Cross-Cultural Perspectives in Thanatology

Abstract

Recent decades have witnessed an increase in thanatology education in colleges and universities. However, the infusion into thanatology curricula of religious faiths as they affect behaviors, experiences and emotions of dying individuals and survivors is still in its infancy. In this article I describe an effective approach I have used to integrate various religious beliefs and practices into an undergraduate course on death and dying. Before presenting my approach, I provide a brief description of the state of death education in professional and undergraduate institutions in America and a rationale for infusing cross-cultural components into thanatology curricula.