Time Schedule:
Chuimei Ho Bronson
TSOCWF 421
Tacoma Campus
Examines spiritual, psychosocial, physical, and behavioral impacts of major loss on persons, families, and communities as it occurs in diverse North American ethnic and cultural communities. Exploration of death, dying, major family separations, divorce, refugee/immigration changes as it related to grief, loss, and mourning.
Class description
This study will help students develop understanding of the practical applications of grief/mourning support concepts as they pertain to and in many diverse cultural and ethnic communities. Included will be explorations of the concepts of culture, diversity, ethnicity, race, and gender as to their impacts on grievers and grieving communities.
Students will apply knowledge of the concepts of developmental, behavioral, ritual, and grieving tasks to loss and grief situations as they have occurred in ethnic and cultural community settings. They will learn about diverse formal organizational and informal community grief and mourning support resources available in traditional and alternative/non-traditional communities in the South Puget Sound Region.
Students will be introduced to and practice key interpersonal communication skills that are effective in supporting the grieving journey in cross-cultural settings. These skills will be integrated with the strengths perspective concept of intervention.
Class activities for learning will include: guest presentations, visits to grief support agencies and religious organizations, themed films, novel reading, group and individual projects, along with instructor lectures and class discussions.
Student learning goals
1. Increase each student’s understanding of how loss, change and grief are a natural part of the cycles and rhythms in all cultures.
2. Increase each student’s understanding of the concepts of culture, ethnicity, race and gender and how they impact the loss and grieving journey in traditional and non-traditional cultures in North America.
3. Increase each student’s understanding of the concepts and processes of loss and grief spiritually, emotionally, physically and behaviorally upon persons, families and communities in diverse cultural settings.
4. Increase each student’s knowledge and skills in cross cultural grief support communication by practicing such skills with peers and other diverse cultural resource persons.
5. Increase each student’s knowledge of the strengths perspective intervention strategy concepts by applying this concept to cross cultural communications.
6. Increase each student’s knowledge of formal and informal culturally sensitive support services for grieving persons, families, and communities in the South Puget Sound Region.
General method of instruction
short lectures, discussions, group activities, movies, field trips, and guest speakers.
Recommended preparation
Students are encouraged to read “Help for the Bad Times – Getting Through Loss” and the Introduction section “Ethnic Variations in Dying, Death, and Grief – Diversity in Universality” (pp. 1-10) before the first class.
Class assignments and grading
All written assignments must adhere to the format of the Manual of the American Psychological Association, typed, double-spaced in font not smaller than point 12. Completion of group projects and present project results to the class and in writing (50%); homework (25%); classroom group activities and participation (25%).
