SWGS 6030 1
FORDHAM UNIVERSITY
GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SERVICE
SWGS 6030
DEATH AND DYING
Course Description:
This course focuses on providing a theoretical base for understanding the psychosocial
aspects of loss, death, and bereavement across the life cycle. Emphasis will include
strategies, techniques, and goals of interventions in clinical work with bereaved
individuals, families and groups, together with discussion of the importance of interprofessional collaboration Grounded in the theoretical foundation of attachment and
loss, the course reviews life cycle, cultural, spiritual, and religious views that impact on
situations of terminal illness, traumatic death, and disenfranchised grief. Attention will be
given to special practice challenges and ethical dilemmas and to self- help strategies for
workers.
Place of Course in Curriculum
This course is an elective in the clinical concentration.
Course Objectives: To assist students to:
1.
Gain an understanding of the dynamics of attachment and loss and their impact on
the bereavement process.
2.
Learn the tasks and stages of normal grief, as a framework for understanding
disabling grief.
3.
Identify factors that affect the nature of the grief experience, especially individual,
cultural, spiritual, and religious influences.
4.
Understand the mourning process of children as different from adults.
5.
Plan appropriate interventions with bereaved individuals, families and groups.
6.
Demonstrate an awareness of ethical issues related to death.
Required Readings: (On reserve in the library and available for purchase in the
bookstore.)
Doka, K.J. (Ed.). (2002). Disenfranchised grief. New directions, challenges, and
strategies for practice. Champaign, IL: Research Press.
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Kastenbaum, R.J. (2004). Death, society, and human experience. 8th Edition. Boston:
Allyn & Bacon.
Webb, N.B. (Ed.). (2002). Helping bereaved children: A handbook for practitioners, 2nd
ed. New York: Guilford.
Instructor’s Office Hours:
Instructor is available for individual appointments. Please arrange in advance.
Mid-Term Assignment:
The mid-term assignment will consist of a 5-7 page typewritten paper intended to help
each student recognize and explore personal issues related to death and dying. Because
the subject of death inevitably triggers issues related to separation, loss, and mortality it is
important for social workers to understand their own feelings about death. This
assignment therefore should include some analysis of how your personal background (as
described) would help or hinder your future professional work with the bereaved. The
Personal Death History (handout) should be used as a guide.
Final Assignment:
This will consist of a paper, 7-10 double spaced, typewritten pages, covering a topic of
interest to the student and focusing on an area related to death that is not in the course
outline or that the student wishes to explore further. Examples are war, legal, medical
issues, living wills, nursing homes, pet death, etc.
Students are expected to read a minimum of two articles related to the topic and cite these
as references, in addition to referring to relevant course readings as background for the
paper. The first part of the paper should include a summary of the subject based on the
selected readings. The remainder of the paper should address the relevance of this topic
to social work practice, including either a case application or policy implications. An
example might be the AIDS death of a sibling that explores the subjects of anticipatory
mourning, survivor guilt, sibling bereavement, and family and community issues.
Grades: Grades will be determined as follows:
Class Participation
25%
Mid-Term Assignment
25%
Final Paper or Exam
50%
Class Presentation (Optional) Extra Credit
Note: Participation will be evaluated in terms of both prompt, regular attendance and
also the comments and contributions to class discussion that indicate that the student has
done the reading and is thinking critically about the topic under discussion.
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Course Outline:
Week 1 INTRODUCTION TO COURSE
PERSONAL DEATH AWARENESS: COUNTERTRANSFERENCE
ISSUES
Week 2
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK: ATTACHMENT AND LOSS
TASKS AND STAGES OF GRIEF AND MOURNING
Read: Kastenbaum: Chapter 5 (Dying); pp.113-147.
Week 3
LIFE CYCLE/GENDER/ETHNIC-CULTURAL/RELIGIOUS
CONSIDERATIONS IN BEREAVEMENT
(Mourning in Different Cultures)
Read: Kastenbaum: Chapter 12 (Bereavement, Grief, and Mourning)
pp. 347-383.
Week 4
CHILDREN AND DEATH
Read: Kastenbaum: Chapter 11 (Death in the World of Childhood)
pp. 307-334
Webb: Chapters 1 (The Child and Death, pp.3-16), and Chapter 2
(Assessment of the Bereaved Child, pp.10-41.
Week 5
FAMILY CONSIDERATIONS IN BEREAVEMENT
Read: Webb, Chapter 3 (Deaths of Grandparents and Parents) pp.45- 68
Bowen: Family Reaction to Death [E-RES]:
Week 6
RITUALS/CEREMONIES TO ASSIST BEREAVEMENT:
CULTURAL/RELIGIOUS FACTORS
Read: Doka: pp. 271-285
Kastenbaum: Chapter 13 (The Funeral Process), pp. 387-442
See especially, “Ethnic cemeteries in the United States”,
pp. 410-413.
Week 7
TERMINAL ILLNESS/HOSPICE
SELF-CARE FOR BEREAVEMENT COUNSELORS
Read: Webb: Chapter 11: Counseling and therapy for the bereaved child
pp. 247-262 and Chapter 15 (Gamble): Self-care for
bereavement counselors, pp. 346-361
Kastenbaum: Chapter 6: The Hospice Approach to Terminal Care
pp. 151-175
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Week 8
TRAUMATIC DEATH
Read: Webb: Chapters 7: (Bevin) Violent deaths of both parents, pp.
149-162 and/or Chapter 8 : Traumatic death of a friend/peer,
pp.167-192.
Kastenbaum: Chapter 9; Violent Death: Murder, War, Terrorism,
Disaster, and Accident, pp. 243-271.
Week 9
DISENFRANCHISED GRIEF
Read: Doka: pp. 1-32, 313-328
Kastenbaum: (Hidden and Disenfranchised Grief), pp. 377-380
Week 10 AIDS: IMPACT ON VICTIMS, SURVIVORS, & THE COMMUNITY
Read: Doka: pp. 43-53, 55-65
Webb Chapter 12: (Dane) Bereavement groups for children in
families with HIV/AIDS pp. 265-293
Kastenbaum: pp. 164-165; 488-489
Week 11
SUICIDE AND EUTHANASIA
Read: Webb Chapter 6 (Elder & Knowles): Suicide in the family pp.
128-147
Kastenbaum: Chapter 8, Suicide, pp. 205-238; Chapter 10,
Euthanasia, Assisted Death, Abortion, and the Right to Die,
pp. 275-303
Week 12 CONDONED DEATHS: WAR AND CAPTAL PUNNISHMENT
Kastenbaum: pp.96-101
Week 13
DEATH AND OLD AGE: END OF LIFE ISSUES AND DECISIONS
Read: Doka: pp. 213-227
Kastenbaum: 180-202.
Week 14
COURSE REVIEW AND TERMINATION
Bibliography
Agee, J. (1938/1969). A death in the family. New York: Bantam.
Becker, E. (1973). The denial of death. New York: Free Press.
Bluebond-Langner, M. (1978). The private worlds of dying children. Princeton, NJ:
Princeton University Press.
Boss, P. (1999). Ambiguous loss. Learning to live with unresolved grief. Cambridge,
MA: Harvard University Press.
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Bowen, M. (1976). Family reactions to death. In P. Guerin (Ed.) Family Therapy. (pp.
335-348). New York: Gardner Press.
Boyd-Franklin, N., Steiner, G.L., & Boland, M.G. (Eds.). (1995) Children, families, and
HIV/AIDS. New York: Guilford Press.
Brotzman, G.L. & Butler, D.J. (1991). Cross-cultural issues in the disclosure of a
terminal diagnosis. The Journal of Family Practice, 32:4, 426-427.
Bryer, K.B. (1979). The Amish way of death: A study of family support systems.
American Psychologist, 34, 255-261.
Burroughs, C. & Mize, D. (2004). Ongoing, long-term grief support groups for
traumatized families. In N.B. Webb (Ed.). Mass trauma and violence. Helping
children and families cope (pp. 142-166). New York: Guilford Press.
Butler, R.N. (1963). The life review. An interpretation of reminiscence in the aged.
Psychiatry, 26, 65-76.
Carlson, L. (1987). Caring for your own dead. Hinesburg, VT: Upper Access
Publishers.
Christ, G.H. (2000). Healing children’s grief. Surviving a parent’s death from cancer.
New York: Oxford University Press.
Corr, C.A., Nabe, C.M., & Corr, D.M. (2000). Death and dying. Life and living.
Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Corr, C.A., & Corr, D.M. (1996). (Eds.). Handbook of childhood death and bereavement.
New York: Springer.
Cousins, N. (1989). Head first: The biology of hope. New York: E.P. Hutton.
Dalla-Vorgia, P. (1992) Attitudes of a Mediterranean population to the truth -- telling
issue. Journal of Medical Ethics, 18, 67-74.
DeSpelder, L.A. & Strickland, A.L. (1983). The last dance: Encountering death and
dying. Palo Alto, CA: Mayfield Publishing Co.
Doka, K.J. (2002). (Ed.).Disenfranchised grief. New directions, challenges, and strategies
for practice. Champaign, IL: Research Press.
Edelman, H. (1994). Motherless daughters. The legacy of loss. Reading, PA: AddisonWesley.
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Epstein, G. (1989). Healing visualizations: Creating health through imagery. New York:
Bantum Books.
Ewing, C.P. (1990). Kids who kill. Lexington, MA: Lexington Press.
Figley, C.R., Bride, B.E., & Mazza, N. (1997). Death and trauma. The traumatology of
grieving. Washington, D.C. : Taylor and Francis.
Freud, S. (1957). Mourning and melancholia. (originally published in 1914). Standard
edition, Vol 14, James Strackey, Ed. London: The Hogarth Press.
Furman, E. (1974). A child’s parent dies. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Goodman, R. (2004). Treatment of childhood traumatic grief. Application of
cognitive-behavioral and client-centered approaches. In N.B. Webb (Ed.).
Mass trauma and violence. Helping children and families cope (pp. 77-99).
New York: Guilford Press.
Grollman, E. (1967). Explaining death to children. Boston: Beacon Press.
Hammond, W.R. & Young, B. (1993). Psychology’s role in the public health response to
assaultive violence among young Afro-American men. African Psychologist, 48,
142-154.
Hardaway, T. (2004). Treatment of psychological trauma in children of military families.
In N.B. Webb (Ed.). Mass trauma and violence. Helping children and families
cope (pp.259-282). New York: Guilford Press.
Hartley, B. (2004). Bereavement groups soon after traumatic death. In N.B. Webb (Ed.).
Mass trauma and violence. Helping children and families cope (pp.167-190). New
York: Guilford Press.
Humphry, D. & Wickett, A. (1990). The right to die: Understanding Euthanasia.
Eugene, OR: Hemlock Society.
Kapleau, P. (Ed). (1971). The wheel of death: A collection of writings from Zen
Buddhist and other sources on death - rebirth - dying. New York: Harper &
Row.
Kastenbaum, T. (2004). Death, society and human experiences. 8th edition. Boston:
Allyn & Bacon.
Klass, D., Silverman, P.R.,& Nickman, S.L. (1996). Continuing bonds. New
Understandings of grief. Washington, DC: Taylor & Francis.
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Kubler-Ross, E. (1969). On death and dying. New York, NY: Collier Books.
Kubler-Ross, E. (1975). Death: The final stage of growth. New York: Collier Books.
Leenaars, A. (1991). (Ed.) Life-span perspectives of suicide. New York: Plenum.
Lester, B. (1989). Women and AIDS: A practical guide for those who help others. New
York, NY: Continuum.
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Leviton, D. (1991) (Ed.). Horrendous death and health: Towards action. New York:
Taylor and Francis.
Lipson, M. (1993). What do you say to a child with AIDS. Hastings Center Report,
23:2, 6-12.
Lonetto, R., (1980). Children’s conceptions of death. New York: Springer Publishing
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McGoldrick, M., Almeida, R., Hines, P.M., Garcia-Preto, Rosen, E., & Lee, E. (1991).
Mourning in different cultures. In F. Walsh & M. McGoldrick (Eds.). Living
beyond loss: Death in the family. (pp. 176-206). New York: Norton.
Mitford, J. (1963). The American way of death. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Nader, K., Dubrow, N, & Stamm, H.B. (Eds.). (1999). Honoring differences. Cultural
issues in the treatment of trauma and loss. New York: Brunner-Routledge.
Nagy, M. (1948). The child’s theories concerning death. Journal of Genetic Psychology,
73, 3-27.
Nuland, S.B. (1993). How we die. Reflections on life’s final chapter. New York: Vintage.
Pearlman, L.A,& Saakvitne, K.W. (1995). Trauma and the therapist. New York: Norton.
Peck, M.L., Farberow, N.L. & Litman, R.E. (Eds.) (1985). Youth Suicide. New York:
Springer.
Perrone, J. (1993). Adolescents with cancer. Are they at risk for suicide? Pediatric
Nursing, 19:1, 22-25.
Rando, T.A. (1993). Treatment of complicated mourning. Champaign, IL: Research
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Rosen, E.J. (1990). Families facing death: Family dynamics of terminal illness.
Lexington, MA: Lexington Books.
Siegel, B. (1986). Love, medicine & miracles. New York: Harper & Row.
Silverman, P.R., & Worden, J.W. (1992). Children’s reactions in the early months after
the death of a parent. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 62, pp. 93-104.
Stevenson, R. (1990). Teen suicide: Sources, signals and prevention. In J.D. Morgan
(Ed.). The dying and bereaved teenager. Philadelphia: The Charles Press.
Stillion, J.M., White, H., McDowell, E.E. & Edwards, P.J. (1989). Ageism and sexism in
suicide attitudes. Death Studies, 13, 247-261..
Webb, N.B. (2004). (Ed.). Mass trauma and violence. Helping children and families
cope. New York: Guilford Press.
Webb. N.B. (2002) (Ed.). Helping bereaved children: A handbook for practitioners, 2nd
ed. New York: Guilford Press.
Webb, N.B. (2007). (Ed.).Play therapy with children in crisis: A casebook for
practitioners, 3rd ed. New York: Guilford Press.
Zur, O. & Morrison, A. (1989). Gender and war. Reexamining attitudes. American
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FORDHAM UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SERVICE
FORDHAM UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SERVICE
Guide for Grading Policy and Recommended Grade Equivalents
95-100
A
90-94
A-
87-89
B+
83-86
B
80-82
B-
76-79
C+
70-75
C
Below 70
F
Students With Disabilities
Any student with a documented disability (e.g. physical, learning, visual, hearing, psychiatric,
etc.) and who has registered with the Office of Disability Services at 718-817-0655 may be
entitled to accommodations. Students should register with the Office of Disability Services
at the beginning of the semester.
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What is Plagiarism?
Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty, which involves using someone else’s written work or even
ideas without giving proper credit or presenting as one’s own, work that has been partially or wholly
prepared by someone else. “Someone else” may be another student, a published author, a professor, a
friend, or a business or on-line service that sells or distributes such papers or materials. These ideas and
words can come from an Internet source, a newspaper article, an unpublished dissertation, a conference
presentation, the popular press and scholarly journals as well as other sources.
The nature of the “work” most commonly plagiarized is written work. However, it also can be ideas,
concepts, organizational structure, data sets, electronic media, logos and other graphics.
Plagiarism is considered a form of fraud or lying. One does not have to intentionally attempt to deceive
the reader to be guilty of plagiarism. Plagiarism also can happen inadvertently by not knowing how
and when to cite sources.
Plagiarism prevents students from learning new material and skills. It cheats students of learning
opportunities by not allowing them to be challenged and to grow intellectually.
Examples of plagiarism include:
Copying someone else’s text verbatim, without using quotation marks and giving credit to the source. It
is no defense to claim one has “forgotten” to do so.
Paraphrasing someone else’s work without giving him or her credit.
Rewriting borrowed material by simply dropping a word here and there, substituting a few words for
others, or moving around words or sentences, without giving proper credit.
With the advent of the Internet, plagiarism has taken two forms:
- Buying a term paper and trying to pass it off as one’s own. [These are relatively easy
to spot.]
- Downloading or cutting and pasting text directly from on-line sources without giving
proper credit.
Copying a classmate’s work or using a former student’s paper. Even copying one sentence constitutes
plagiarism.
Making up a citation or making up data.
Can one plagiarize one’s self?
Yes! Typically, self-plagiarism takes one of two forms.
- Either the person submits work for a course that was written for a previous course, or she or he
turns in the same paper (or sections of the paper) for two different courses simultaneously.
Self-plagiarism is considered as serious as plagiarizing someone else’s work.
What are the penalties for plagiarism?
Plagiarism is not only a serious academic offense, it is also considered to be a breach of professional
ethics. Consequently, the penalties can be quite severe.
The student who plagiarizes can receive a failing grade not only for the assignment, but also for the
entire course. This is up to the discretion of the professor teaching the course.
The matter may also referred to Dean Susan Egan at Lincoln Center. In Tarrytown, the matter may be
referred to Dean Jane Edwards. The Deans determine what other actions to take, including whether
dismissal of the student from the program is warranted. Please refer to the GSSS Student Handbook for
an explanation of the consequences of plagiarism.
Why do some students plagiarize if it can potentially cost them their careers?
Most students who do plagiarize are not secure with either their knowledge of the material or their
writing skills. They fear receiving a bad grade for the assignment. They consider themselves as good or
excellent students. The thought of receiving a bad grade is emotionally threatening.
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Many students who plagiarize are overwhelmed and have not allotted enough time to research and write
the paper.
Some students who plagiarize do so to save time and effort.
They do not realize that many professors have electronic search engines designed to detect plagiarism.
How can you maintain your academic integrity and avoid plagiarism?
Plan your time wisely. Give yourself ample time to research and write your first draft of your
paper.
Know when to use quote marks, single quote marks, and when you may simply give the name of the
author and the date of publication of the source. This means you have to know the difference between a
paraphrase and a quotation. There is a distinct difference.
Have someone who is familiar with academic writing read early drafts of your paper.
Buy a copy of the American Psychological Association’s Publication Manual. This manual contains the
standards that faculty at GSSS adhere to when writing and publishing papers.
Attend APA writing workshops offered at GSSS.
Use the writing clinic at GSSS.
When in doubt as to whether or not you are citing a source properly, consult your course instructor.
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