[Lizz87]

I took this course as a Health Studies Minor requirement.
The class focused on death and dying perspectives in Eastern cultures.
The course material was very interesting, and we got to watch a bunch of films from various cultures on their dying traditions.

The downfall of the class was that it was difficult to do well because most of the course weight relied on participation and our final assignment. We were not able to find out about participation marks until after the course was over.

Over all Dr. Ross was a pretty good prof, she was really nice and answered a lot of questions and always made it to her office hours to address student concerns.

The final assignment was a bit morbid, as we had to write about our own funeral.


Course Breakdown:
5% Assignment
30% Mid-Term
25% Participation ( this was broken down into webct participation, class attendance and a tutorial component)
40% Final

[**jewel 03**]

According to the calendar Pearson is teaching it this year, anyone know anything about her, like what her classes are like?

[lalanisb]

I loved this course! Dr. Ross is by far the kindest, most understanding prof I've had at Mac.
The content was really interesting, and I think it would be good for anyone who feels like they need to confront death. It shows you a lot of different perspectives from around the world. You'll learn things you could never imagine.

Participation marks come form online participation, which makes it easier for those of us who don't like speaking up in class. I'd say it has an average amount of reading and she marks fairly. The final assignment is planning your own funeral. Personally, i loved the assignment because it had tons of room for you to express yourself, explore your ideas, and be creative.

If you're considering taking this course at some point, I would definitely recommend it!

[tarakyt]

I completely agree. Dr. Ross is the most chillest prof I've ever met. I've had the most fascinating conversations with her.
The course is easy however the readings are heavier and a bit dense, nonetheless interesting. Participation marks are quite easy to get however it depends on the T.A that you have.

[chryslad]

I just took this course and it has changed a lot from what has been posted.

Dr. Pearson taught it. There were very few students who liked her - she was quiet, unorganized, monotone and made the course dull. She would rant about her experiences with no relevance to the course. She also made mistakes on the quizzes (made the wrong answers correct), and neglected to fix her error.

The breakdown was:
Tutorial attendance: 5%
Short assignments (3 @ 6%): 18%
Online quizzes (6): 17%
Essay outline: 5%
Essay: 30%
Exam: 25%

The great part of this course was that there was no midterm, and Dr. Pearson gave us the three exam questions to prepare for prior to the exam. The exam was 25 multiple choice (almost all of which were taken directly from the quizzes) and the three essay questions.

The short assignments were on different chapter readings throughout the term; a two page reflection/analysis.

The online quizzes were biweekly. They were fairly difficult, and sometimes be on material that we had not yet covered in class.

The essay could be a formal thesis on a topic of your choice, or you could plan your own funeral. It was actually a really interesting essay to write. I planned my wake and funeral, incorporating different aspects from the religions we had learned about. The essay was 8-10 pages.

Overall, the course was fairly easy. I think that my TA had a lot to do with this though; he was a fairly easy marker. There's a lot of work to do and A LOT of readings.

THE TEXTBOOK FOR THIS CLASS IS AVAILABLE ONLINE FOR FREE.

[mc_kumar]

Underestimated this course.

Concepts were complex.

Final Exam was a take-home and easier than the mid-term.