Anthropology

Death, Dying and the Corpse

Module code: L6307A
Level 6
30 credits in autumn semester
Teaching method: Workshop
Assessment modes: Project, Coursework

This module introduces you to various ways of thinking about death, dying, and dead bodies through different perspectives. Using cross-cultural understandings and real-world examples, you'll explore questions such as:

• when does death occur?
• is death the end of life?
• what is a corpse?
• how do different societies care for the dead?
• how can relationships with the dead shape understandings of social worlds, politics, economics, and religion?
• how do technology, art, and media impact our understanding and relationships with the dead?
• what is the role of violence in understanding death and the dead?
• what constitutes a good death?

You'll broaden your understanding of death and dying, challenging existing perspectives and exploring the body, self and other in relation to death. You’ll examine issues such as:

• the conditions that make mass killing possible
• inequality in identification projects and what they reveal about discrimination
• how treatment of the dead reflects political and social realities for the living.

Module learning outcomes

• Demonstrate understanding of death studies in international perspective
• Compare different understandings of death and dying using appropriate theoretical and conceptual tools
• Apply cross cultural understanding on death and the dead to communicate a comprehensive understanding of the variety of death practices, and their wider relation to social worlds
• Understand and communicate in-depth case studies on death, dying, and/or dead bodies