**Please be certain to read the Parental Guidance section before registering for class.**

Let's explore the basics of death according to different cultures and religions, since they all see and deal with death differently.  We'll learn about ways others view death, ideas about life after death, funeral customs, and more!

Religions and cultures discussed will include Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Judaism.  We will also discuss ancient burial practices and beliefs about death.  These cultures will include Ancient Egyptian, Norse, Japanese, Chinese, and Greece.  Finally, we'll touch on superstitions surrounding death from around the world.

Some of the specifics include, but are not limited to:

- the very specific ways the Norse people would bury their dead so as to prevent them from returning as draugr, wreaking havoc on those left living  
- the Buddhist idea of reincarnation and seeing death not as an end, but as an awakening
- the direction in which the body is placed after death if one is Muslim and why
- why some Christian sects warn against cremation
- the five stages of mourning in Jewish faith and culture

This is a beginner class.  Given that we will have only a short time together, this is an opportunity for students to touch on the basics of the topic so that they may then delve deeper on their own should they choose to do so after class.  

Videos, pictures, lecture, and discussion will be utilized, so meaningful participation is encouraged, but never required.