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THA THANATOLOGY

THA 604 Special Topics

1-3 credits
Exploration of special topics not yet covered in Thanatology curriculum.

THA 605 Foundations of Thanatology

3 credits
Introduction to death, dying, grief, and bereavement. Topics include the dying process; end-of-life decision
making; disposition of remains/use of corpses; grief & mourning; death competence; family/individual
interpretations; spiritual/religious perspectives; suicide; ethical and legal aspects; cross-cultural considerations.

THA 615 Bereavement Theory and Practice

3 credits
Examination of bereavement theory and techniques in individual and group facilitation skills. Topics include
assessment of complicated grief; techniques for helping the bereaved after special losses; attending to individual
spiritual needs; cross-cultural considerations; lifespan issues; setting appropriate boundaries; self-care for the
caregiver; confidentiality.

THA 625 Cultural Perspectives in Thanatology

3 credits
Examines concepts of immortality related to death, dying, grief and bereavement with respect to religious and
cultural beliefs including bereavement practices within Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and
Native American communities. Emphasis on practical/effective religious and cultural techniques for assisting
individuals, families, and health care providers in their quest for meaning, growth and transition through the dying
and grieving process, and strategies for establishing healthy boundaries and self-care for the caregiver.

THA 630 Thanatology Research Methods

3 credits
Exploration of how research contributes to the identification of best practices in thanatology. Topics include
scientific methods & techniques used specifically in contemporary thanatology research, emphasis on qualitative &
mixed methods; critical reading & use of thanatology research studies; theories and methods of data collection,
analysis, and interpretation; IRB issues; research ethics; & study design.

THA 640 Applied Ethics and the End of Life

3 credits
Examination of applied ethics related to end-of-life care and bereavement services. Topics include the definition of
death and brain death, do-not-resuscitate orders, advance directives, patient privacy, confidentiality, end-of-life
decision-making, moral and ethical frameworks, theory versus praxis.

THA 705 Death in the Lives of Children and Teens

3 credits
Examination of the attitudes & responses of children and teens to death, loss, and grief, in context of human
developmental stages. Topics include strategies for working with families and caregivers of terminally ill
children/teens; facilitating communication between healthcare providers & families; strategies for helping
children/teens in the midst of family illness; & models of bereavement programs.
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THA 710 Understanding Suicide

3 credits
Introductory examination of current theories of the causes of suicide, and contemporary approaches to
prevention, intervention and post-intervention. Topics include nomenclature, current and emerging theoretical
models, suicide across the life span, cultural contexts, suicide in the military and among combat veterans.

THA 715 Grief after Traumatic Death

3 credits
Examines the impact of sudden, unexpected death including implications for bereavement, first-responder
effectiveness, and impact on communities. Topics include military death, accidents, disasters, homicide, suicide,
crisis intervention, critical incident stress management, community response activities, & grief support.

THA 720 Children, Teens, and Suicide

3 credits
Prerequisite: THA 710
Examination of suicide among children & teens. Topics include prevalence of suicide among children, youth &
older adolescents; screening; prevention; intervention; post-intervention; stressors including AODA, LGBTQ and
cultural issues, evidence-based programs, current research & best practices.

THA 725 Bereavement Program Development

3 credits
Examination of the practical elements of program design, development, implementation and assessment. Topics
include examination of existing and emerging program models; volunteer recruitment and training, funding,
working with other agencies and organizations, board recruitment, governance, and utilization.

THA 730 Suicide Prevention and Postvention

3 credits
Prerequisite: THA 710
In-depth examination of suicide prevention & postvention program design, implementation and assessment.
Topics include evidence-based programs, current research and best practices.

THA 735 Palliative and Hospice Care

3 credits
Examination of the history, theory and practice of hospice and palliative care. Topics include the palliative
approach to medicine; the medical aspects of dying; terminal disease trajectories; “active” dying and the dying
process; and multidimensional aspects of pain control. Also includes practical strategies for assisting families in
communicating with healthcare providers; the impact of end-stage terminal illness on caretakers and family
members; and self-care for caregivers.

THA 740 Aging and Thanatology

3 credits
Examination of gap between developmental theories of aging and thanatology research. Explores how concepts of
time change as people age and how notions of finitude and mortality influence how people live and hope.
Examines how the notion of living-until-we-die impacts the meaning of death and life.
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THA 745 Spiritual Formation and Thanatology

3 credits
Exploration of the personal and community spiritual resources that undergird effective care of the dying and
bereaved. Topics include philosophies of spiritual formation; theories of spiritual formation in the context of
hospice; spiritual growth techniques and exercises. Spiritual formation throughout the process of terminal
diagnosis, dying process, death, bereavement, and for caregivers will be addressed.

THA 750 Grief in the Military

3 credits
Examination of grief in the military, including predominant beliefs and practices related to death, dying, grief, and
bereavement in a military and veteran context.

THA 755 Death and the Literary Imagination

3 credits
Examination of cultural contexts of death, dying and bereavement through literature. Topics include themes of
death & bereavement in novels, short story, drama, poetry, elegy and music, and how literature can be used in
work with the dying and bereaved.

THA 760 Victimology

3 credits
Examination of the field of victimology theory, measurement of crime, and civil & criminal processes. Topics to
include victimization, techniques for empowering victims, and special types of victims including but not limited to
the elderly, disables, and gay and lesbian victims, and civil remedies available to crime victims.

THA 765 Complicated Grief

3 credits
Examination of the history, research, literature, and impacting factors influencing the development of the concept
of complicated grief.

THA 795 Applied Thanatology Capstone

3 credits
Prerequisite: Permission
Applied capstone project integrates coursework, knowledge, skills and experiential learning to enable
demonstration of a broad mastery of learning across the thanatology curriculum. Individual projects incorporate
critical and creative thinking, problem solving, effective writing and oral communication, and qualitative analysis.
(CR/NC grade only)