3 credit hours
This course explores the experience of dying in contemporary American culture. Participants are introduced to the philosophical, theological and spiritual realities of aging and death. The ethical debates of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide are discussed and attention is given to the psychological and sociological dimensions of the end-of-life journey. The class also has a field experience with selected residents of a nursing home. Working in pairs, the students conduct interviews across the semester and produce short “life review” books (20 pages) recording the stories of each participating elderly person’s life.