Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Summer 2025 - SA 442 D100

Applying the Sociological Imagination (S) (4)

Sociology of Death–Institutions, Power & Grief

Class Number: 2662

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    May 12 – Aug 8, 2025: Mon, 9:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Instructor:

    Samantha Teichman
    steichma@sfu.ca
    Office: TBA
    Office Hours: Tuesday: 10:00 – 11:00am Via: Zoom

  • Prerequisites:

    Minimum of 72 units including either SA 101 or SA 150.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Selected Topics in Sociology. Seminar exploring the topic through discussion, and developing original ideas that engage with sociological theory and methods. Course topic varies with the instructor and section. See detailed course outline for more information. Students may repeat this course for further credit under a different topic.

COURSE DETAILS:

This course examines death systems and how social institutions shape our understandings and experiences of death, dying, and grief. Drawing on sociological theories and interdisciplinary research, students will critically analyze the role of institutions, such as the funeral industry, healthcare, media, law, sports, education, and the family, in constructing norms and practices surrounding death. The course also explores the politics of grievability, addressing whose deaths are publicly acknowledged and mourned, and how power, inequality, and social structures influence death-related experiences and grieving processes. Additionally, students will investigate how these established systems are challenged through activism, social change, and diverse expressions of grief.


Course Details: This course provides an in-depth examination of death systems through a sociological lens. We will explore how institutions, policies, and cultural narratives influence societal responses to mortality, bereavement, and memorialization. Key topics include:

  • Theoretical frameworks on death systems and grieving processes
  • The politics of grievability and social justice in mourning
  • Death and the family as a social institution
  • Queering death
  • The role of the funeral industry and commodification of death
  • Healthcare providers, grief, and medical assistance in dying
  • Community approaches to death
  • Media and popular culture representations of death and their social impact
  • Death in sports, public tragedies, and collective mourning
  • Digital afterlives and technological influences on memorialization
  • Immortality, legacy projects, and meaning making

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

  1. Critically analyze how social institutions shape perceptions and practices related to death and grief.
  2. Apply sociological theories to contemporary issues surrounding death, dying, and bereavement.
  3. Evaluate the intersection of death with social structures such as class, race, gender, and age.
  4. Reflect on personal and societal attitudes toward death and consider implications for policy and practice.
  5. Develop critical thinking and communication skills through discussions, research projects, and written reflections.

Grading

  • Reflection Assignment: Exploring Your Relationship with Death 15%
  • Seminar Leader 20%
  • Seminar Participation 25%
  • Research Paper 40%

NOTES:

Minimum of 72 units including either SA 101 or SA 150 or permission of instructor.


Grading: Where a final exam is scheduled and the student does not write the exam or withdraw from the course before the deadline date, an N grade will be assigned. Unless otherwise specified on the course syllabus, all graded assignments for this course must be completed for a final grade other than N to be assigned. An N is considered as an F for the purposes of scholastic standing.

Grading System: The Undergraduate Course Grading System is as follows:

A+ (95-100) | A (90-94) | A- (85-89) | B+ (80-84) | B (75-79) | B- (70-74) | C+ (65-69) | C (60-64) | C- (55-59) | D (50-54) | F (0-49) | N*
*N standing to indicate the student did not complete course requirements

Academic Honesty and Student Conduct Policies: The Department of Sociology & Anthropology follows SFU policy in relation to grading practices, grade appeals (Policy T20.01), and academic honesty and student conduct procedures (S10‐S10.05). Unless otherwise informed by your instructor in writing, in graded written assignments you must cite the sources you rely on and include a bibliography/list of references, following an instructor-approved citation style. It is the responsibility of students to inform themselves of the content of SFU policies available on the SFU website.

Centre for Accessible Learning: Students with hidden or visible disabilities who believe they may need classroom or exam accommodations are encouraged to register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (1250 Maggie Benston Centre) as soon as possible to ensure that they are eligible and that approved accommodations and services are implemented in a timely fashion.

The Sociology and Anthropology Student Union, SASU, is a governing body of students who are engaged with the department and want to build the SA community. Get involved!  Follow Facebook and Instagram pages or visit our website.

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Required Reading will be available from the SFU library and/or Canvas.


RECOMMENDED READING:

Recommended Reading will be available from the SFU library and/or Canvas.


REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.

To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit: 


RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.