L1 Course Overview

CCHU9024
THE LAST DANCE:

UNDERSTANDING DEATH & DYING
2015 2016 Course Overview
Course Overview
Professor Cecilia L.W. CHAN

Si Yuan Professor in Health and Social Work,
Professor, Department of Social Work and Social Administration,
Founding Director, Centre on Behavioral Health,
The University of Hong Kong.
The Last Dance Understanding Death & Dying

CCHU9024 Lecture 1
Department of Social Work & Social Administration

The University of Hong Kong

CCHU9024 Lecture 1

What is this course about?
What you will learn?
Aims:
1. Provide you with basic knowledge on death, dying and
bereavement (thanatology studies) as well as issues
concerning mortality, spirituality and meaning of life.
2. Develop your awareness on the social, cultural and
political impact of death and loss among different
ethnic groups with a particular focused on the Chinese
experience.
3. Enhance your understandings and practical-skills for
working with individuals, families and communities
facing the challenges of death, dying and bereavement.
4. Enhance your self-reflection on their personal beliefs,
attitudes and experiences with death and loss to create
a more profound appreciation of life and personhood.
Understand more on issues related to death and dying

and become aware of any cultural implications
Become more aware of the cultural implications of
death, dying and bereavement
Reflect on your own values, make positive preparation
for death and develop a positive attitude towards life

CCHU9024 Lecture 1


CCHU9024 Lecture 1
Course Details
Textbook
Date: 2 Sept 2015 25 Nov 2015
Required: Chan, CLW &

Chow, AYM (eds.) (2006)
Death, Dying and
Bereavement: A Hong Kong
Chinese Experience. Hong
Kong: Hong Kong University
Press
Lecture (11x)
Time: 16:30 18:20 (every Wed)
Venue: KB223 (Knowles Building)
Tutorial (4x each group)

Time 18:30 20:20 (every alternate Wed for each group)
Venue: tba
Assessment
2x Reflective Log,
1x Group Project,
1x Group Project Report
1x Exam
Website:
HKU Moodle System

CCHU9024 Lecture 1


Recommended: The Last

Dance: Encountering Death
and Dying 9th Edition by
Lynne Ann DeSpelder &
Albert Lee Strickland
CCHU9024 Lecture 1

List of Teachers & Tutors

Role
Course Schedule
Lectures
Date
Course conveyer* &

teacher
Prof Cecilia Chan
L1, L2, L3, L4, L6, L7, L8, L9, L10, L11
Teacher
Dr. David Palmer
L5
Teacher
Dr. Thomas Abraham
L7
Guest speaker
Dr. Andy Ho
L9
Guest Speaker (HKCF)
Ms. Amy Yan
L2
Guest Speaker (CCF)
Ms. Keynes Wong
L4
Tutor
Ms. Iris Lo
Group 1-2
Tutor
Mr. Johnny Chan
Group 3-4
Tutor
Mr. Fung Yat Lui
Group 5-6
Course admin* & tutor
Ms. Michelle Tam
Group 7-8
Tutor
Dr. Lau Hi Po
CCHU9024 Lecture 1
Group 9-10
L01
9/9
L02
Death and its Impact on Individuals and Families

Death Systems in Contemporary Societies (Guest Sharing)
16/9
L03
The Historical and Evolving Perspectives on Mortality
23/9
L04
Children and Death: Theory and Interventions (Guest Sharing)
30/9
L05
Vision of the Afterlife and the Function of Death Rituals across

Cultures & Religions
7/10
L06
14/10
Understanding Shameful and Horrendous Deaths

Fieldtrip (Compulsory)

Tutorial groups
Topic
-
Each group required to attend 4 tutorials on every other

Wednesdays starting from 16th September, 2015.
Public holiday (Cheung Yeung)
21/10
28/10
2/9

CCHU9024 Lecture 1
Course Schedule
Date
Topic
HW
Submission of Reflective Log 1 (23:59)
L07
Death in the News and Popular Media
Tutorials are 2-hours long and are held after the lecture from 18:30
to 20:20.
4/11
L08
Bereavement and Grief: Overview & Interventions
11/11
L09
Cultural Issues
18/11
L10
Controversial Issues in Death & Dying (I)
L11
Controversial Issues in Death & Dying (II)
The tutorial list released on Moodle by 15 Sept (T1 starts at 16

Sept).
Group switching is not allowed without prior approval from your
assigned tutor (For example).
25/11
HW
Submission of Reflective Log 2 (23:59)
26/11
HW
Submission of Creative Group Featured Article
2/12
Exam
Online Examination

CCHU9024 Lecture 1


CCHU9024 Lecture 1
Tutorial groups
Group
Tutor
Fieldtrip
Tutorial Dates (2015)
Iris Lo
16th Sept
Iris Lo
23rd Sept
Johnny Chan
16th Sept
Johnny Chan
23rd Sept
Fung Yat Lui
30th Sept
Venue
28th Oct
11th Nov
CPD-LG.64
7th Oct
4th Nov
18th Nov
CPD-LG.64
30th Sept
28th Oct
11th Nov
CPD-LG.60
7th Oct
4th Nov
18th Nov
CPD-LG.60
16th Sept
30th Sept
28th Oct
11th Nov
CPD-LG.46
Fung Yat Lui
23rd Sept
7th Oct
4th Nov
18th Nov
CPD-LG.46
Michelle Tam
16th Sept
30th Sept
28th Oct
11th Nov
CPD-LG.61
Michelle Tam
23rd Sept
7th Oct
4th Nov
18th Nov
CPD-LG.61
Lau Hi Po
16th Sept
30th Sept
28th Oct
11th Nov
CPD-LG.36
10
Lau Hi Po
23rd Sept
7th Oct
4th Nov
18th Nov
CPD-LG.36

CCHU9024 Lecture 1


Attendance is compulsory.
A site visit to a local funeral home (Tung Wah
Coffin Home) has been arranged to take place
on October 14th, 2015(Reading Week) at 13:30
to 15:45.
The guided tour complements the course
objectives and serve as an essential part of the
tutorial learning process
Free shuttle pick up and drop off from HKU will
be provided, and travel details will be provided
in the due course.
CCHU9024 Lecture 1

Attendance Requirement
80% for lectures and 100% for Tutorials
Attendance in Field Visit is compulsory.
Students who fail to comply with the
attendance requirements will not be permitted
to sit for the year-end examination and would
not be able to complete the course.
Assessment

CCHU9024 Lecture 1

Assessment Ratio

CCHU9024 Lecture 1

AT1 Reflective Log & Participation

Students are required to keep two individual reflective log to
ruminate upon their own beliefs, values and attitudes on the
various topics on death and dying covered in this course
Assessment Tasks / Activities
Ratio
Individual Reflective Log & Participation
20%
Specifically, two written response (between 500-750 words) are

required from every student (a total of 2 reflective log entries per
student).
Creative Group Project - Speech
25%
Student are required to submit their log entries through the

Moodle System.
Creative Group Project - Written Report
25%
Tutors are expected to grade their own groups of students and

provide feedback (assessment sheets will be provided).
Final Written Examination
30%

CCHU9024 Lecture 1


CCHU9024 Lecture 1

AT1 Reflective Log & Participation
AT2 Creative Group Speech
Deadline for
Format Students will work together in groups of 6

persons to deliver a persuasive speech (Max. 8 minute
show time). The speech will be video recorded in the
classroom.
Purpose Present a credible and convincing argument
to advocate for community or government action in
tackling an existing phenomenon or controversial topic
or a certain group of people related to death and dying
in the context of Hong Kong.
Log 1 : 21st Oct 2015 [23:55]

Log 2 : 25th Nov 2015 [23:55]
Reflective logs assessment criteria:
Knowledge of concepts
Synthesis of ideas
Personal insight
Clarity in Presentations

CCHU9024 Lecture 1


CCHU9024 Lecture 1

Topic
Should be an issue that
is not only timely and
controversial, but also
can be connected back
to the teachings in the
course.
Students are encouraged to be creative in their mode

of delivery.
Delivery
The format is flexible, it
would be a speech, a
video, or a
performance.
CCHU9024 Lecture 1
Example: 1319
Dr. Peter Saul Lets Talk about Dying
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkvKGafoyIY
?
Please note time lost to initial technical setup and technical errors count
towards the 8-minute time limit!


CCHU9024 Lecture 1

AT3 Creative Group Writing
Conceptualization & Application of Theories

Ability to understand and conceptualize the topic/issue/phenomenon with a
relevant theory on death, dying and bereavement embedded in argument.
25%
Interdisciplinary Perspectives
Ability to consider the topic/phenomenon/issue from multiple angles and make
use of cross-disciplinary knowledge (e.g. medicine, law, business, architecture
etc) to enhance persuasiveness.
25%
Creativity and innovation

Being creative in the way of presenting the topic and argument, and the use of
innovate means to cultivate good delivery.
25%
Mode of Delivery
Clear articulation of arguments and effective communication skills
Ability to respond to opposing evidence with well-explained arguments.
25%
Each group is required to submit a group writing tasks

of 3,000-5,000 words. This creative group writing could
be a featured story, a proposal on social actions and/or
public education, or a policy paper on a topic of choice.
If you choose to write a featured story, they are review
or overview papers, or tutorial articles. The primary
goal of a review feature is to provide an overview or
survey of a topic, describing the state of the art, citing
examples from several sources, and your own
perspective (i.e. your angle).
Extra credit Most Persuasive Speech (total 2 teams)*
5%
*Voted by fellow students

CCHU9024 Lecture 1


CCHU9024 Lecture 1

If you choose to write a proposal. The goal of this

proposal is to provide a clear outline so that
whoever will be reading your work will understand
your scope of concern, identifies with your passion
to tackle the social issue and eventually motivated
to support your projects.
Your proposal include:
The report has to follow

academic writing style (e.g.
APA), with full referencing
and comprehensive review
of the updated literature on
the topic of discussion.
Deadline of submission of
feature article is 23:55 of
26th November, 2015 (via
Moodl).
Background & current state of art.

Service or action gaps will be highlighted,
Group(s) of stakeholders involved
Proposed plan of action.
Budget and resources needed.
Expected outcome or social impact
CCHU9024 Lecture 1


CCHU9024 Lecture 1

AT4 Online Examination
Literature Review and conceptualization

Understanding and analysis of the topic/issue/phenomenon by reviewing
evidence in the current literature
Ability to conceptualize the topic/issue/phenomenon with relevant theories
Coverage of relevant literatures
30%
The exam will cover all assigned readings as well as notes from all
lectures and tutorials.
Critical thinking and analysis of interdisciplinary impact

Critical, reflective, and/or original thought
Cultural integration, understanding of local situation
20%
It will comprise a variety of questions including multiple choice,

true/false and matching types. Each question is worth 0.5 marks,
totaling up to a total score of 30.
Originality and Personal Connectedness

Reflective use of and ability to relate leaning to everyday life experiences
20%
The exam is open-book, and is accessible online via Moodle on

2nd December 2015 from 2pm 5pm.
Clarity, logic and structure of presentation

Adherence to a commonly accepted logical presentation
10%
Use of Language and Referencing

Accuracy and clarity of language
Adherence to a commonly accepted academic reference system (e.g. APA)
10%
Teamwork*
Ability to work effectively as a team in ensuring delivery of coursework
10%
*By fellow teammates by end of semester

CCHU9024 Lecture 1


CCHU9024 Lecture 1

AT4 Online Examination
Important Dates
Once an exam attempt is started (by

clicking the attempt quiz now
button), each student will be allowed
120 minutes to complete the exam (a
countdown time will be shown in the
navigation block).
Submission Deadline
When the time has run out, the exam

will be submitted automatically with
whatever answer have been filled in
so far.

CCHU9024 Lecture 1

Group project name list
End of tutorial 2
Reflective Logs (AT1) via Moodle
Log 1 : 21st Oct 2015 [23:55]

Log 2 : 25th Nov 2015 [23:55]
Creative Speech (AT2)
Lecture 10: 18th Nov 2015

Lecture 11: 25th Nov 2015
Creative Featured Article (AT3) via

Moodle
26th Nov 2015 (23:55)
Online Exam (AT4) via Moodle
11th Dec 2015 (gateway open 1-5pm)
Field trip
14th Oct 2015

CCHU9024 Lecture 1

Understanding Death :
A Self Journey
If life is a school, loss is a major part of
the curriculum.
Elisabeth KblerRoss
CCHU9024 Lecture 1

Open yourself.
Participate in the learning
process.
Be aware of your own well-being.

This is a pathway to self-understanding.
Respect your own reflections and emotions,

as well as your values and beliefs.
Use your most comfortable means to express
your feelings.
You can choose to observe and listen to the

sharing from others in a nonjudgmental manner.
All observed or communicated

information, whether obtained formally
or informally, is to be considered
completely confidential.
Boundaries must be respected.
You are encouraged to check in and seek

further help when you encounter any
difficulties during the course and the group.
Housekeeping

CCHU9024 Lecture 1
In cases of absence
1. All absence (except medical ones) are
subject to approval at least 3 days
beforehand (ie. if tutorial is on Wed, student
must notify tutor latest by Sunday)
2. For medical related causes, copy of medical
cert needs to be provided
3. Compensatory work (CW) is required to
ensure learning (each students cannot
submit more than 2 CW each term).

CCHU9024 Lecture 1


In cases of late submission

Late for
% of marks to be deducted
1 day
10%
2 days
20%
3 days
30%
4 days
40%
5 days
50%
6 days
60%
7 days
70%
More than 7 days
No mark will be given

CCHU9024 Lecture 1

Any questions or concerns

about the course?
cecichan@hku.hk

CCHU9024 Lecture 1


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CCHU9024

THE LAST DANCE:

Professor Cecilia L.W. CHAN

The Last Dance Understanding Death & Dying

Department of Social Work & Social Administration

The Last Dance Understanding Death & Dying

Department of Social Work & Social Administration

What is this course about?

What you will learn?

Understand more on issues related to death and dying

The Last Dance Understanding Death & Dying

Department of Social Work & Social Administration

The Last Dance Understanding Death & Dying

Date: 2 Sept 2015 25 Nov 2015

Required: Chan, CLW &

Tutorial (4x each group)

HKU Moodle System

Department of Social Work & Social Administration

Department of Social Work & Social Administration

Recommended: The Last

Department of Social Work & Social Administration

List of Teachers & Tutors

Course conveyer* &

Prof Cecilia Chan

Dr. David Palmer

Dr. Thomas Abraham

Guest Speaker (HKCF)

Ms. Amy Yan

Guest Speaker (CCF)

Ms. Keynes Wong

Mr. Johnny Chan

Mr. Fung Yat Lui

Course admin* & tutor

Ms. Michelle Tam

Death and its Impact on Individuals and Families

The Historical and Evolving Perspectives on Mortality

Children and Death: Theory and Interventions (Guest Sharing)

Vision of the Afterlife and the Function of Death Rituals across

Understanding Shameful and Horrendous Deaths

Department of Social Work & Social Administration

Each group required to attend 4 tutorials on every other

Public holiday (Cheung Yeung)

The Last Dance Understanding Death & Dying

Submission of Reflective Log 1 (23:59)

Death in the News and Popular Media

Bereavement and Grief: Overview & Interventions

Controversial Issues in Death & Dying (I)

Controversial Issues in Death & Dying (II)

The tutorial list released on Moodle by 15 Sept (T1 starts at 16

Submission of Reflective Log 2 (23:59)

Submission of Creative Group Featured Article

The Last Dance Understanding Death & Dying

Department of Social Work & Social Administration

The Last Dance Understanding Death & Dying

Tutorial Dates (2015)

Fung Yat Lui

Fung Yat Lui

The Last Dance Understanding Death & Dying

Department of Social Work & Social Administration

Department of Social Work & Social Administration

Department of Social Work & Social Administration

The Last Dance Understanding Death & Dying

Department of Social Work & Social Administration

The Last Dance Understanding Death & Dying