Exploring Death and Dying; Cultural, Theoretical and Practice Perspectives (X4800E)

15 credits, Level 5

Spring teaching

This module explores diverse aspects of death and dying. It encompasses history, the arts, the impact of technology, anthropological perspectives, social policy and key theories.

Underpinning the module is the permission to discuss a subject normally viewed as ‘depressing’ or even ‘contagious’ in an open – and even fun – way. This challenges taboos and creates space to explore a wide range of aspects, from the mundane to the bizarre.

The module focuses on the UK but we also cover perspectives from South East Asia, Africa, Latin America and other cultures. You will explore:

• the dominant theories around death and bereavement
• past and contemporary language about and constructions of death
• the role of ritual and emotion
• sociocultural debates around assisted dying and good deaths
• the impact of digital technologies in transforming the experience of death.

You’ll learn though a variety of methods, including lectures, group work, course work, external visits and talks by visiting practitioners. Assessment is via a portfolio of work, including contributions to an online group blog, a reflective personal journal and a short term-paper.

You'll attend lectures and group work, as well as participating in online activities. We'll use blended learning so you'll benefit from online tasks outside of the formal study environment. The module will be assessed via a portfolio to include a pdf version of the student’s contribution to an online group blog; a personal journal to include regular entries reflecting on the learning undertaken in the module and a short term paper discussing one or two key aspects from the term of your choice, demonstrating how these will be utilised in the student’s personal. professional or academic development.

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 150 hours of work. This breaks down into about 22 hours of contact time and about 128 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2026/27. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum.

We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.