RELS 365 Near Death Experience
A sustained investigation into death and dying in contemporary America. Students serve as volunteers with the local Hospice, visiting for an hour every week with a person who has been told that he or she has less than six months to live. Class meetings are used to discuss these visits in the context of various relevant readings, and to receive instruction in basic techniques of "mindfulness meditation" -- a type of contemplative practice useful in working with anxiety and stress. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor is required.