NURS 464Dying and Death

3 credits · Nursing · Penn State

NURS 464 focuses on the exploration of attitudes toward death and dying, concept of grief, responsibilities to the dying person and the family across cultures. The student will explore theories and research related to death and dying, identify one's individual attitudes and beliefs about death, identify effective strategies to assist individuals and families to cope with death. Course topics include thanatology, expressions of attitudes toward death, factors affecting familiarity with death, learning about death, socialization, understanding death through the lifespan, a mature concept of death, death of a companion animal, social and cultural influences, cross-cultural and historical perspectives and inter faith dimensions and religious rituals, including traditional culture, western culture and cultural viewpoints and diversity. The course focuses on an overall understanding of the experience of loss, bereavement, grief and mourning as it relates to different populations and different methods of death including suicide, war, illness and violence.