Studying at York
Morbidity, Culture & Corpses - SOC00040H
Module summary
This module seeks to explore issues of death and corpses from a sociological perspective by addressing societal shifts and stratification as well as death spaces and social relations with the dead.
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Spring Term 2022-23 |
Module aims
By the end of the module students will be able to:
- Critically engage with the consequences of societal shifts such as rising individualization and aggressive consumerism in relation to growing morbidity
- Critically discuss the spaces of work, entertainment and education in which the dead are encountered
- Critically examine social relations with the dead through expression of marginalised and public grief
- Critically engage with the relationships between morbidity, space, media and social stratification
Module learning outcomes
By the end of the module students will:
Subject content:
- Critically engage with the debates about death denial and death taboo
- Critically engage with global fascination with death, dying and corpses as a form of popular culture as a site of social stratification
- Critically discuss the disposal of corpses and issues of disgust
- Critically explore the issues surrounding high profile death
Academic and graduate skills:
- have greater knowledge and experience of critical thinking and analysis
- have experience of applying their knowledge in the judgement and evaluation of evidence
- have more advanced study skills
- have greater experience of and confidence in their written and oral communication skills
- have experience of and be able to recognise the value of group working
Module content
Students are encouraged to go on various field trips to support their learning including but not limited to St Georges Churchyard, Fulford Cemetery and York Cemetery, Cliffords Tower and York Dungeon.
The self-guided York Death and Culture Walk with its podcasts is also a vital component of the learning experience for the module.
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Special assessment rules
None
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Module feedback
Oral feedback is provided by module convenors and peers in the module workshops on ideas, and questions relating to module materials.
Written feedback is provided on summative assessments
Indicative reading
Butler (2009) Frames of War: When is Life Grieveable? UK: Verso Books.
Khapaeva, D (2018) The Celebration of Death in Contemporary Culture, US: University of Michagan Press.
Layne (2003) Motherhood lost: A Feminist Account of Pregnancy Loss in America, UK: Routledge.
Penfold-Mounce (2018) Death, The Dead and Popular Culture, UK: Emerald Publishing