HDEV 300I DEATH AND DYING
Summer 2009, South Africa
Instructor: Dr. Pamela Roberts
CSULB Office: PSY 122
Phone: (562) 985-8530
Email: proberts@csulb.edu
Class meetings: Onsite in South Africa
Office Hours:
M-F on location
Required Readings:
BB Readings: articles listed in Course Materials (CSULB BeachBoard),
links and text on BeachBoard.
Transfer all files onto your computer before leaving for South Africa.
Required Materials:
Flash Drive(s)
2 small field notebooks
Recommended Materials:
laptop computer
General Course Description:
This course will explore the social, cultural and individual aspects of the death experience.
Death will be examined from historical, cultural, biological, legal, religious and ethical
perspectives. In addition, death work, aspects and meaning of the dying experience,
survivorship, ritual and grief will be studied. All topics will be examined in light of life-span,
cultural and gender diversity.
Course in South Africa:
The three week course will compare the experiences of various cultural groups within South
Africa to those in the United States. Taught on location in South Africa, students will be
immersed into township culture through working in programs for orphans and vulnerable
children, interacting with hospice and community health workers and visiting historic sites that
provide a context for death and dying today in South Africa. Readings and lectures will present
American and emerging South African research on death and dying; discussions will compare
experiences within and between the two countries and integrate field experiences into broader
theoretical perspectives.
Grading Practices
Grades in this course will be based on: 5 Reflections Journal submissions, fieldwork, and class
participation. Descriptions of each are listed below:
Reflections Journal
In lieu of the essay tests given when HDEV 300I is taught on campus at CSULB,
students will write a Reflections Journal in 5 parts. As in essay tests, the Reflections Journal
should demonstrate mastery of course content—knowledge of, but also the ability to analyze and
reflect upon readings, lectures, field and class discussion experiences. The Reflections Journal
will be electronically submitted 5 times: June 2 (as we leave the United States), June 9 (Tuesday
evening), June 17 (Wednesday evening), June 22 (Monday evening) and July 3 (one week after
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returning to the United States) for the Final Reflections. Late journals will be given lower
grades.
The Reflections Journal should keep a daily account of course related experiences,
including analysis of: readings, lectures, fieldtrips and fieldwork experiences. Because it is
assigned in lieu of examinations, academic content of the journal should be very specific (e.g.
Discuss the Kubler-Ross stage theory in depth, starting with the stages themselves and then an
analysis of the impact of the theory. During the years of apartheid, how were death and dying in
South Africa affected? What are apartheid’s lingering effects? How is the debate over capital
punishment different in South Africa than it is in the United States?) To help students in
organizing the readings and lectures, general topics that must be included in all Reflections
Journals will be listed at the end of each lecture.
However the purpose of the Reflections Journal is not simply to recite the main points of
readings, lectures, fieldtrips and fieldwork, but to analyze and synthesize the complete
experience of the course in South Africa. Reflections Journals should consider what students are
learning as a whole—combining readings and lectures with on the ground experiences
(fieldwork, fieldtrips and other interactions) to broadly consider the issues of death and dying in
South Africa. In addition, there will be experiences that don’t fit into the structure of the course
but that deserve further examination—experiences that are not specifically about death and dying
but provide an important context for study and cultural exchange. Good journals will weave in
these experiences as well.
There is no required format for the Reflections Journals except to have daily (dated)
entries (written in complete sentences) of what students are reading, hearing and experiencing,
along with attempts to analyze and synthesize the experience of the course. Each of the 5
submissions also must have a summary of what has been learned. One suggested (but not
required) way of organizing Reflections Journals is to break down daily entries into the
following categories:
What did I learn today about: 1. Death and dying 2. South Africa 3. Myself
4. What do I want to remember most from today? 5. Other additions
The Reflections Journal will be electronically submitted (via flashdrive) 5 times; each
submission should contain a summary at the end. Submissions should include all sections of the
journal, although grades will be given for the latest section only.
Note: While students are expected to write daily journal entries in South Africa,
Reflections Journals 1 and 5 will be written in the United States. Daily entries are not required
for those two journals. Instead, in the first journal students should write about experiences in
class, the readings, and on what they expect to learn and experience in South Africa. Journal 5
will be a comparison piece on their actual experiences—both in South Africa and on their return
home. As with all other journals, a summaries should be provided at the end of each.
Fieldwork/ Field Journal:
Fieldwork / service learning will be conducted primarily in the Cape Town area with
the Olive Leaf Foundation’s OVC Program, plus shorter stays at Rehoboth Old Age home and in
Dennilton with the Youth With a Vision/ Next Aid Village Project (See the Code of Conduct for
behavior expectations). The purposes of these fieldwork experiences are to: 1. gain a rich
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understanding of the culture and daily realities of economically disadvantaged South Africans
affected by the deaths of loved ones and 2. make a positive contribution to the groups that have
allowed the class to visit and learn from them.
The best way to learn about people is to spend a considerable amount of time with them,
engaging in communal activities. As noted in the Course Schedule, the class will be working
with Olive Leaf’s OVC Program for 6 half days, with Rehoboth for 2 half days and spending two
full days at Dennilton. Specific fieldwork activities will be chosen by the sites; activities may
include light manual labor like painting walls and gardening. Regardless of the specific
activities assigned, the goals of fieldwork remain the same—to get to know the people and their
ways of life, to contribute to positive change in the site, and to gather information that will help
us better understand issues of death and dying in South Africa. The first and third goals require
that students actively interact with South Africans at each site—both the individuals served by
and the professionals who work for each organization—and keep detailed notes of their
experiences.
Students should carry a small notebook to fieldwork settings to make short, immediate
notes, as well as expand upon those notes every night while writing their Reflections Journal
entry. Fieldwork notes should include: 1. An entry for each day in the field which starts with
the date and time, 2. A description of the experience, including: the tasks that were done, who
was involved and general observations. 3. Specific observations about cultural practices
encountered and 4. Any conversations, remarks overheard or contextual clues about caring for
the dying, the grief or death experiences of children or adults, or general death, dying, or
mourning practices encountered at the site. Many references to death may be quite short and
simply said in passing; for example, one might overhear a conversation in which someone is
described as “late,” an expression for “dead”. This, along with whatever else is gleaned from the
conversation or other observations would be noted in the field journal. In short, this is a data
journal—to record fieldwork hours, general observations from fieldwork as well as encounters
with death and dying in the field.
The field journal also should be brought on every fieldtrip. As in fieldwork, fieldtrip
notes should include: 1. An entry for each fieldtrip (starting with the date, time and names of the
places visited), 2. Detailed notes from the trip, taken at the time (these could include statistics
learned, notes on exhibits and other observations). As with fieldwork notes, fieldtrip notes
should be incorporated into daily entries in the Reflections Journal.
Field journals will be collected at two randomly scheduled times during the trip.
The fieldwork/field journal grade will be based on: specificity in the field journal plus
evaluation of fieldwork contributions by the instructor. Work in the field will be evaluated on:
cooperation, helpfulness, sensitivity to the individuals we are working with and cultural
demands, flexibility in changing situations, demonstrating initiative, acting responsibly and
staying on task. While it is likely that there will be considerable interaction with other class
members while in the sites, that is not the goal; the goal is to interact with South Africans. The
best grades will be earned by students who actively engage with the clients and workers in the
organizations we will be visiting, and who are responsible and dedicated to the tasks at hand.
Class Participation and Homework:
Participation in lectures and discussions is crucial in this course. Students should come
to each class ready to discuss the readings assigned for that day. On certain days, discussion will
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also focus on homework. Homework assignments highlight aspects of the readings and require
personal reflection. They are posted on BeachBoard; bring homework on flash drives for
submission and have it available on your computer in class for discussion.
While completing the homework ensures that students have considered some of the issues
to be discussed in lecture, the participation grade is broader—an assessment of active
involvement in class lectures, discussions and fieldtrips. Obviously those who do not attend, do
not talk and are not prepared (through not having done the readings and/or homework) cannot
expect good grades in participation.
Conduct
Because we will be traveling as a group in a foreign country, rules of conduct must be
fully enforced for the safety and positive experiences of individual students and the group.
Students should familiarize themselves with the Code of Conduct for this course (see
BeachBoard), as well the standards for conduct in any CSULB Study Abroad course (the
Behavior and Student Code of Conduct previously signed by all students) and follow all rules.
Failure to do so can affect one’s grade and, if the infraction is egregious, can result in being sent
home early. For the good of everyone, please know the rules and take them seriously.
Weighting of Course Components:
Each component contributes the following percentage to the grade in this course:
Reflections Journal
(Journal submissions 1-4 = 10% each
Final Reflections = 15%)
Fieldwork/ Field Journal
Class Participation / Homework
55%
_______________________
_______
Course Total
100%
25%
20%
Course Schedule
Date & Time
Prior to
departure:
Friday, May 15
(2-5pm)
Friday, May 29
(2-5pm)
early morning,
Tues June 2
Activity & Topic
Readings
Orientation to the Study of Death & Dying,
Finalizing Trip Plans
1.Death in the United States
2. South Africa: It’s peoples, history,
customs and manners
Due: Homework assignment 1
(submit paper copy)
Text: Chap 1 (all PDFs)
BB: SA History, SA
Peoples, Preface (W),
Methods & Zulu
mourning
Depart for South Africa
* Due: Reflections Journal #1
(submit by flashdrive at airport)
4
evening
Wed June 3
Arrive in Cape Town, South Africa
Date & Time
Activity & Topic
Readings
Thurs June 4
Fieldtrip: City Tour and District 6
Discussion of Fieldtrip
Text: Chap 2
BB: SA Crime Stats
Friday June 5
Discussion: Logistics
Lecture 1: Development: Lifespan
understandings of death
Lecture 2: Working with Children,
OVCs: Special Considerations
Optional Activity: Mama Africa’s
(own account)
Text: Chaps 10 & 11
Sat June 6
Optional Activity: Table Mountain hike
Sun June 7
Optional Activity: Church service
Mon June 8
Morning
Afternoon
Tues June 9
Morning
Afternoon
Evening
Wed June 10
Morning
Afternoon
Thurs June 11
Morning
Lecture: Western / American Cultural &
Historical Perspectives on Death,
Socialization About Death
Due: Homework 2
Fieldwork: Orientation with
Olive Leaf Foundation
Lecture: Guest lecture--Xhosa Perspectives
Discussion of guest lecture
BB: SA Population,
Children Ch 6, Children
Ch 9, AIDS Orphan
Psychology, Grief &
Family Systems
Text: Chap 3
BB: Asian Grief, Jewish
Beliefs, Death without
Weeping, Islamic
Customs
HIV AIDS in SA Chap 9
BB: SA Afterlife &
Rituals
Fieldwork: Olive Leaf Foundation
* Due: Reflections Journal 2
Lecture: Afterlife and the Paranormal
Due: Homework 3
Text: Chap 14
BB: Road accidents-Zimbabwe
Fieldwork: Olive Leaf Foundation
Fieldwork: Rehoboth Age Exchange & G.H.
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BB: Murray Manor
Afternoon
Stark Centres, Hanover Park
Lecture: Caring for the Dying
Due: Homework 4
Fri June 12
Morning
Late morning
Afternoon
Fieldwork: Rehoboth Age Exchange & G.H.
Stark Centres, Hanover Park
Guest lecture: Hospice workers
Fieldtrip: Cape Town Cemeteries
Lecture: Personal Death
Due: Homework 5
Sat June 13
All day
Optional Activity: Cape Penninsula Tour
Sun June 14
Free day
Mon June 15
Morning
Afternoon
Lecture: Bereavement & Ritual
Due: Homeworks 6 & 7
Text: Chap 5
BB: Attitudes Towards
AIDS, SA Sudden
Death, Hospice Care SA,
Cultural Preferences
Text: Chap 7
BB: Living with Death,
Puleng, The Body,
Embalming
Text: Chaps 8-9,
BB: SA Funeral, AIDS
Bereavement 1 & 2, 6
Rituals, Green Burial,
Sky Burial, Methods &
Zulu Mourning (review)
Fieldwork: Olive Leaf Foundation
Tues June 16
All day
late afternoon
Fieldwork: Youth Day with Olive Leaf
Discussion of experiences
BB: Soweto Uprising
Wed June 17
Morning
Fieldtrip: Robben Island
BB: Apartheid Years,
Freedom Charter, SA
Assumptive World, 1
case from Cape Town
TRC hearings
Afternoon
Evening
Fieldwork: Olive Leaf Foundation (last day)
* Due: Reflections Journal 3
Thurs June 18
6
Early morn
Afternoon
Depart for Johannesburg
Fieldtrip: Apartheid Museum
Late afternoon
Discussion of fieldtip/readings
Friday June 19
All day
Late lunch
Fieldtrip: Soweto (Hector Pieterson Museum,
Regina Mundi Catholic church, cemetery)
Wandie’s
Sat June 20
morning
afternoon
Fieldtrip: Constitution Hill
Lecture: Government policy in death & dying.
Sun June 21
Early morning
All day
Evening
Mon June 22
All day
Evening
Tues June 23
Early morn
Afternoon
Depart for Dennilton
Fieldwork: Youth With A Vision
Discussion: Nonnatural Deaths
Fieldwork: Youth With A Vision
Discussion: AIDS in South Africa, Wrap-Up
* Due: Reflections Journal 4
Depart for Kruger Park
Sunset bush drive
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BB: TRC Committees,
Reconciliation, The
Biehls, SA Honors,
Biehl’s Killers Now,
Terrorist Bombing in
Oklahoma City, CA War
Dead
Text: Chap 13
Text: Chap 4
BB: SA Contemporary
Children’s Issues, RSA
Constitution (Preamble
and Bill of Rights),
Constitution and Human
Rights
Sudden Violent Death,
SA Nonnatural Deaths
(2005), Traumatic Events
& Children, Violent
Death & SA Nurses
Ending Denial, Botswana
Orphan Process, Gates
Foundation Investigation,
HIV AIDS in SA Ch 23
Wed June 24
Safari (all day)
Final class dinner and discussion
Thurs June 25 Optional early morning safari
Early morn
Leave Tremisana, visit Blyde Canyon
Late afternoon Depart from Johannesburg
Friday June 26
Arrive in USA
Wed July 3
* Due: Reflections Journal 5 (Final Reflections)
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