Department of Social & Policy Sciences, Unit Catalogue 2008/09 |
SP20196 Spirituality, religion and secularisation |
| Credits: 5 |
| Level: Intermediate |
| Semester: 1 |
| Semester: 2 |
| Assessment: ES 100% |
| Requisites: |
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This unit is only available to students on the Foundation Degree in Funeral Services. Aims: * To introduce students to understandings of the place of death in some of the world's major religions; * To make students aware that religious understandings of death vary between societies and across time; * To recognise the significance of religious beliefs in terms of funeral practice; * To understand the nature of secularisation and its significance in terms of funeral practice; * To understand the nature of spirituality in contemporary Western societies. Learning Outcomes: By the end of the unit students will be able to: * Describe and reflect on a range of religious and secular beliefs that impact on everyday death practices; * Describe and reflect on the social factors that influence contemporary thinking around spirituality and secularisation; * Relate theories of spirituality to funeral practice. Skills: * To think creatively and analytically; * To assess arguments and research; * To synthesise information from a number of sources; * To reflect on practice; * To relate Christianity and other religions and forms of spirituality to practice; * To reflect on how working with issues around mortality impacts on our sense of self identity and the way we view others. Content: * The place of death in major world religions; * Definitions of spirituality; * Understanding secularisation; * Afterlife beliefs and society; * The sacredness of funeral ritual and ceremony; * The importance of memorialisation in destiny beliefs. Teaching and learning strategies will use subject specific or work based examples where appropriate. |