

  1. Funeral Arts (FUNAT-ATC) (640) (Draft)
  2. Funeral Arts (FUNAT-ATC) (640) (Active)
  3. Funeral Services (FUNSE-AS) (640) (Active)