FSE 1150 - Cremation History, Principles and Practice

Health Science Department

Credit(s): 2
Contact Hours: 32
Effective Term Spring 2024 (630)

Requisites

(Admission to Funeral Services (Associate in Science) (FUNSE-AS) and
Prerequisite Completion of program orientation) or
Admission to Funeral Arts (Advanced Technical Certificate with Financial Aid Eligibility) (FUNAT-ATC) or
Permission of the Program

Course Description

This course will introduce the student to cremation as it relates to funeral service. This is a survey-level course that assumes no prior knowledge of cremation. Topics covered will include the legal environment surrounding cremation, utilization of cremation Best Practices, crematory equipment, and the history of cremation.

Learning Outcomes and Objectives

  1. The student will demonstrate an understanding of the history of cremation and its relationship to funeral services by:
    1. describing the history of cremation.
    2. analyzing the relationship between various religious ideas and acceptance of cremation.
    3. identifying the different technologies and methods of cremation and explaining the fuels utilized in retorts.
    4. explaining how the development of germ theory and sanitation influenced cremation.
    5. assessing the importance of economics, public relations, and marketing to the growth in U.S. cremation.
  2. The student will understand the legal environment of cremation in the United States by:
    1. identifying potential sources of litigation.
    2. explaining the legal and regulatory requirements in selected states.
    3. defending various cremation procedures designed to meet legal and regulatory requirements.
    4. examining case studies involving crematory legal infractions and the penalties imposed on violators.
    5. evaluating the implementation of due diligence in miscellaneous scenarios involving cremation.
    6. explaining standard authorizations and disclaimers used by the cremation industry to minimize litigation.
  3. The student will be knowledgeable of Best Practices used in cremation by:
    1. describing how to identify, document, and track human remains throughout the cremation process.
    2. explaining housekeeping duties necessary to ensure proper sanitation and minimize commingling of cremated remains.
    3. Identifying Personal Protective Equipment and precautionary procedures necessary to ensure crematory operator safety.
    4. discussing strategies to market cremation and maximize its profits.
    5. determining the proper disposal of prosthetic devices.
    6. describing proper procedures of inurning cremated remains.
    7. explaining how to properly process bone fragments.
  4. The student will demonstrate a basic understanding of the equipment utilized in the cremation process by:
    1. identifying the name and function of major retort components.
    2. explaining how bone fragments are processed.
    3. discussing cremation equipment maintenance requirements.
    4. explaining the relationship of temperature specifications to the cremation process and pollution control.
    5. comparing hearth types used in modern retorts.
    6. determining the importance and effectiveness of dust ventilating systems used during processing bone fragments.

Criteria Performance Standard

Upon successful completion of the course the student will, with a minimum of 70% accuracy, demonstrate mastery of each of the above stated objectives through classroom measures developed by individual course instructors.

History of Changes

C&I 6/22/2010, BOT 8/17/2010, Effective 20101(0430). Submitted as 11XX, State approved & assigned # 1150. C&I Approval: 07/12/2012, BOT Approval: 08/21/2012, Effective Term: Spring 2013 (465). C&I Approval: 02/09/2017, BOT Approval: 03/21/2017, Effective Term: Fall 2017 (535). C&I Approval: , BOT Approval: , Effective Term: Spring 2018 (540).
C&I Approval: , BOT Approval: , Effective Term: Spring 2024 (630)

Related Programs

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