Talking About Death Won't Kill You
Talking about death won’t kill you. In fact, it might actually help you live a more intentional, connected, and meaningful life. Anxiety about death and dying is rampant in contemporary cultures wherein the pursuit of perpetual youth and happiness are prized and care for the dying and dead is removed from the rhythms of our daily lives. These anxieties make discussions of death and dying taboo, silencing important conversations about how to make the most of our finite lives, how to prepare for our own deaths, and how to support others as they face their own mortality. One way to lessen anxiety about death and dying is to actually talk more about it. And courageous people are doing this important work right now, all over the world. Our course will study various aspects of what has been dubbed the “death-positive movement,” including death cafes, end of life doulas, and institutes such as Going with Grace as well as Columbia University’s DeathLAB. Together, we will study the history of the death-positive movement, learn from some of its leading advocates, and collectively imagine innovative ways to incorporate informed, compassionate, and meaningful conversations about death and dying into our everyday lives..
Course taught by: Maegan Parker Brooks. Colloquium Associate: Lexie Burns.
Wikipedia is a great resource for getting general info about something, but because anyone can contribute or change its content, it is sometimes considered unreliable. It is a good place to start your research, but it is best to double check what you find against other sources.
Consider consulting the library's print or electronic encyclopedias, dictionaries, or other reference books to backup the basic information of your paper. Reference books can provide a general overview of a topic and help identify synonyms, related terms, or basic data; these sources often include references and lists of further readings. Additionally, these resources have typically gone through an editorial process to check for accuracy. To the right and below are some resources that may be of use.
The Digital Logic of Death : Confronting Mortality in Contemporary Media by 
How to Do Things with Dead People : history, technology, and temporality from Shakespeare to Warhol by 
Rest in Peace : a cultural history of death and the funeral home in twentieth-century America by 
Handbook for Mortals : guidance for people facing serious illness by 
Parting a handbook for spiritual care near the end of life by Below are key reference books that provide a general overview of a topic or help identify synonyms, related terms, or basic data. These sources often include references and lists of further readings.
The a-Z of Death and Dying by 
Encyclopedia of Death by 
Encyclopedia of Death and the Human Experience by 
Euthanasia : a reference handbook by 
The Future of the Corpse : changing ecologies of death and disposition by 
Handbook of Bereavement : : theory, research, and intervention by 
International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences by 
Mummies : life after death in ancient Egypt by 
The Oxford Handbook of the Archaeology of Death and Burial by 
