CLS 250 - Death in the West

Course Units: 1

(Not Offered this Academic Year) An introduction to the “history of death” that has emerged from the fields of anthropology, archaeology, sociology, and history in the last 25 years. Through readings that present the death rituals of such different societies as eighth century B.C. Greece, the South Pacific islands, medieval Europe, and modern America, the course will examine the problems associated with composing a coherent account of how and why cultures respond to the threat that death presents to the social order, why that response can change over time, and the problems involved in a “history of death” and how this relates to the areas and methods of “traditional” history. CC: LCC, HUM

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