Fall 2009
Rel. 213: Perspectives on Death and Dying
Required Books
Fall 2009
Rel. 213: Perspectives on Death and Dying
Required Books
The Death of Ivan Ilyich, Tolstoy
The Grim Reader, ed. Spiegel & Tristman
No Death, No Fear, by Thich Nhat Hanh
The Bhagavad Gita, trans. Easwaran
Robert Bellarmine: Spiritual Writings
Rites of Assent, Abd al-Hakim Qasim
Ironweed, William Kennedy
Coursepack [CP]
Course Requirements [tentative]
Attendance of classes and informed discussion of reading assignments – 20%
Introductions to assigned readings, on dates to be assigned – 10%
Essay test, 28 – 20%
Film paper, – 2%
Email paragraphs – 9%
Journal assignment, including interview report, – 9%
Final Paper, – 30%
Attendance of all evening lectures (required), with journal entries on three.
Meetings and Assignments:
September
11 Introduction to the course
14 AFace to face with It@
Handout: “Categories for thinking about Cultural and Religious Responses to Death”
The Death of Ivan Ilyich, Leo Tolstoy; read pp 35-105 (if you have time, read the fine introduction by Ronald Blythe)
Non-religious experiences and reflections
16 The Death of Ivan Ilyich, Leo Tolstoy; read pp 107-134
Grim Reader, AWrestling@: read the selections by Freud, Montaigne, Nagel
18 Grim Reader, ABrave@: read the selections by Larkin, Zweig, Hazlitt, Stevenson
“Fight”: Browne
AOld”: Larkin
21 Grim Reader, ALeft Behind”: Auster, Dickinson
“Daughters@: Paley, Baldwin, Roth, Sexton, Rosen
Coursepack: Four Poems by Emily Dickenson [CP]
23 Coursepack: from When We Die, “What is Death?@ AThe Body After Death,@ Mims [CP]
“The Undertaking,@ Lynch [CP]
“Joking with Death,@ Neale [CP]
Cultural and social issues
25 Grim Reader, “Rites” and “Cultures”: Gorer, George B Shaw, Selzer, Aries, Mitford
28 No class. Replaced by evening lecture on Nov. 5
30 Grim Reader, “War, Pestilence, Genocide”: Boccaccio, Levi, Lifton, Monette
October
2 Grim Reader, “Ethical Issues”: Munley (Hospice)
Guest Speaker: Vicki Kave, Rockbridge Area Hospice: AThe Hospice Approach to Dying@
5 Grim Reader, Califano, Dworkin
Coursepack: two recent articles from the New York Times: Brody, “End of life issues need to be addressed”; and Hartocollis, “At the end, offering not a cure but comfort”
7 Midterm Essay Test; class discussion
9 Visit to Harrison Funeral Home, 714 S Main [tentative date; time to be scheduled] (required).
12 Film Paper due; class summaries
Religious story and reflection
14 A Modern Buddhist Reflection
Thich Nhat Hanh, No Death, No Fear, Chaps. 1-3
19 No Death, No Fear, Chaps. 4-6
21 No Death, No Fear, Chaps. 7-9
23 Buddhist speaker [tentative date]
26 A Classical Hindu Reflection on Life and Death: the Bhagavad Gita
The Bhagavad-Gita, Introduction (XXpp. 1-30)
Chapters 1 - 2, Introductions and Text
28
The Bhagavad-Gita, Chapters 3- 8, Introductions and Text
30
The Bhagavad-Gita, Chapters 9 - 12, Introductions and Text
November
2
The Bhagavad-Gita, Chapters 13 - 18, Introductions and Text
Introduction, “The Essence of the Gita,” XXpp. 30-45
4 A 17th-century Catholic book on “the Art of Dying”
Bellarmine 13-17, 33-43, 235-57
5 Evening discussion with Christian pastor in Lexington (required) [tentative date]
6
Bellarmine 273-85, 298-313, 321-38
9
Bellarmine 343-49, 352-82
11 A medieval Jewish legend about dying
“The Death of Moses” [CP]
Compare with Dylan Thomas’ “Do not go gentle into that good night” [CP]
13 Jewish liturgy and a contemporary reflection on death
Selection of prayers of the Yom Kippur service [CP]
Rabbi Alan Lew, “Death and Yom Kippur Atone” [CP]
16 Islamic Scripture: death and life in the Quran
Selections from the Quran [CP]
Esposito, on the Quran, from Islam, the Straight Path [CP]
18 A modern Muslim story interpreting death and judgment
Abd al-Hakim Qasim, AGood News from the Afterlife@ (67-127) in Rites of Assent (published in 1984)
20 Good News from the Afterlife@ 103 (review 103-27) - 172
Ending it
30 Meet for lecture (required). Work on final paper.
Read: Ironweed, Chaps. 1-2
December
2 Visit to Stonewall Jackson Cemetery [tentative date] (required). Work on final paper.
Read: Ironweed, Chaps. 3-5
Read “Francis Phelan in purgatory: William Kennedy's Catholic imagination in Ironweed,” O'Donnell [CP]
3 Second visit to Harrison Funeral Home [tentative date] (required for students who missed first visit)
4 Meet for lecture (required). Work on final paper.
Read: Ironweed, Chaps. 6-7
7 Evening discussion with Christian pastor, 2 (required). Work on final paper.
* Journal due.
9 Discussion of paper. Work on final paper.
12 Review of course (required)
14, at 10am *Paper due.