Instructor:  Bill Lockhart, MA - Sociology - UTEP; BA - Sociology and Anthropology - UTEP
Office Hours: Tuesdays & Thursdays 3:35-5:35 or by appointment
Office Number:  106, Faculty Office Building
Phone Number: 439-3732; Fax Number:  (505) 439-3802
E-mail: lockhart@nmsua.nmsu.edu
Class Time; Classroom: Mondays through Thursdays - 2:00-3:35 PM;  Classroom: CB 703

Textbook
Webb, Marilyn
 1997 The Good Death: The New American Search to Reshape the End of Life.  Bantam Books, NY.

Class Description (from the NMSU-A 2002-2003 catalog): Analysis of changes, behaviors, and stereotypes of women and men in contemporary society.

Course Objectives
After completing this course the student will:
1. be able to understand the diversity of the death experience and the various options available in coping with death and bereavement as shown by the student’s participation in class discussions and field trips.
2. better understand death and dying as social phenomena as shown by the student’s reaction papers.
3. Have taken an in-depth look at her or his own death with a researched paper.  Comprehension will be shown by the student’s grade on the paper.

How to Do Well:
1. Read the reading assignments before coming to class.  This is a discussion class; we will be discussing what you think about the material to be read for the day.  If you have not read the assignment, your participation will be limited at best.
2. Attend class and participate.  Since this is a discussion class, I expect you to participate; in order to participate you must be in class.  Your attendance will be monitored and will be considered in the final determination of your grade 
3. Do the assignments.  You cannot expect anything other than an "F" if you do not turn in the assignments. 
4.  For a 100 or 200 level course, it is expected that for every 1 hour you spend in class, you will spend 2 hours outside of class; that means each week  you should spend 6 hours on this course outside of class .
5. Like any class, the more you put into it, the more you will get out of it.
6. We have and need few rules.  NMSU-A students are adults and almost always act like it.  Students behaving inappropriately will be asked to stop the offensive behavior.  If this is ineffective, the student will be asked to leave the classroom.

Smoking is not allowed in the classrooms.  I personally suggest that you never smoke at any time or at any place for the rest of your life.

Food and drink are allowed in the classroom subject to two rules: 1) do not spill anything; and 2) if you violate Rule 1, clean it up immediately.

Note:  ALL material turned in must be computer-generated.  Hand-written and type-written papers are obsolete and will be unacceptable.  All students have access to the computer lab, and assistance is available.  See 'Computer Instructions' below.

NMSU-A MISSION STATEMENT
 The mission of the Alamogordo Branch of New Mexico State University, a comprehensive community college, is to:

provide quality education that includes academic, technical, vocational, developmental, and career-oriented skills;
 
promote student competence, confidence, and success by providing personal enrichment programs through continued response to the cultural intellectual, and economic needs of the community; 

maintain active ties and continuity with the main campus; 

afford equal opportunity for individuals who meet admission criteria to receive educational services within the community without regard to age, ancestry, color, disability, gender, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

Miscellaneous:
1. Keep ALL your papers until you receive your final course grade.  This is always a good idea for every class you take.  This way, if you have a disagreement with your final grade, you will have evidence to present. 
2. Syllabus.  This contains everything you need to know about the course; keep this in your notebook and refer to it often.  I will not remind you when papers are due; turning your papers in on time is your responsibility.  (I reserve the right to change this syllabus in writing or by announcement.)   
3. Cheating/Plagiarism.  The result of engaging in either of  these activities is grade of zero for that assignment.  You are expected to do all of your work by yourself.  For more information on what is and what is not plagiarism (examples included), see the "Guide to Academic Honesty" on reserve in the library.

EMERGENCIES
 If someone in your family needs to contact you in an emergency, use the following telephone numbers:
  DAYTIME 439-3700

  EVENING 439-3751

 To expedite finding you in the evening, the person calling should know the class that you are attending, e.g., Math 115.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
 If you have, or believe you have, a disability and would benefit from accommodations, you may wish to self-identify.  You can do so by providing documentation to the Counselor for Special Population, Jim Payne, located in the Student Services Building, (439-3727).
 If you have a condition that may affect your ability to exit safely from the premises in an emergency or that may cause an emergency during class, you are encouraged to discuss this in confidence with the instructor and/or the Counselor for Special Populations.
 Fee free to call Doris Lynch, ADA Coordinator at extension 3716 with  any questions about the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) and/or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.  All medical information will be held in strict confidence.

COURSE SCHEDULE
 Jun 31
 Introductions and organization

 Jul 1 & 2
 Chapter 1, Dying Well: The Death of Judith Obodov Hardin [2Q]

 Jul 3
 Chapter 2, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice: Beyond the Age of Medical Miracles [Q]

 Jul 7
 Chapter 3, Dying Hard: The Death of Peter Ciccone [Q]

 Jul 8 & 9
 Chapter 4, When Death Becomes a Blessing: The Problem of Pain [2Q] [Reac. Paper #1, Jul 8]

 Jul 10
 Chapter 5, Tough Love: The Legacy of Karen Ann Quinlan [Q] [Paper Proposal]

 Jul 14
 Chapter 6, Who Decides?  Law and Politics at the Edges of Life [Q] [Progress Report #1]

 Jul 15 & 16
 Handout on Violent Death [Q] [Reaction Paper #2, Jul 16]
 Guest Speaker: Mike May, Deputy Medical Examiner

 Jul 17 & 21
 Chapter 7, Bearing the Burden: Families in Distress [Q] [Class Paper Due, July 21]
 Guest Speaker: Al McDonald, lawyer - Wills, Living Wills, etc.

 Jul 22 & 23
 Chapter 8, Hospice: The Birth of the Modern Art of Dying [Q]
 Guest Speakers: Alamogordo Hospice

 Jul 24
 Chapter 9, New American Sacred: The Return of Prepared Dying [Q] [Reaction Paper #3]

 Jul 28 & 29
 Chapter 10, Wisdom’s Portraits: Midwives at Death’s Door [Q] [Progress Report #2, Jul 28]
 Field Trip: Sears Funeral Home

  Jul 30
 Chapter 11, Dr. Kevorkian’s Challenge: Two Deaths in Michigan [Q]

 Jul 31 & Aug 4
 Chapter 12, Assisted Dying: The Search for the Least Worst Death [2Q] [Reac. Paper #4, Aug 4]

 Aug 5
 Conclusion: Toward a New Kind of Hope [Q]

 Aug 6
 Epilog: The Good Death of Jack Sheedy & tying up loose ends [Q]

 Aug 7 - Presentation of Projects

(NOTE: We will not be able to discuss everything in each of the chapters.  However, I do want you to be exposed to the information.  It is entirely up to you what aspects of the book we will discuss.  This schedule is tentative.  If we find that we want/need to spend more time on a topic than is allotted, we can do that; we do not have to cover a certain amount of material before the test because there are no tests.)

SOME OTHER IMPORTANT DATES
Last day to drop this course with a "W":   July 21, 2003
Last day to withdraw from the university: August 1, 2003

ATTENDANCE (1 point for each class including first day and 7 points for final - total of 30)
These are attendance points.  Points will not be awarded for absence, regardless of the reason.

WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS

QUESTIONS (1 point for each acceptable question turned in (+ 2 freebies) - total of 20)
For each reading assignment, you will need to turn in two (computer-generated) thought-provoking questions or one question and one discussion statement.  These questions/statements are NOT to be simply about the information given.  Your questions are to show that you have not only read the material, but that you have also THOUGHT about what you have read.

These questions/statements will be used as a springboard for discussion.  For this reason, these will not be accepted late.  (If you know you will be missing class, you may turn them in before the class meets.)  After all, what good is a question that is to be used in class discussion after class is over?

REACTION PAPERS (3 out of 4 @ 10 points each)
See the course schedule for due dates.

These papers are to be 2 to 3 pages in length.  FOLLOW THE COMPUTER INSTRUCTIONS found later in this syllabus.  Yes, they must be computer-generated.

Pick something out of the chapter(s) or class we have covered and discuss it.  (If you cannot find anything here, feel free to check out one of the chapters we are not covering.)  The following are a few suggestions on what to write:  What do you think about a particular topic?  Is there something in the news or something a friend has experienced that directly relates to something in class?  How does it relate?  Is there something that was discussed in class that you had a thought about but, for whatever reason, did not mention?  Basically, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, show me that you have THOUGHT about it.  (Do not summarize; I have read the book, and I have been in class.  Tell me what you are thinking.)  These papers must have something to do with what we have covered in this class.  If the connection to the course seems unclear, make it clear in your paper.
          
Points are taken off these papers for spelling and grammatical errors (see computer instructions), for being too short, for having nothing to do with the content of the course, and for excessive summary.

There are four opportunities to write papers.  I will drop the lowest score, therefore 30 points are possible.  So, you can miss one; that score of zero will be dropped.

CLASS PAPER  (100 points) and PROPOSAL (10 points)
See the course schedule for due dates.

The class paper is to be 5 to 7 pages in length.  Note:  This means a minimum of 5 full pages of text.  Points will be taken off for 4½ pages.  Bibliography or Works Cited does not count as one of the pages.  FOLLOW THE COMPUTER INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN BELOW.  

Requirements:
1.  Use APA style in the second section of the paper.   This means that all sources must be cited within the body of your paper.  All interviews must be cited in your paper as well as the works cited section.  Every source that appears in your Works Cited or Bibliography, must be cited in the body of your paper.  If you are not used to writing formal papers, talk to me after class.
2.  A minimum of five scholastic sources (only 2 may be by the same author) are required.  If this requirement is not met, 5 points will be subtracted from your paper's grade.  Your textbook may be cited as a sixth source but will not count as one of the five required sources.  Other textbooks, dictionaries, encyclopedias, or similar works are not acceptable sources.  No more than  two Internet sources may be used.  If you use non-scholarly sources (e.g. magazines, newspapers, etc.), you must use a total of 10 sources in your paper.  Encyclopedias and dictionaries may not be used as sources.
3. Spellcheck your paper.  If you do not spellcheck with the computer, I will deduct 10 points from your paper grade.  Yes, I can tell if you have not spellchecked.
4. Since your paper is in two sections, use underlined subheadings to identify each section (e.g. Section I - Obituary).  Skip two lines and start part II on the same page as the end of part I.  If it automatically moves to the next page, that is OK.
5. Each page must be numbered (if you use a title page, it will not be numbered and will not count as one of the required pages).  You may select where you place the page number as long as it is consistent and follows accepted standards.
6. The bibliography or works cited does not count as one of the required pages.
7. Each paragraph must be indented five spaces.  Do not skip lines between paragraphs.

Your paper will consist of two sections:

Section I
Write your obituary.  I will have copies of actual obituaries from newspapers for you to see in class.  You may choose any method of living and dying, including marriage(s), children, jobs, etc.  The date of your death may be at any reasonable time in the future (you may not, for example, choose 2,000 years from now–these must be realistic expectations).  Keep in mind that the farther you go into the future, the more the US and the world will change.  It is not sufficient to only talk about your life up to this point (unless you choose tomorrow as your death date).  Be sure to fill in your future history as well as your past history.  Be sure to include your date of birth, age at death, cause of death, and date of death.  Section I must be a minimum of two full pages in length.  Note that obituaries are written in the third person (e.g. Mr. Lockhart was born on December 18, 1944.  He spent his childhood traveling to a variety of places because his father was a career Army officer and later with the CIA).

Section II
Discuss the way you died.  This is not a discussion of your personal death but of the cause of death (e.g. suicide, heart attack, cancer, accident, execution, etc.).  Section II must be researched and must include at least four sources (see above).  Where section I was personal, section II must be objective.  Section II must be a minimum of three full pages in length.

Interlibrary loan:  You can request up to 5 books or articles on any one subject through our library's interlibrary loan service.  I would suggest that you check the catalogs of other libraries via the internet and request those books that look like they would be helpful.  It takes 10 to 14 days to receive a book through interlibrary loan.  

Paper proposal:  Because you and I both want to make sure that your idea for your paper is acceptable, you will need to turn in a proposal (1 page) for your paper.   In your proposal you should discuss: 1) the basic ideas you will use in section I, including your date of death; 2) the cause of death and how you plan to approach section II on your paper; and 3) where you are going to get your information (list specific article titles, book titles, names of interviewees with the questions you plan to ask, etc.).  At least three our your source must be listed.  Your proposal is NOT written in stone.  If you plan to change your proposal, turn in a revised proposal at least 3 days prior to the due date.  Five points will be taken off your class paper for not doing what you said you were going to do as stated in your proposal (original or revised), not turning in a proposal, and/or turning in a late (less than 3 days prior to the due date) revised proposal.

PROJECT (100 points), PROGRESS REPORTS (2 at 10 points each), and LOG SHEETS (2 at 10 points)
As you can see by the number of points, this is your major project.

You will need to work in teams of  4 to 6 persons.  One grade will be earned for the entire project.  At the completion of your project, you will be asked to estimate how much effort each member contributed to the project.  If everyone seems to have contributed the same amount (based on estimates), everyone will receive the same project grade.  If some team members contributed more or less, their grade will be adjusted to reflect this.  Upon the completion of the presentation of all projects, each group will be asked, as a group, to estimate the participation of each group member.  Each group member will need to sign a piece of paper agreeing to the participation estimates.

Your team can decide what type of project you would like to do. 
The following are possibilities:
a)  Interview projects - Interviewing people (using videotape or other means of presentation) who deal with death and dying as part of their jobs (e.g., nurses, physicians, undertakers, police, ambulance drivers/EMTs, hospice workers).
b)  Media analysis - Looking at television, music, movies or magazines in terms of their representations of death and dying.
c)  Game - Create a game that reflects what it is you have learned during the semester.
d) Theater - Write and produce a play that reflects the issues we have discussed during the semester.
e)  Other appropriate ideas suggested by students and approved ahead of time by the instructor as appropriate.
In all cases, projects should take the information gathered by students and relate it to concepts and materials covered in the course.  Projects will be presented during our final exam time slot.  Presentations should take twenty-five to thirty-five minutes.  (Your group may request to have this time limit extended.  Such a request must be made at least 2 weeks in advance; a number of factors will influence whether your request will be granted.)

Grading criteria: 
a) For every 5 minutes over or under the specified time limit, 2 points will be subtracted from the project's total grade.
b) Introduction  
     Content + creativity  (5 points):  Does it represent your project?
c) Body of presentation
     Connects to and expands on the course material  (20 points)
     Interesting content  (10 points)
     Creative presentation  (20 points)
d) Conclusion should be a good summary of your project.   (5 points)
e) Overall quality  (20 points)
f)  Solid research; turn in a bibliography (APA style).  At least 10 resources are expected (20 points) with no more than 4 resources being websites.

Progress reports (turn in only one copy from the group): 

See the course schedule for due dates.

Progress Report 1:  Your team will need to turn in your ideas for the project.  You will not have to stick with these ideas, but I do want to make sure that you are thinking about it.  List your ideas along with a brief statement explaining why you may or may not go with that idea (list benefits and potential problems).  What is the goal of your project; what are you trying to accomplish by doing it?  Include a list of all members of your team. (10 points)  

Progress Report 2:  Your team will need to turn in a list of responsibilities for each member (What has each done so far?  What is each expected to do?).  What resources (e.g., book titles, magazine article titles, academic journal article titles, movie titles, television program titles) are you using for background research on your project?  List at least five specific (i.e. bibliographic details) resources that you will use.  If your goal has changed, write down the new goal.  Your team will also need to turn in a tentative schedule for your presentation: who is doing what and when.  If available, provide a list of equipment you are expecting to need (e.g., overhead projector, slide projector, VCR and TV).  If you have handouts you would like to give to the class during your presentation, give them to me at least 3 days prior to your presentation, and I will have them copied for you.  Would you like to have transparencies made?  See me.  If your goal has changed, write down the new goal. (10 points)  

Log sheets (turn in only one copy for the group):  

These are to be handed in with your progress reports.  Use the log sheets at the end of this syllabus.  If you need more, make copies, or get copies from me.  I expect to receive at least one log sheet each time a progress report is turned in.  If you have more than one meeting, turn in more than one log sheet.  Keeping accurate, specific, and up-to-date log sheets is important at the end of the semester when your group is deciding how much effort each person contributed to the project.   

The more complete your project progress reports and log sheets are, the greater the likelihood of receiving the maximum points.  All of your team members will receive the same points on your progress reports and log sheets, unless the team members decide that one or more persons have contributed very little or nothing to the progress of the project at that point.  If this is the case, I will need a sheet of paper explaining why someone should receive fewer points signed by all members of the group.

If you would like suggestions/advice regarding your project, talk with me.COMPUTER INSTRUCTIONS 
1. For every 4 errors (spelling errors, grammatical errors, any of the "handy things to remember", margins, font size, etc.) you will lose 1 point.  
2. Pages must be numbered.  Students may select where the numbers appear on the page, but location must be consistent.
3. Handy things to remember:
 a. In general, "effect" is a noun; "affect" is a verb.  Consult your dictionary.
 b. It is "would have" not "would of."
 c. "A lot" is correct, "alot" is not.
 d. "Good" describes nouns; "well" describes verbs.
 e. Use complete sentences.  I also expect correct use of commas, semicolons, colons, and apostrophes.
 f. Do not use the "universal masculine."  Use 'he or she' or 's/he,' 'herself/himself,' etc.  Better yet, phrase your sentences so that it is not necessary to use 'she or he.'
 g. Indent paragraphs 5 spaces.  Do not skip lines between paragraphs. 
 h. Do not use contractions (e.g. can't, won't, you'll, etc.) in formal papers.
 i. Spellcheck your work.  Do NOT use spellcheck as a substitute for point 'j.' 
 j. PROOFREAD!
4. A good general rule to follow is:  write, proofread, re-write, have SOMEONE ELSE proofread, re-write.
5. If you have ANY questions about writing or would like help with writing your papers (or would like someone to proofread your paper), I strongly encourage you to use the Writing Center (439-3713).  If you do, give yourself more than 1 hour before class.  They need time to read your paper; you need time to make the corrections.  (Ultimately, your paper is your responsibility; if the writing center aides miss things, it is your responsibility.  Have your paper proofread by more than one individual.)
6. In the upper left corner of the first page put your name, class title and number, the date the paper is due, and, if different, the date the paper was turned in.  

You are correct.  This is not an English class.  One reason English classes exist is so that you will be able to write in classes like this.  You are a college student; I expect you to write like one.

LATE ASSIGNMENT POLICY  (This policy applies to all your assignments.)  
If you turn an assignment in one class period late, 10% of the total worth will be subtracted from your grade.  
Assignments that are more than one class period late will NOT be accepted.   There are NO exceptions to this policy.  If you leave town, come back a week later, and ask me when you can turn in your late assignments, I will say you cannot.  Period.  If you know you will not be in class to turn in your assignment, you can turn it in before the class meets to my mailbox in the Faculty Office Building.  Your assignment must be turned in by 8:30 PM to be credited for that day.

If you are going to be out of town when an assignment is due, you may fax it or e-mail it if you are unable to turn it in early.  As long as I have it when it is due, I am happy.  See instructor information at the beginning of the syllabus for the fax number and e-mail address.    

Since you know at the beginning of the semester when assignments are due, there should be NO late papers.  BUT, I understand that things come up (you run out of ribbon; your computer eats your paper; your pet dragon, Puff, dies).  For these reasons, I have this late paper policy (and why I drop the lowest reaction paper score).  This means that if you let the paper go, figuring you will just turn it in late, and THEN Puff dies, I cannot help you.

There are few things more confusing than having 15 students from different sections turning in papers at different times over a 3-week period.  How fair is it for me to extend the deadline for some?  If someone tells me that their car died and they could not get an assignment in, is that a legitimate excuse?  How do I know that they are telling the truth?  Should I make them prove it?  How?  What about the person who says they just forgot?  Is that a legitimate excuse?  If not, then how much would you like to bet they will lie next time and tell me their car died?  Rather than play judge and jury, I give you one class period leeway, regardless of the reason. 

GRADES
Project: 100 points
Progress reports: 10 points each for a total of 20 points
Log sheets: 10 points for each progress report period - total of 20 points
Class paper - 100
Reaction papers: 10 points each for a total of 30 points
Questions: 1 point each for a total of 20 points
Class attendance:  1 point for each day for a total of 30 points

Total possible points - 320

Grade breakdown:
   A = 288-320
   B = 256-287
   C = 224-255
   D = 192-223
   F = <192

I reserve the right to distribute extra points for outstanding class participation or other outstanding or extra work completed during the semester.

GRADE POSTING POLICY
I do not post grades.  I encourage you to keep track of the points you earned on your own.  NEVER throw any of your classwork away until you have received your final grade (if then) and it is correct; most instructors have no problem changing a grade provided you have proof that the grade you received was incorrect.  At the end of the semester, you will know your final grade before you leave the last class, if you want to know then.

HOW TO ACCESS YOUR GRADES

NMSU is no longer sending grades through the mail.  You can access them through the internet.  Go to the NMSU-A homepage <http://alamo.nmsu.edu> and follow the instructions.  

LOG SHEET

Date  __________ Group #_________  Meeting place  ____________________ 
Meeting starting time  __________  Meeting ending time __________

Group members  Arrival time  Departure time Signature

___________________ ______________ _____________ _____________________

___________________ ______________ _____________ _____________________

___________________ ______________ _____________ _____________________

___________________ ______________ _____________ _____________________

___________________ ______________ _____________ _____________________

___________________ ______________ _____________ _____________________

___________________ ______________ _____________ _____________________

___________________ ______________ _____________ _____________________
 

(By signing, you are stating that you were present at the meeting, and that you agree with the statements written below.)

Absent group members:  Explain why you were absent from this meeting.
 
 
 

Describe the goal of the meeting and outline what was accomplished.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Describe what difficulties your group is facing.