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RELI280
Death and the Afterlife in World Cultures
RELI280 FA
Crosslistings: ANTH280
Not Currently Offered
Beliefs and practices concerning death and the afterlife
vary considerably across cultures and illuminate many key
(often unarticulated) values about society. Death rituals
may embody formal religious doctrines, or they may be in
direct opposition to them; they simultaneously celebrate
life as they mourn death. This course will explore the
social and religious meanings of rituals of death, notions
of the soul, sacred geographies of the other world, and the
impact of secularization and science on the afterlife
concept in the context of anthropological theories and rich
case studies.
MAJOR READINGS
Santino: HALLOWEEN AND OTHER FESTIVALS OF
LIFE AND DEATH
Block and Parry: DEATH AND THE REGENERATION OF LIFE
Danforth: THE DEATH RITUALS OF RURAL GREECE
Huntington & Metcalf: CELEBRATION OF DEATH: THE
ANTHROPOLOGY OF MORTUARY RITUAL
Stannard: THE PURITAN WAY OF DEATH
Zaleski: OTHERWORLD JOURNEYS: ACCOUNTS OF NEAR DEATH
EXPERIENCES IN MEDIEVAL AND MODERN TIMES
EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS
Three short writing
assignments, mid-term and final papers.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS and/or COMMENTS
This course
fulfills the "Religion in Society" departmental requirement
for majors.
Unless preregistered students attend the first class meeting
or communicate directly with the instructor prior to the
first class, they will be dropped from the class list.
NOTE: Students must still submit a completed Drop/Add form
to the Registrar's Office.
COURSE FORMAT: Discussion
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Level: UG Credit: 1.00
Gen Ed Area & Dept: SBS RELI
Prerequisites:
None
Last Updated on MAR-22-1999
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Copyright Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, 06459