TORONTO METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY
PSY 802 – Death, Dying and Bereavement
Fall 2024

INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Tae Hart

OFFICE: Virtual, by Zoom
EMAIL: tae.hart@torontomu.ca
TELEPHONE: (416) 979-5000 ext.
554247
OFFICE HOURS: By appointment. Please email to set up a time
LECTURES: Wednesdays 8-11am. All lectures are pre-recorded and posted on D2L.

Students with Last Names Beginning with Students with Last Names Beginning
A-M with N-Z
TA: Elisha Starick TA: Cassandra Skrotzki
EMAIL: elisha.starick@torontomu.ca EMAIL: cskrotzki@torontomu.ca
OFFICE HOURS: By appointment. Please OFFICE HOURS: By appointment. Please
email to set up a time. email to set up a time.

PREREQUISITE: PSY 102 or PSY 105 or equivalent LENGTH: One semester

DESIGNATION: Upper-Level Professionally Related

COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is designed to provide a comprehensive

introduction to clinical and empirical findings on death, dying and bereavement.
Emphasis will be placed on the critical analysis and synthesis of historical, socio-
cultural, bio-medical, and psychological issues. The overall perspective adopted is
multidisciplinary, which reflects the evolution of the field.

REQUIRED TEXT READINGS:

DeSpelder, L.A., & Strickland, A.L. (2020). The Last Dance: Encountering Death & Dying.
11th edition. Publisher: McGraw Hill. ISBN: 9781260085037. This is an electronic
version of the book, which is packaged with online content, through McGraw Hill.

You purchase it directly through the publisher

(https://connect.mheducation.com/class/t-hart-fall- 2024) and the instructions have
been placed into the Content tab on D2L. Older versions of the book will not have all
of the updated content for the course.

You can also purchase a hard copy of this book at the TMU Bookstore.

Important Email Policy:

Only official university email accounts are to be used for communication between
faculty and students. Please consult D2L and/or refer to the Course Syllabus before
contacting Dr. Hart with questions. Students can expect a response from Dr. Hart to
a legitimate inquiry within 2 business days, not including weekends. If you do not
receive a reply in this time period, please re-send your message. The course code
(PSY802) should appear in the subject line of all e-mails to prevent messages from
being discarded as spam. Please check your email regularly.
LECTURES:
This is a lecture course, delivered via an online, pre-recorded format in D2L.All
lecture slides will be posted on D2L. You will be able to access these lectures
through D2L Brightspace, within the PSY 802 course shell. Use Google Chrome
to view the content; you will have problems with other browsers. You will find
these lectures under the corresponding topics in the Content menu, under
Table of Contents. You will see that the information is disseminated through a
variety of means: Narrated PowerPoint slides, short videos, links to external
news articles and other online sources, and reflection questions. Lectures will
contain material that is not covered in the textbook. Anything that is covered in
lecture, including the external videos, may be included on the exam.

The online lectures will remain within D2L, so you can use them to study for
your exams. There will also be transcripts of the lectures available as separate
text documents.

EVALUATION:
Course evaluation is delineated below.

1. Quizzes. You will have a very short quiz after three of the following online
lectures: September 18, October 9, November 13. Each of these quizzes will be 3
multiple choice questions, for a total of 9 questions during the term. These 9
questions will comprise 6% of the total grade. You are allowed only one attempt at
the quiz. They are not timed. As you will complete the quizzes online in D2L, you
will have access to your lecture notes and book. Therefore, these are “open-
book” quizzes. You must submit the quiz by the date/time it is due (11:59 pm) or it
will result in a grade of a “zero.” The answers will be made available to you
online two weeks after the quiz is due. You can find the quizzes under the
Assessment tab in D2L.

2. Mini-Assignment: There will be a mini-assignment, to be completed within D2L

(AssessmentAssignments), for which you will answer some questions about the
videos for the week of November 27th (week 12). The mini-assignment is due by
11:59pm (the end of the day) on November 27th.

3. Exams. Please note: no exams will be rescheduled for you if you have to work or
travel!

4. There will be two mid-terms (each worth 30% of your grade) and a final exam
(worth 30%). The exams are open-book and will be conducted on D2L within the
“quizzes” menu. Exams will consist of both multiple-choice and short answer
questions. Questions may be based on any aspect of the course material covered
in the lectures, videos, associated links, the textbook, and other content
discussed in class or embedded in the slides. Exams are NOT CUMULATIVE: this
means that material tested in Exam 1 will not be tested in Exams 2 or 3. Exams
must be taken on the day they are specified. Exams must be taken 8-10am, and you
must submit the exam by the date/time it is due on D2L (10am), or it will result in a grade
of a “zero.” Please take care to ensure that you check the due date and time of
each exam on D2L well in advance. Work or travel are not acceptable reasons for
rescheduling or missing the exam.
5. Optional Additional Assignment (an extra 3.5% of total grade): You will read and
summarize a recent study on a legacy project in older adults. You will then use
some of the legacy-making questions to interview an older adult in your life and
summarize what you learn. You’ll use the information from this interview to link
back to the study findings, discussing the similarities and differences. The
study to read and the paper instructions will
 be posted later in the term. Due date is November 13 by 11:59pm. An electronic copy
must also be uploaded to www.turnitin.com by the due date. See the
Assignments tab on D2L for complete instructions.

For each assignment, please use APA 7th Edition referencing style. See below for
guidelines: https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/
general_format.html

Students agree that by taking this course that all written assignments will be subject
to submission for textual similarity review to www.turnitin.com. When you
electronically submit your assignments, they will be run through a program called
Turnitin. Turnitin is a plagiarism prevention and detection service to which TMU
subscribes. It is a tool to assist instructors in determining the similarity between
students’ work and the work of other students who have submitted papers to the
site (at any university), internet sources, and a wide range of books, journals, and
other publications. While it does not contain all possible sources, it gives
instructors some assurance that students’ work is their own. No decisions are
made by the service; it generates an “originality report,” which instructors must
evaluate to judge if something is plagiarized. If you have inadvertently included
too many quoted phrases from other sources, you should change your writing
style and put more of it into your own words. The sooner you upload your
assignment, the more time you will have to make any changes based on the
result you get from Turnitin. Your first originality report is typically available very
quickly; subsequent reports for revised versions usually take 24 hours to appear.
You can avoid any problems by doing your own work and checking the originality
report. If you are concerned about too much overlap or plagiarism, the T.A.s are
here to help you with any questions.

All submitted papers will be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com

reference database solely for the purpose of comparing the similarity of such
papers. Use of the Turnitin.com service is subject to the terms-of-use
agreement posted on the Turnitin.com website.

Students who do not want their work submitted to this plagiarism service must, by the
second week of class, consult with me to make alternate arrangements. Students should
familiarize themselves with the university’s plagiarism policy.

Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI): Using any GAI applications (e.g. ChatGPT,
Bing Chat, etc.) for writing assignments is not permitted in this course. GAI are tools
that can generate text, images, code, and other types of content using AI. These
applications can be useful for learning and creativity; however, they are not
acceptable sources of academic work. Using GAI for writing assignments is considered
a form of plagiarism and academic misconduct.
Week 2024 Dates Lecture topics Readings and
Assignments
1 September 4 Introduction & Attitudes Toward Death Chapter 1
2 September 11 Death Systems: Mortality and Society Chapter 4
3 September 18 Health Care, Patients, Staff and Chapter 5
Institutions
QUIZ 1 due
4 September 25 Exam 1 on D2L: 8-10am only. MUST BE Chapters 1, 4, 5
SUBMITTED BY 10am.
5 October 2 End of Life Issues and Decisions Chapter 6

6 October 9 Funerals and Body Disposition Chapter 8

QUIZ 2 due
October 16 Reading Week-NO Lecture
7 October 23 Living with Life-Threatening Illness Chapter 7
8 October 30 Exam 2: 8-10am only. MUST BE Chapters 6, 7, 8
SUBMITTED BY 10am.
9 November 6 Grief, Loss & Coping Chapters 9 + 11

10 November 13 Suicide Chapter 12

Optional Written Assignment due by

11:59pm QUIZ 3 due
11 November 20 Life After Death & Near Death Chapter 14
Experiences
12 November 27 Putting it all together: The Inevitable Videos assigned in
D2L
Mini-assignment Due
Decemb Final Exam Period Chapters 9, 11, 12,
er 4-15th Do not make end-of-semester travel 14 and the videos
arrangements until the examination schedule from week 12
is published!
 Evaluation Worth
THREE SHORT ONLINE QUIZZES
Due September 18, October 9, and November 13 6%
Mini-Assignment
November 27th thru D2L 4%
EXAM I
September 25th thru D2L: Must be submitted by 10am 30%
EXAM II
October 30 thru D2L: Must be submitted by 10am 30%
OPTIONAL WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT (RESEARCH PAPER)
November 13 11:59pm, Electronic copy due on D2L (3.5%)
FINAL EXAM on D2L
30%
December 4-15th: Final Exam Period, exact date to be
announced

You will receive feedback on your quizzes as soon as they are completed. Exam
grades will be returned within two weeks. All grades will be posted on D2L. The last
date to drop the course is November 15, 2024.
Students are expected to maintain professional standards in all oral and written
communication. Emails should be properly addressed (the subject line should make it
clear what course you are referring to), and you should have a salutation and
signature, as opposed to how you might write a text to a friend. Students are
expected to show respect for the perspectives of others, to stay on task, and present
differing points of view politely. As members of the TMU community, we are all
expected to abide by basic civility requirements. If you are curious, you can read
more on this: https://www.torontomu.ca/policies/policy-list/workplace-civility-respect-
policy/. Written assignments are expected to be typed, grammatically correct, well-
organized, and proofread for typos and clarity.

Academic Integrity and Plagiarism

TMU’s Academic Integrity Policy applies to all students at the University. The policy and
its procedures are triggered if there is suspicion that a student has engaged in any
form of academic misconduct. https://www.torontomu.ca/academicintegrity/
Forms of academic misconduct include plagiarism, cheating, supplying false information to
the University, and other acts. The most common form of academic misconduct is
plagiarism.
Plagiarism is a serious academic offence and penalties can be severe. In any academic
exercise, plagiarism occurs when one offers as one’s own work the words, data, ideas,
arguments, calculations, designs, or productions of another without appropriate
attribution or when one allows one’s work to be copied.

All academic work must be submitted using the citation style approved by the
instructor. Students may refer to the TMU’s Library’s list of Citations and Style Guides
for more information.
It is assumed that all examinations and work submitted for evaluation and course credit
will be the product of individual effort. Submitting the same work to more than one course,
without instructor approval, is also considered a form of plagiarism.

Students are advised that suspicions of academic misconduct may be referred to the
Academic Integrity Office (AIO). Students who are found to have committed
academic misconduct will have a Disciplinary Notation (DN) placed on their academic
record (not on their transcript) and will be assigned one or more of the following
penalties:
 A grade reduction for the work, include a grade of zero for the work.
  A grade reduction in the course greater than a zero on the work. (Note that
this penalty can only be applied to course components worth 10% or less,
that any additional penalty cannot exceed 10% of the final course grade, and
that information explaining that such a penalty will be assigned must be
included on the course outline.)
 An F in the course
 More serious penalties up to and including expulsion from the University

For more detailed information on these issues, please refer to the full online text for the
Academic Integrity Policy and the Student Code of Academic Conduct (Policy 60):
https://www.torontomu.ca/content/dam/senate/policies/pol60.pdf

SHARING COURSE MATERIAL

Dr. Hart does not permit resharing of course materials, which includes course outline,
lecture slides, videos, assignments, tests, assignment instructions, and any other
media. You do not have permission to share this information on the public or for-profit
internet. Use of Dr. Hart’s intellectual property for distribution, sale or profit is not
authorized. Violation of this constitutes academic misconduct under Policy 60. If you
want to share the personal notes you have taken with another student in this course,
that is acceptable.
For more information see: https://library.torontomu.ca/copyright/copyright-for-
students/students- course-sharing-websites-and-file-sharing/

MISSED TERM WORK OR EXAMINATIONS:

Do not submit notes directly to your professor. Please read the following carefully for missed
work.

Students are expected to complete all tests and exams within the time frames and by
the dates indicated in this outline. Exemption or deferral of an assignment, term test,
or final examination is only permitted for a medical or personal emergency or due to
religious observance, or at the discretion of the instructor. The instructor must be
notified by e-mail prior to the due date or test/exam date, and the appropriate
documentation must be submitted. Failure to do so will jeopardize any academic
appeals.

You can submit an Academic Consideration Request when an extenuating circumstance

has occurred that has significantly impacted your ability to fulfill an academic
requirement. You may always visit the Senate website and select the blue radio button
on the top right hand side entitled: Academic Consideration Request (ACR) to submit
this request.

 For Extenuating Circumstances, Policy 167: Academic Consideration allows for a once per
semester ACR request without supporting documentation if the absence is less than 3
days in duration and is not for a final exam/final assessment. Absences more than 3 days
in duration and those that involve a final exam/final assessment, require documentation.
Students must notify their instructor once a request for academic consideration is
submitted. See Senate Policy 167: Academic Consideration.
 If a student is requesting accommodation due to a religious, Aboriginal and/or spiritual
observance, they must submit their complete request form via the online Academic
Consideration Request (ACR) system within the first two weeks of the class or, for a final
examination, within two weeks of the posting of the examination schedule. If the required
absence occurs within the first two weeks of classes, or the dates are not known well in
advance as they are linked to other conditions, these requests should be submitted with
as much lead time as possible in advance of the required absence.
Late Essay Assignment Policy: The quizzes and written assignments should be submitted
by the deadlines. A penalty of 5% deduction per day will be applied to a late
assignment submission that does not have a granted extension via an ACR or
accommodations.

Students are expected to ask the instructor for an extension before the due date, barring
emergency circumstances. Students who have a verified ACR are required to contact
the instructor to discuss academic consideration. No requests for extensions for the
mini-assignment will be granted after November 30th.

Missed term work:

 If there is no granted extension or verified ACR, written assignments or quizzes
not submitted by deadlines will receive a grade of zero.
 For the optional written assignment, you must submit an electronic
version to D2L by November 13 at 11:59 pm.
 Exemption or deferral of an assignment is only permitted for a medical or personal
emergency or due to religious observance, or at the discretion of the instructor. The
instructor must be notified by e-mail before the due date.

Absence from examination or tests:

 Instructor must be notified by e-mail before the test.
 Documentation must be presented within three working days.
 Depending on course policy, the instructor may arrange a makeup exam or
re-weigh the course requirements.

Absence from final exam:

 Instructor must be notified by e-mail before the examination.
 Documentation must be presented within three working days.
 Student must make arrangements with their instructor to write a makeup exam.

Incomplete (INC) grade:

 On written petition by a student, an incomplete (INC) grade may be assigned for
incomplete coursework or a missed final examination due to documented medical or
compassionate grounds.
 If the majority of the course work has been completed with a passing
performance, and if the documentation is acceptable, an INC grade will be entered
by the instructor. An INC grade will not be granted if term work was missed without an
approved exemption or failed.

COURSE REPEATS:
Academic Council GPA policy prevents students from taking a course more than three times.
For complete GPA policy see Policy #46 at
https://www.torontomu.ca/senate/policies/pol46.pdf

TMU ACADEMIC POLICIES:

For more information on TMU’s academic policies, visit
https://www.torontomu.ca/senate/policies/

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

The Department of Psychology has a web site athttps://www.torontomu.ca/psychology/
where students will find information regarding our Psychology degree, the Certificate
in Psychology and the Psychology Minor as well as departmental policies regarding
appeals, plagiarism, and other issues. It is the student’s responsibility to know and
adhere to all Departmental and University policies, and to make arrangements for
maintaining proper registration in this course. Please read the TMU Calendar carefully.
Important Resources Available at Toronto Metropolitan University
 The Library provides research workshops and individual assistance. If the
University is open, there is a Research Help desk on the second floor of the
library, or students can use the Library's virtual research help service to speak
with a librarian.

 Student Life and Learning Support offers group-based and individual help
with writing, math, study skills, and transition support, as well as resources
and checklists to support students as online learners.

 The Writing Centre offers one-on-one tutorial help with writing and
workshops https://www.torontomu.ca/student-life-and-learning/learning-
support/writing-support/
 Learning Success offers individual sessions and workshops covering various
aspects of researching, writing, and studying. You must book these directly
through their website
https://www.torontomu.ca/student-life-and-learning/learning-support/writing-
support/
 English Language Support offers workshops to improve overall
communication skills https://www.torontomu.ca/english-language-institute/

 If taking a remote course, familiarize yourself with the tools you will need to
use for remote learning. The Remote Learning Guide for students includes
guides to completing quizzes or exams in D2L Brightspace, with or without
Respondus LockDown Browser and Monitor, using D2L Brightspace, joining
online meetings or lectures, and collaborating with the Google Suite.
 Information on Copyright for Faculty and students.

Accessibility
 This course will provide PowerPoint slides transcripts for all recorded lectures
that will be available through the D2L course website.

 If you discover an accessibility barrier with any course materials or

technologies, please contact the professor by email.

Academic Accommodation Support

Academic Accommodation Support (AAS) is the university's disability services office.
AAS works directly with incoming and returning students looking for help with their
academic accommodations. AAS works with any student who requires academic
accommodation regardless of program or course load.
 Learn more about Academic Accommodation Support.
 Learn how to register with AAS.

 Academic Accommodations (for students with disabilities) and Academic

Consideration (for students faced with extenuating circumstances that can
include short-term health issues) are governed by two different university
policies. Learn more about Academic Accommodations versus Academic
 Consideration and how to access each.

Wellbeing Support
At Toronto Metropolitan University, we recognize that things can come up throughout
the term that may interfere with a student’s ability to succeed in their coursework.
These circumstances are outside of one’s control and can have a serious impact on
physical and mental well-being.
Seeking help can be a challenge, especially in those times of crisis.
If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, please call 911 and go to the nearest
hospital emergency room. You can also access these outside resources at anytime:
 Distress Line: 24/7 line for if you are in crisis, feeling suicidal or in need of
emotional support (phone: 416–408–4357)

 Good2Talk: 24/7-hour line for postsecondary students (phone: 1-866-925-5454)

 Keep.meSAFE: 24/7 access to confidential support through counsellors via My

SSP app or 1-844-451-9700

If non-crisis support is needed, you can access these campus resources:

 Centre for Student Development and Counselling: 416-979-5195 or

email csdc@torontomu.ca
 Consent Comes First – Office of Sexual Violence Support and Education: 416-
919- 5000 ext 3596 or email osvse@torontomu.ca
 Medical Centre: call (416) 979-5070 to book an appointment
We encourage all Toronto Metropolitan University community members to access
available resources to ensure support is reachable. You can find more resources
available through the Toronto Metropolitan University Mental Health and
Wellbeing website.

Important resources available to students

Use the services of the University when you are having problems writing, editing, or
researching papers, or when you need help with course material:
o The Library provides research workshops and individual assistance.
Enquire at the Reference Desk or at https://library.torontomu.ca/?
s=workshops
o The Writing Centre offers one-on-one tutorial help with writing and
workshops https://www.torontomu.ca/student-life-and-learning/learning-
support/writing-support/
o Learning Success offers individual sessions and workshops covering
various aspects of researching, writing, and studying. You must book
these directly through their website https://www.torontomu.ca/student-
life-and-learning/learning- support/writing-support/
o English Language Support offers workshops to improve overall
communication skills https://www.torontomu.ca/english-language-
institute/