W2:Discuss The Challenge of Understanding Death. -

W2: The Challenge of Understanding Death

Course Objective(s):
• CO3 Analyze how death is communicated to the living by individuals, communities and the media.
Learning Outcomes:
• Students will be able to identify problem-solving language strategies to communicate death to the living
• Students will be able to evaluate, integrate, and apply the medias impact on death
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Descriiption:
Click on “Post new thread” and write your answer to this week’s Discussion question in a minimum of 2-3 substantial paragraphs along with two replies of at least a substantial paragraph.
Before you post, please thoroughly edit your writing to ensure it is professional and academic. For more details about the initial post and peer replies are graded, see the RELS LD Discussion Rubric. Be sure to respond to a minimum of two classmates with at least a substantial paragraph as well.
Please pick one of the following questions to answer for the forum this week:
1. “No, Gerry, I don’t think that old pot looks good as a lampshade, even if you do paint it green” (Corless, Germino, Pittman 5). This was Gerry’s legacy. Being faced with death, family and friends experience odd memories that surface with grief. Why do you think this happens? Support your answer.
2. What is meant by communicating termed as code switching or style switching? Provide your own unique example.
3. How should death be communicated to a child? Support your answer from the reading.
4. How does the media impact our view of communicating death? Support your answer from the reading.

Reference:
Corless, Inge B., Barbara B. Germino, and Mary. Pittman. Dying, Death, and Bereavement a Challenge for Living . 2nd ed. New York: Springer, 2003. Print.
he media has had a varying impact on how humans communicate death. Technology has advanced. Social platforms have improved communication not only with each other but also with the media. We can reach out now across continents. Death has become more of a sign, a symbolism of defeat due to medical advances. Historicity has demonstrated that death had been a gathering for a social event. People came together to share their grief. Then death, due to medical advances, has become something that humans want to avoid, not only in communication. Entering technological advances and death is becoming its own social platform. Tram Nguyen points out, “The interesting question to me is how people have suddenly changed from the perception of death as an unfortunate, private matter to an encouraging and public event.”
Paul Bisceglio, in his article, “How social media is changing the way we approach death,” points out many facets of the positive and the negative impact the media has had on the topic of death becoming so public.
Watch this Ted Talk (13 minutes) on death for an additional perspective.
View the Talk About Dying Transcriipt.
Image Citations
Nguyen, Tram. The effect of social media on death. Anthropological Perspectives on Death. 2013. Web.