This course maps shifting attitudes toward death, the body, and mourning through U.S. history, as well as the business of death in the contemporary United States. Topics include the funeral industry, cremation, the green burial movement, and evolving memorial practices. Attention will also be paid to social inequalities in deathcare and the political power of the corpse. We will draw from scholarship in sociology, religious studies, geography, anthropology, and ritual studies to demystify the intra and interpersonal dimensions of death and dying. Prerequisites:
honors eligibility required.