Death and Dying in History

Abstract Based on nearly thirty years experience of teaching a university course on “death and dying in history,” the first section of this chapter offers practical advice about organizing such a course: topics worthy of consideration, appropriate readings, written assignments, and strategies for engaging student interest and participation. The chapter's second section goes out of the classroom and into the cemetery, where students can experience the “hands-on” dimension of historical study. A broad range of possible research projects is reviewed that students can undertake either alone or in small groups. Research in the cemetery need not be confined to a specific course on death and dying in history. It can also be integrated into traditional courses that explore the collective values and attitudes of past generations.