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Psychology of Endings Spring 2017 DIS Copenhagen Credits: 3 Major Disciplines: Human Development, Psychology, Sociology Days: Monday and Thursday Time: 10:05-11:25 Classroom: N7-C23
Course Information and Purpose
1. Instructor: Lars Rossen Cand. Psychology (2007, University of Copenhagen). BA. Psychology (2005, University of Copenhagen). Psychologist and consultant at Copenhagen Municipality in various positions (2007-2010). Consultant for Bornholm and Odense Municipalities, as well as for the closed youth facility Soenderbro in Copenhagen Municipality (2011 – 2014). Psychological supervisor, Den sikrede institution Stevnsfortet, Region Sjælland (2012-2014). With DIS since 2011.
Consultation: Should you need additional individual/group advising, please email me or speak to me before/after class
Psychology Program Director: Carla Caetano, Ph.D.
DIS Contact: Psychology Program Assistant: Collin Shampine Email: [email protected] Phone: +45 33 76 54 14
Guest Lecturers: Nanna Forced out of one form of life and beginning a new one: Nanna, a political science major, a mother and wife, as well as a person who suffers from bipolar disorder.
Peter Hyldekjaer, former DIS Head Librarian Ending a Career: Challenges and Opportunities
2. Course Description:
The endings of important life events and relationships are often difficult to enact and troubling to experience. This course visits theory, research, and real world settings that address when and why individuals are tested by endings, how we and health professionals respond to common life endings, and what an ending might tell us about the nature of what has ended. We will study endings such as those of key life’s stages, personal relationships, social roles (e.g., role changes such as becoming a parent or retiring after a long career) and interactions (e.g., saying good bye at a party), psychotherapy, and life itself. We will therefore look at the psychological forces (e.g., personal skills, personality traits, social-situational constraints, and emotional concerns) that influence the quality or character of endings. How do we experience endings and things ended after their endings have occurred? Why do persons frequently find it so difficult to consider, accomplish, or manage endings? What makes an ending a good or poor one? What characteristics of endings make particular 1 Psychology of Endings l DIS – Study Abroad in Scandinavia www.DISabroad.org endings more or less similar? What do the psychological dynamics of endings tell us about the general psychological character of that which is being ended? In other words, what can we learn about the general psychological features of relationships, social interaction, psychotherapy, and the living of lives from a study of their endings?
Furthermore, we will consider how we can use what we learn to help ourselves and others meet the challenges of ending. We will consider cultural differences and similarities in how endings are experienced and addressed from US/Danish/European perspectives, and integrate art in the form of paintings, music and poetry in the class room.
Prerequisites: A course in psychology at the university level.
3. Objectives: Students in this class will: Recognize how common and significant endings are in our lives and learn what counseling and clinical literatures as well as social psychology can teach us about those endings. Read psychological theory and research on the study of social interaction, romantic relationship, role, therapy, and other endings and on adaptation to loss, responses to mortality, and the challenges of finding meaning in life. Understand a common structural psychological framework for endings as well as develop a sensitivity to how endings fundamentally differ. Apply their understanding to help address the difficulties often associated with endings in life. Consider important cultural differences and similarities in how endings are experienced and addressed. Appreciate how psychological science can contribute to professional practice and social services and how professional practice, in turn, can inform science. Leave with a deeper and more nuanced conceptual understanding of the endings they have already encountered and a greater preparation for the endings they will encounter in their near future.
Course Components
1. Required Texts: Ebaugh, H. R. F. (1988). Becoming an Ex: The process of role exit. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Lawrence-Lightfoot, S. (2012). Exit: The endings that set us free. New York: Macmillan. Articles, videos, poems, music and pictures posted on Canvas
2. Preludes (preparation for class): For many of our classes you will be asked to Watch, Read and Listen. You are required to read the poem, play or article, listen to the sound bite or watch the video, and think about how this relates to the topic of the day. We will begin our classes with a short discussion of the pieces in order get us all in the right mindset to engage in the psychology of endings and the many exporessions and situations that relate to endings. Please also think about related poems, pieces of music, paintings or other cultural expressions that might helps ud understand the meaning of endings in our lives.
2. Approach to teaching: The style of this course will be collaborative. While lectures will be given, the format of this course relies primarily on class discussion. We will utilize the course readings, case studies, field interviews, media analyses, student journals, and formal presentations. A good portion of the course will involve team projects.
Interactive learning presupposes active participation from the students. You will be required to to critically reflect on the theory, research and practice presented in class. Sometimes such a critical examination uncovers inconsistencies or lack of elaboration. However, being critical of basic assumptions in a theory does not negate the theory altogether. Therefore, we will try to integrate, rather than dismiss, the different approaches presented in the course
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The schedule will list reading materials for each class meeting. Please be prepared by having read and thought about the material before coming to class. By reading the material beforehand, you will better understand the points I make, you will be better prepared for discussion, and you will be able to ask thoughtful and productive questions.
Classes will consider a few specific topics in depth and will typically not repeat the assigned readings, but will serve as a foundation for the lectures and it will be expected that they are included in class discussions. Thus, most of the materials in the text you will learn on your own outside of class. It is imperative that you keep up with the readings, because you can 1) ask questions about reading material you find confusing or unclear, and 2) continuously prepare for the exam.
3. Field studies: The Psychology of Endings is about real life events and experiences as well as cultural and artistic expressions. Thus, in our field studies we will meet with people the critical issue of having to end their stay in their home country and having migrated to Denmark. We will also engage ourselves in recognizing and translating endings in golden age art. The golden age deals with the ending of Denmark as a grand kingdom and the beginning of a new identity as a little county, as well as it demarking the beginning of a new national identity that to this day is reflected in politics and media debates. This leads us to the discussion of whether periods and era really ends or rather develop and transform, carrying reminiscences of the past forever into the future?
Wednesday, February 1st
This day we will participate in an interactive experiential workshop given by Hakon Ask Jensen and Forvandlende Fortællinger on the key global concerns with difference and community to better understand the experience of leaving one’s country and coming to another.
Wednesday, March 15th Visit the Hierschsprungske Collection of art for a tour of the Golden Age paintings as well as a student guided work shop, where you will identify and account for why a painting of your choice expresses or signals as certain form of ending.
4. Expectations of the students: I expect students to have done the reading for each class and to come with notes and questions for me and for the other students. I want to encourage each and every student to participate in every class session even though I recognize that students vary in how comfortable they are speaking in class. When speaking in class, I expect students to make frequent references to the textual readings as well as their own experiences and previous course material. Class participation is important because we will all work together to understand the material, to develop insights using the concepts and stories we are encountering, to share experiences and information, and to explore questions associated with our topics. I also expect students to be punctual, respectful, and present in all class activities.
5. Class Representatives: Each semester DIS looks for class representatives to become an official spokesperson for their class group, addressing any concerns that may arise (in academic or related matters), suggesting improvements and coming up with new ideas. Class representatives are a great way for DIS faculty to ensure better and timelier feedback on their courses, assessments, and teaching styles, and as such perform an invaluable role in connecting student needs with faculty instruction during term time. Class Representatives will be elected in class at the beginning of the semester.
Assignments and Evaluation
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Assignment How evaluated Due Date Percentage of grade
See Rubric Ongoing 20% Class Engagement
At beginning of each Responses to Course Reading topic/block. See Rubric 20% Questions and Answers Please see Canvas for specific dates.
See Rubrics for 20% paper Major Team Presentation and Paper Paper and May 1st 20% presentation on a Selected Course Topic Presentation
Final Narrative on Endings See Rubric 20% May 11th
Total 100%
Class Engagement (20%): Class participation grades will be based on the quality and not necessarily the extent of student contributions to each class session. Each student is expected to complete the readings carefully, identify and develop questions for class discussion, and participate in class discussion actively, thoughtfully, and critically. The instructor will address expectations for class participation further in the first class session.
Course Reading Questions and Answers (20%) Due Date: Beginning of first class in a new theme/block Each student will be expected to submit a thoughtful, typed response of about 1 to 1 ½ pages to a question posted on Canvas about that previous reading and class discussion regarding the previous theme/block. See Rubric for further guidelines.
Team Presentation and Research Paper: Constructing Good Endings (20% and 20%) Due Date: November 30th and December 3rd Student teams will be expected to present on a particular topic of endings which we have studied and to explore this topic in more depth and to generate recommendations for what would constitute a good ending for this selected experience. Student teams will also submit an 8 page paper detailing their scholarly research and their recommendations for constructing a “good ending.”
Personal Narrative on Endings (20%) Due Date: Even before taking this course, you have faced many endings: childhood, elementary, middle and high school, perhaps moving from a house and neighborhood, relationships both friendly and romantic, and sadly for some the loss of a loved one. Of course, a major ending looms right ahead of you as you graduate from college and perhaps leave your home, and even your home town. Now as you complete the course readings and share in our class discussions, I ask you to reflect periodically in an electronic journal on your deepening understanding of the processes and lessons learned from past endings to inform and shape your own process of the endings ahead for you and those whom you love.
Some questions to consider are:
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What have you learned in this course that connects with your previous understanding of significant endings you have encountered in your life? How has your view of the complexities of “endings” changed based on this course? How do different forms of media, ie. written narratives, Facebook updates, music, poetry, visual arts ect. help us cope, recover and create meaning in endings? How do you understand endings to be viewed by the various cultures in which we have examined it? Most critical, what implications do you foresee for your own process of ending your college years? Where do you see yourself succeed or struggle as you proceed through this ending? What adaptations might you consider adopting now to enable you to deal with predictable challenges in this ending? What thoughts have you on how our 21st c. society might or should adapt to provide a more satisfying experience to the endings encountered in one’s life?
Policies______Attendance You are expected to attend all DIS classes when scheduled. If you miss a class for any reason please contact the faculty no later than the day of the missed class. If you miss multiple classes the Director of Teaching and Learning, and the Director of Student Affairs will be notified and they will follow-up with you to make sure that all is well. Absences will jeopardize your grade and your standing at DIS. Allowances will be made in cases of illness, but in the case of multiple absences you will need to provide a doctor’s note.
Academic Honesty: Plagiarism and Violating the Rules of an Assignment DIS expects that students abide by the highest standards of intellectual honesty in all academic work. DIS assumes that all students do their own work and credit all work or thought taken from others. Academic dishonesty will result in a final course grade of “F” and can result in dismissal. The students’ home universities will be notified. DIS reserves the right to request that written student assignments be turned in electronic form for submission to plagiarism detection software. See the Academic Handbook for more information, or ask your instructor if you have questions.
Policy on late papers: Late papers will be accepted, but your grade for the paper will be reduced significantly unless you have arranged this with your instructor in advance or have a compelling medical reason for the situation.
Policy for students who arrive late to class: Students should arrive to class on time. Failure to do so will be reflected in students’ participation grades.
Use of laptops or phones in class: Students are free to bring a computer or other electronic device to class. However, it is a course rule that students restrict their uses of such devices to course-related activity during class meeting times. Violations of this policy will be reflected in students’ participation grades.
Disability and resource statement: Any student who has a need for accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the Office of Academic Support ([email protected]) to coordinate this. In order to receive accommodations, students should inform the instructor of approved DIS accommodations within the first two weeks of classes.
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Course Schedule Thursday Assignment for class: 19.1.17 No required readings for this class Print out and carefully read the fine details of the entire syllabus Class 1 Highlight any areas of confusion and/or concern Come to class with specific questions for clarifications about details in the syllabus 10:05-11:25 Topics to be covered today: Beginnings Using Canvas with this course Introduction to this course: Why study Endings? Mind map of Endings with key terms and analytical framework for this course Course planning, assignments, class representatives.
Theme 1: Understanding our own Endings: Childhood, High School, and College Monday Assignment for Class: 23.1.17 Read in Textbook: o Lawrence-Lightfoot, S. (2012). Exit: The endings that set us free, 3-34. Class 2 Read on Canvas: o Bridges, William. (2004 ed.). Transitions, 13-14. 10:05-11:25 Prelude (Preperation for Class): Read and listen: o St. Vincent, Edna (1937) Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Sl5IjxPcv8
Topics to be covered today: Discuss Lawrence-Lightfoot’s opening premises to Exit Inspect our first cognizant ending: The geography of childhood What does Edna St. Vincents poem tell us about putting childhood behind us? Examine the role of rituals for the End of Childhood Explore the pattern we may have already established for endings in our life.
Thursday Assignment for class: 26.1.17 Write circa 3 pages on the ending of your childhood Reflect on what sections of this short paper you are willing to share with the entire Class 3 class
10:05-11:25 Topics to be covered today: The endings of our childhood How do they relate to the ending of high school, and soon, college?
Monday Assignment for class: 30.1.17 Watch o Interview with Dr. Jeffrey Jensen Arnett (15 mins.) on his theory of “Emerging Class 4 Adulthood.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_f8DmU-gQQ
10:05-11:25 Read on Canvas: o Arum, Richard and Roska, Josipa (2014). Aspiring Adults Adrift, 83-114.
Topics to be covered today: Upcoming ending of college What are the rituals and rights of turning 21 in 2015?
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How does one end his/her college years and enter “emerging adulthood” in a positive way? How do you balance Arnett’s stage of “emerging adulthood” without running afoul of Arum and Poska’s “adults adrift”?
Field study Wednesday, February 1st 10.00-13.00 Location: Krausevej 3 2100 Copenhagen Ø Thursday Assignment for class: 2.2.17 Read on Canvas: o Padilla-Walker, L., Nelson, L.J., Carroll, J.S., (2012). Affording Emerging Class 5 Adulthood: Parental Financial Assistance of their College-Aged Children. Journal of Adult Development, 19:1, 50-58. 10:05-11:25 o Bridges, William (2004 ed.). Transitions, 133-155. Prelude Read, watch and listen: o Tom Waits (1992) I don’t Wanna Grow Up from the album BoneMachine o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zo4Y0TxW41g
Topic to be discussed in class today: Class Panel on the Successful Transition to Adulthood: o What picture of the life as an adult does Tom Waits portray in his song? Does it resonate with your own fears – current or past? o College seniors, parents of college seniors, future employers of college seniors, future romantic partners, a grandparent
CORE COURSE WEEK No Class Monday 6/2/17 – Friday 10/2/17 Theme 2: Ending Relationships and Therapy Monday Assignment for class: 13.2.17 Read on Canvas: Rusbult, C. E., Agnew, C., & Arriaga, X. (2011). The investment model of Class 6 commitment processes. Department of Psychological Sciences Faculty Publications, Paper 26, 1-33. 10:05-11:25 Prelude Read, watch and listen: o The National (2003) Slipping Husband from album Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfEGra_A3Gk
Topics to be covered today: Deciding to End a Friendship or Romantic Relationship After four decades now, Rusbult’s theory is considered a central pillar of the psychological work on relationships. What is your response to the key components to its formula? What predicts relationship success or failure? What is the character, the slipping husband experiencing? What would your advice be to him? What factors other than relationship unhappiness influence the decision to end a romantic or other relationship?
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Why do people often remain in unhappy relationships? How consistent are the findings on early romantic relationships with those on long-term committed relationships?
Thursday Assignment for class: 16.2.17 Read on Canvas: Strube, M. J. (1988). The decision to leave an abusive relationship: Empirical Class 7 evidence and theoretical issues. Psychological Bulletin, 104, 236-250 Howe, L.C., & Dweck, C. (2015) Changes in self-definition impede recovery from 10:05-11:25 rejection. Personality and Social Psychiatry Bulletin Vol. 42 (1), 54-71. Spielmann, S.S., MacDonald, G., Joel, S., & Impett, E.A. (2015) Longing for ex- partners out of fear of being single. Journal of Personality, 1-10. Prelude o Read, watch and listen: o Cave, N. (2016) I Need You from the album Skeleton Tree http://www.nickcave.com/music/nickcaveandthebadseeds/skeleton-tree/i-need- you-video/
Topics to be covered today: Coping with the End of a Romantic Relationship What common responses to people have to the end of a romantic relationship? How do those responses vary as a function of the circumstances of the break-up, an individual’s personality, and current conditions?
Monday Assignment for class: 20.2.17 Read on Canvas: Weber, A. L., Harvey, J. H., & Stanley, M. A. (1987). The nature and motivations of Class 8 accounts for failed relationships. In R. Burnett, P. McGhee, & D. Clarke (Eds.), Accounting for Relationships, 114-133. 10:05-11:25 Sbarra, D.A., Smith, H.L., & Mehl, M.R. (2012) When leaving your ex, love yourself. Psychological Science, 261-269. Hill, Melissa. For a Broken Heart, Take Tylenol. New York Times, June 5, 2016. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/05/fashion/breakups-rejection-neuroscience.html’
Prelude Read, watch and listen Baudelaire, C. (1857) À un Madone/For a Madonna. Les Fleur Du Mal/Flowers of Evil https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzJhXeADezc Bukowski, C. On Love: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktCyKIcdZAo Bukowski, C. (1982) Raw With Love. Ham on Rye
Topics to be covered today: Coping with the End of a Romantic Relationship What role do narratives play in the ways people look at their lives, discuss them with others, and address the major changes they experience in life? Compare Baudelaire and Bukowski and their versions of a poem on love. Can poems like these be a psychological tool for our own understanding and expressions of emotions? What does the literature on written emotional expression suggest about how developing narratives might contribute to recovery? How does neuroscience inform our understanding of love?
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Thursday Guest Speaker: Nanna 23.2.17 Topics to be covered today: Ending life as I thought it should be Class 9
Nanna is a young woman with a degree in political science, who was on track for a job 10:05-11:25 at an embassy; Nanna is a mother of a child and a wife. And she a bipolar disorder and have to deal with the ending of life as she new it when she was hospitalized with sevre depression, isolated from her family. Nanna will share her story about recovery, reorientation and endings becomming beginnings.
Long Study Tour/Travel Break No Classes Saturday 25.3.17 – Sunday 5.3.17
Theme 3: The Role of the Ex Monday Required Readings 6.3.17 Read in Textbook: o Ebaugh, H. R. F. (1988). Becoming an Ex: The process of role exit, 1-30, 41- Class 10 86, skim 87-148.
10:05-11:25 Prelude Read, watch and listen o Ibsen, H. (1879) A Doll House (p 41-45)
o Celan, P. (1948) Todesfuge/Death Fuge. o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVwLqEHDCQE
Topics to be covered today: The Beginnings of Social Role Endings What is a role analysis of social behavior? Under what circumstances do people begin to doubt their commitments to a current role? How do individuals entertain and explore the possibilities of moving to a new role while they remain in an existing one? What influences the decision to leave a social role? What personal and social challenges face an individual trying to move to a new social role? Nora ends the relationship with a man she never loved, Paul Celan reads his poem about the end of sanity, life and humanism and the loss of his loved ones in the holocaust. Which emotions are evoked in us in these different dramatizations of endings? What do they teach us about moving on? What are the characteristics of the individuals Ebaugh interviewed for her studies? How would you generally describe the kinds of role changes she considered? What methods of investigation did she use?
Thursday Assignment for class: 9.3.17 Read in Textbook: o Ebaugh, H. R. F. (1988). Becoming an Ex: The process of role exit, 149-180. Class 11 o Lawrence-Lightfoot, S. (2012). Exit: The endings that set us free, 52-73.
10:05-11:25 Topics to be covered today: Completing Social Role Endings What does it mean to have an “EX-identity?
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How do people adjust to and manage past identities? How do others react to people with ex-identities, at least in the kinds of instances Ebaugh emphasizes? How do shifts to more socially positive or less socially positive roles affect the role change process?
Theme 4: Endings and Sexuality Monday Assignment for class: 13.3.17 Read on Canvas: Class 12 o TBA o “Silent History: Coming Out to a Turkish Mother,” New York Times, June 10:05-11:25 21, 2015. Prelude Read, watch and listen o Antony and The Johnsons (2010) Future Feminism from the album Cut the world. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npyAImVa7qwAntony and The Johnsons
o Antony and The Johnsons (2007) Swanlights from the album Swanlights. http://www.antonyandthejohnsons.com/samples/Swanlights.html
Topics to be covered today: Exits from the Closet and One’s Gender Research Antony from “Antony and the Johnsons” – and the myth of Leida and the Swan in order to understand the song lyrics. What does Antony tell us about gender and personality? Where does one stop and the other begin? Does the pattern for exits apply to exiting one’s birth gender? How does coming out function as an ending? Is the nature of these endings fundamentally similar or different?
Field Study Date: Wednesday, March 15th Time: 13.00 – 17.00 Hiersprungske Collection Stockholmsgade 20 2100 København Ø
Theme 5: Emigration/Immigration - Leaving One’s Country Thursday Assignment for class: 16.3.17 Read on Canvas: Class 13 o http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/denmark-integrating- immigrants-homogeneous-welfare-state 10:05-11:25 o http://lorricraig.com/psychologist/general-psychology/migrants-the- psychology-of-immigration/ Look over on Canvas o http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/06/21/world/map-flow-desperate- migration-refugee-crisis.html?_r=0
Topics to be covered today: What are the stages of exiting one’s country for another? How does the reason for leaving affect the ending? Given the map of increasing migration throughout the world, what psychological services are needed?
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Long Study Tour/Travel Break No Classes Saturday 18.3.17 – Sunday 26.3.17
Monday Assignment for class: 27.3.17 Interview a Dane about their views on immigration to Denmark, especially the Class 14 increasing recent numbers of refugees to Denmark. Read on Canvas: 10:05-11:25 o Neil Lutsky’s Notes from India #13 and 16
Topics to be covered today: Discussion of Field Study How do the attitudes of the Danes affect the immigrants’ experience of psychological well-being? What impact did leaving a year abroad in Denmark and India have on Neil Lutsky? What connections might there be to your own experience of exiting your home for DIS, and then in December, exiting DIS for the US?
Theme 6: Ending One’s Career Thursday Assignment for class: 30.3.17 Read in Textbook: o Lawrence-Lightfoot, S. (2012). Exit: The endings that set us free, 179-196. Class 15 Watch and analyze a video of Jon Stewart’s last show on Comedy Central on April 6,
10:05-11:25 2015: http://www.cc.com/video-collections/igf7f1/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-jon-s- final-episode/dw1yxo
Guest Lecturer: Peter Hyldekjaer, DIS Head Librarian Topics to be covered today: Career Shifts and Retirements as Social Role Endings How do people cope with the loss of status and purpose associated with select career shifts and retirements? Why are forced role endings so much more problematic than voluntary ones? In what ways do retirements reflect or fail to reflect the social dynamics Ebaugh emphasizes in her model of becoming an EX? Is it harder to leave a famous life than an ordinary one?
Theme 7: Ending Rituals and Social Encounters Monday Assignment for class: Class 16 Read on Canvas: 3.4.17 o Goffman, E. (1971). Relations in Public, 62-94. o Albert, S., & Kessler, S. (1978). Ending social encounters. Journal of 10:05-11:25 Experimental Social Psychology, 14, 541-553. Scan in Textbook: o Lawrence-Lightfoot, S. (2012). Exit: The endings that set us free, 226-244.
Topics to be covered today: Social Conversation and Interaction Endings What rituals do we follow when we end conversations? What psychological functions do these rituals serve for interaction participants? How do these rituals vary as a function of the relationship and status of the individuals ending the interaction? How cross-culturally common are the social rituals highlighted in these readings?
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Theme 8: Cognition and Endings: Think with the End in Mind Thursday Assignment for class: 6.4.17 Read on Canvas: Ersner-Hershfield, H., Mikels, J. A., Sullivan, S. J., & Carstensen, L. L. (2008). Class 17 Poignancy: Mixed emotional experience in the face of meaningful endings. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 94, 1, 158-167. 10:05-11:25 Kurtz, J. L. (2008) Looking to the future to appreciate the present. Psychological Science, 1238-1241.
Prelude Read, watch and listen R.E.M. (1987) Its the end of the World as we know it (and I feel fine) from the album Murmur https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0GFRcFm-aY De Montaigne, M. (1580) That ToStudy Philosophy is Learning to Die. Essays Vol I
Topics to be covered today: Looking Back at the End What impact does the end of an experience have on memories and assessments of the whole experience? How, cognitively, can we account for retrospective effects? What effects does the anticipation of an ending have on behavior and emotion? What is poignant about an ending? Theme 9: Endings of Lives: Grief and Death Monday Assignment for class: 10.4.17 Read on Canvas: Class 18 o Boss, P. (2006). Loss, Trauma, and Resilience, xvii-22. o Bonanno, G. A. (2004). Loss, trauma, and human resilience. American 10:05-11:25 Psychologist, 59, 1, 20-28. o Sheryl Sandberg’s Facebook post on the death of her husband David Goldberg: https://www.facebook.com/sheryl/posts/10155617891025177:0
Prelude Egon Schiele: Totes Mutter (Dead Mother) Kristain Zahrtmann: Dronning Sofie Amalies Dødsleje (The deathbed of Queen Sofie Amalie) Edward Munch: Marats Død (The Death of Marat) Ejnar Nielsen: Den syge Pige (The Sick Girl) L. A. Ring: Dødens Triumf (The Triumph of Death)
L. A. Ring: Den gamle kone og døden (The Old Woman and Death) Topics to be covered today: Variations in Grief and Resilience Look at the six paintings and reflect on the place of portraits of death and the dying from the past, and the function they had. How was portraits of dead and dying people of all ages portrayed then and how do we portray death now? What does this say about our culture and the relationship we have with the departure from life? What does Bonanno claim about the normative patterns of grief? What evidence supports these claims? How can we account for the differences between popular beliefs about grief and loss and Bonanno’s findings?
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What is ambiguous loss, and what particular difficulties does coping with ambiguous loss pose? What patterns of loss and grief do we see or not see in Sandberg’s post
Travel Break No Class Wednesday 12.4.17 – Sunday 17.4.17 Thursday Assignment for class: 20.4.17 Read in Textbook: Lawrence-Lightfoot, S. (2012). Exit: The endings that set us free, 138-154, 215- Class 19 225. Read on Canvas: 10:05-11:25 Gawande, Atul (2014) Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End, 191- 230.
Prelude Karl Ove Knausgaard and how to deal with the loss of a tyrant father: A 3500 (!) page autobiography: http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/what-is-the- struggle-in-my-struggle Read the last page of the autobiography and think about what this means
Topics to be covered today: Death and Dying What does Knausgaards obsessive compulsive writing tell us about processing ambiguous loss and establishing a new sense self in the image of the father he feared?
How do people cope with the news that the end of their lives is imminent? What, if anything, makes for a good death? How do others respond to someone who is dying? Why might someone choose to die? How do people strive to achieve closure at endings and under what circumstances is it possibly achieved?
Monday Assignment for class: 24.4.17 Finalize team presentation and paper on selected topic
Class 20 Topics to be covered in class: Meet in teams to finalize presentation and paper on selected topic 10:05-11:25
Thursday No Required Readings This Class 27.4.17 Topics to be covered today: Class 21 Team A Presentations and Team B Papers on Endings DUE
10:05-11:25 Monday No Required Readings This Class 1.5.17 Topics to be covered today: Class 22 Team B Presentations and Team A Papers on Endings DUE
10:05-11:25 Monday Assignment for class: 4.5.17 Submit Narrative Journal on Endings
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Class 23 Topics to be covered today: What makes for a Good Ending: Ending this course & Ending Our Time at DIS 10:05-11:25 Class Reflections and Key Lessons FINALS PERIOD Monday, May 8th-Thursday, May 11th There is no final exam in this class
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