GFVM 1045

Matters of Life and Death

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By Kwong Chak, Yeung

Objectives of today: To let you know

1) Why Do We Have this course?
2) What is the history of this course?
3) What is this course about?
4) How do your grades be graded?
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INTRODUCTION
Why do we (not) talk about life
and death?

Common (mis)understandings of death

Fear of death, AS IF it won’t come

Emphasis on the development of life

Living v.s. Dying

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What is the meaning of living?

https://youtu.be/QOCaacO8wus

More questions:

1. Can we survive our death?

Dreamless sleep - After life

Imagine: Hangover/Sick

2. What are we? Body? Soul?

3. Can we be the Same person in different states of life? Quality of Life?
4. Are we actually afraid of death?

Perspectives on Death: Crash Course Philosophy #17

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Important fact that you should know:

Life is impermanent, and everyone dies
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This could be YOU or ANYONE

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Cases of suicide:
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Japan:
Student suicide Rate on 1, Sept
every year is about 3 times higher
than normal day.
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When Death is inevitable,

What are you gonna do about it?

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The Development of
Thanatology (死亡學)
U.S.A.:
Thanatology: A term formally introduced by Elie Metchniknoff（1845-1916）in 1903.
1912: Roswell Park, a Professor at New York University: Thanatology is the study of the nature of death.
1950-1960: The Establishment of the Discipline
Herman Feifel and Kubler-Ross
1959: Feifel, The Meaning of Death.
Kubler-Ross, Death and Dying. A classic,
Rober Kastenbaum（1989:267）Encyclopedia of Death.

- Elisabeth Kübler-Ross (1926－2004) : five stages of Grief

- DENIAL
- ANGER
- BARGAINING
- DEPRESSION
- ACCEPTANCE.
- In the 60s : Courses about Thanatology were launched by Clark University, Robert Kastenbaum, University of
Minnesota, Robert Fulton, University of Maryland, Dan Leviton, Yale University, James Carse。
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- In the 70s : Professor Fulton started Center for Death Education in University of Wisconsin (It has
changed its name to Center for Death Education and Bioethics)

Asia: From Death to Life and Death

- 1993 Charles Fu’s 《死亡的尊嚴與生命的尊嚴》
- 1997: Nanhua University pioneered in establishing the Graduate Institute of Life and Death.

Hong Kong:

- The Comfort Care Concern Group 贐明會

- Society for Life and Death Education 生死教育學會 謝建泉醫生
- Hong Kong Chinese University 香港中文大學提供跟生死相關的課程，譬如張燦輝教授講「死亡哲學」 ，
陶國章教授講授「死亡與不朽」
- HKBU Prof William Ng: cognitive, conative, skills - Service Leadership Learning and Matters of Life
and Death
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Goals of Death Education

Charles Corr, Clyne Nabe and Donna Corr’s ideas:

To enrich the personal lives.

To inform and guide individuals in their personal transactions with society.

To prepare individuals for their public roles as citizens.

To enhance the ability of individuals to communicate effectively about death-related matters.

To support individuals in their professional and vocational roles.

To assist individuals in appreciating how development across the human life course interacts with death-
related issues.

Three Approaches
認知: Cognitive

情意: Conative: The aspect of mental processes or behavior directed toward action or change and including impulse,
desire, volition, and emotion.

技巧: Skills
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Course Structure
Overlapping field:

Education, Sociology, Medicine, Religion, Philosophy, Psychology, Counseling, Sociology, and even
Management

- 2 level and 6 dimensions

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1. 2 Level: Theoretical and Practical

- Theoretical : Basic knowledge about Thanatology (Week 1-2)

- Practical : Different stages related to Life(Death) (Week 3-10)
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A. Foundation

I. Basic concepts

1. Phenomenon of Life and Death (Origin, dying process, NDE 生、死現象（生命起源、死

亡過程及瀕死經驗）

2. Scope and topics 生死學的範圍與課題

3. Value of the Discipline 生死學價值

II. Religious and Philosophical Ideas

1. Meaning of Life

2. Aims of Life
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B. Application Level 6 Dimensions : From Beginning to End of life, and after

- 創造生命 Creation of Life - neo-biology

New life technology and social and ethical issues. Test-tube baby, Surrogate Mother etc.

- 中止生命 Suspension of Life - Suicide/abortion

1. Stop carrying a baby such as abortion…

2. Suicide and euthanasia

- 發展生命 Development of Life - Positive and Negative developments

Moral or Spiritual Growth, Meaning Reconstruction…

- 善終生命 End of Life - Euthanasia/Hospice care

Will, making hard decision, caring instead of curing, organ donation,

Life rituals, such as birthday, marriage, funeral arrangements

Customs (funeral services, cremation etc)

- 撫慰生命 Soothing of Life - Recognizing grief and bereavement

Stages of Grief and counselling

- 安息生命 Ritual of Life - Religious/Symbolic farewell

Grief, Ritual, Festival…

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Alignment of Assessment
Methods (AMs) with the Course
Intended Learning Outcomes
(CILOs):
It is not sufficient just to say “assignments, tests, final exam”. We need to furnish more concrete
details about the nature of the assessments. AMs should be aligned with the appropriate CILOs
to ensure that there is sufficient evidence to show that students have achieved the CILOs at the
end of the course. (This alignment with the CILOs is crucial as documented evidence where the
required competency of all the CILOs is assessed.)

CILO
By the end of the course, students should be able to:

1.
Identify and critically assess different values and beliefs concerning
life and death in important religious and philosophical traditions and
cultures in order to engage the students in reflection on moral belief
and practice.

2.
Reason and argue about different and conflicting perspectives on
topics concerning abortion, suicide and mercy killing, etc. in an
informed and justifiable manner.

3.
Apply the knowledge and skills learned from the course to reflect
upon and deal with life and death issues like suicide, bereavement
etc.
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Type of Weighti CILOs Description of Assessment

Assessment ng Methods
Methods to be
addresse
d

Continuous 20% 1-3 Short quizzes and in-class

Assessments assignments.

Tutorial assessment: (20%)

On-line 15% 2-3 One on-line oral presentation (15-

Presentation 18 mins.) on relevant topics.

All groups are required to consult

the on-line data base specially
designed for the course. In order to
facilitate discussion, discussion
groups will be set up on whatsapp
or other social media group such as
we-chat or the like. Students are
welcome to use whichever means
that are convenient for themselves
to communicate among
themselves.

But students are required to invite

the instructor to join their social
media groups to enhance the
communication between the
students and the teacher. To
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enhance academic quality, all

groups should consult at least e-
library resources and invite the
course instructor to discuss the
presentation to bring in in-depth
discussion on topic under
consideration.

Group Report 35% 2-3 1 group written report on topics on

contemporary events or materials.

Study Portfolio 30% 1-3 Students are required to keep a

and reflective portfolio of current events on life
papers and death issues to nurture their
critical awareness of these issues in
the contemporary world. Students
are also expected to collect 3
pieces of news on matters on life
and death and write 1 reflective
paper to demonstrate their
understanding and reflections of
different concepts and beliefs in a
pluralistic world and improve their
abilities to reflect on contemporary
affairs. Students are encouraged to
make use of knowledge and
concepts learned in the course in
writing their reflective papers.

Group Member List for Matter of Life and Death (Monday Class)

Group

Group number: __________

Group Leader will earn 2 marks for his/her contribution to the group.

Name in Full 中文姓名 Student number Mobile number

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yeungkwokchak 51300404

(lecturer)

Group 1

Group 2

Group 3

Group 4

Group 5

Group 6

Group 7
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