Changes in Death Management Practices

A central theme of the course and of your reading for the first examination is CHANGE. In the essay I ask that you cover in a thorough way the various changes that have occurred in death management practices as society made the transition from traditional to modern. This essay will be easier if you will, as you read the first five chapters of THE LAST DANCE, make a note of each change that is discussed. Points to be addressed include the impact of the epidemiological transition, the changing cause of death, the decrease in infant mortality, etc. This is NOT an essay that can be dashed off at the last moment and, to be frank, this was the part of the class in which the students in the last session did most poorly. It will not be sufficient to cite five or six obvious changes. Rather, I expect you to be able to articulate clearly at least fifteen changes that have occurred. While I will not assign a specific length for the paper because that depends on writing style, I will expect you to address at least fifteen changes that have taken place in death management practices. Obviously, the more comprehensive you are in your essay, the higher your grade. Since this is an upper division course, I expect you to use material (cited correctly) from the book to support your points.