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Canyon College

online Psychological Evaluation, Consultation and Testimony course at Canyon College forensic psychology department

COURSE SYLLABUS: The Hospice Experience: Including Death,
Dying and the After-Death Experience


Course Title: SW514 - The Hospice Experience: Including Death, Dying and the After-Death Experience
Department: Social Work and Counseling
Instructor: LaFawn Hamm, MSW, LCSW, E-Mail -- Vita
Office Hours: Tue, Wed, and Thu evenings
Prerequisites: BS in Social Work, Counseling or a related field; open to Bachelor students by permission of instructor.


Required Texts   Online Bookstore

The Hospice Handbook: A Complete Guide, by Larry Beresford and Elizabeth Kubler-Ross Little. Brown & Company (1993). ISBN-13: 9780316091381   ISBN: 0316091383

Final Gifts: Understanding the Special Awareness, Needs, and Communications of the Dying, by Maggie Callanan, Patricia Kelley, Patricia Kelley. Bantam Book (1992). ISBN-13: 9780553378764   ISBN: 0553378767

Course Objective:

Upon completion of this course the student will have an understanding of Hospice Care and the dying experience, including after-death experiences. This course is designed to help students have a more positive view of dying and the important part families, friends and the community play in the quality of life at its end.

Method: The Hospice Experience will include:
  1. Reading Assignments
  2. E-mail correspondence (one-on-one) with the instructor during the eight week course
  3. Message board and/or chat room for individual and group questions and discussions.
  4. Two written papers worth 20 points each
  5. Exams: Midterm and Final worth 30 points each
Grading Scale:

A 100 - 90 points
B 89 - 80 points
C 79 - 70 points
D 69 - 60 points
F 59 or less points
Writing Assignments:

Two written papers of 5-8 pages (double-spaced) are due during this course. Use APA format for the papers. Paper one is due by Friday of week 4 and must be completed before you can take the Mid-term test. You may choose to write about:
  1. A personal experience you have had with someone close who has died; using references and language from “The Hospice Handbook: A Complete Guide”
  2. Or a short research paper on how a culture other than your own views death and dying.
The second 5-8 double-spaced page paper is due by the Friday of week 7 and must be completed before you can take the Final Exam.

You may choose to write about:
  1. Your feelings and beliefs about after-death experiences. You must support why you feel the way you do through research or what you have read in either of the two text books used for this course. You must cite source(s) of your material.
  2. Or a written plan for the service you want after you die including; type of service, music, readings and your obituary.
Reading Assignments:

At the end of each week post your reaction to what you have read on the message board or join in the chat room. This only needs to be a short paragraph or two.

Week 1: Week 2: Week 3: First paper due before you can take the Midterm Exam

Week 4: Week 5: Week 6: Week 7: Second paper due before you can take the Final Exam

Week 8: Grading:

Papers are worth a maximum of 20 points each
Midterm Exam = 30 points
Final Exam = 30 points
Total points possible = 100

Extra Credit is available upon request and with permission from the instructor. Points available are: 10 points for a 1-2 page paper summarizing one of the books used in this course or 20 points for writing another paper on one of the four choices given under writing assignments. Extra credit will only be allowed if all other reading and written assignments have been completed.

Exams:

Exams will have 30 questions each. They will be True/False or Multiple Choice. There will be no essay questions and all questions will come from the text reading assignments. You will not be able to pass the exams if you do not do the required reading.

Due to security you will need to notify your instructor during “office hours” prior to taking exams so you have access when you are ready to take the test. You are only allowed to take the exam once. There is a “sample exam” you may take to practice marking your answers.

Although all exams are automatically timed, I do not subtract points if it takes you longer than the automatic time. So go slowly and read carefully. There are no “trick” questions.

After completing the exam and clicking on the submit button, both you and the instructor will receive, via e-mail, a corrected and graded copy of the exam.