End Of Life Studies (Online Distance Learning) (Taught)

Around the world there is growing interest in end of life care, assisted dying, and the cultural values that surround death and bereavement. This postgraduate programme will offer you new and critical perspectives on end of life practice and policy, palliative care, cultural representations of death and dying, and related ethical questions.

WHY THIS PROGRAMME

• We will examine new theories, key concepts and a variety of research methods relating to end of life issues.

• As the global population ages and grows, so too does the number of deaths in the world each year. We explore new patterns of ageing and dying, and the implications of these for policy and practice.

• We will examine the specific challenges of delivering optimal end of life care in the global context, examining diverse models of care, their implementation in differing cultural settings and the global spread of palliative care approaches.

• We will explore some of the diverse cultural beliefs surrounding what makes a ‘good death’ and consider global attempts to improve end of life care.

• We consider the expanding debate surrounding the legalisation of assisted dying, and examine the implications for policy and practice in different settings.

• Designed for and delivered on the FutureLearn platform.

PROGRAMME STRUCTURE

You will take six core courses, each with 20 credits and a final 60 credit dissertation project to complete the MSc programme. It will take three years in the first instance to complete with a maximum of six years being allowed.

The programme also has exit points available for PgCert (60 credits) and PgDip (120 credits), up to a maximum period of four years of study.

Core courses

September - December
Assisted Dying: Rhetorics and Reality
Global Challenges and Dilemmas in End of Life Care

January - April
Public Health Approaches to the End of Life
The Continuum of Ageing and Dying

April - July
Cultural Representations of Death and Dying
Theory, Methods, and Ethics in End of Life Research

CAREER PROSPECTS

The programme is extremely well fitted to the needs of people already engaged in some way in matters relating to death, dying, bereavement, palliative care, and end of life care: as well as those who seek to move into these fields. We envisage a rich online learning community on the degree, made up not only of practitioners, but also social activists, those working in artistic and cultural media, as well as people pursuing their own personal development on a matter of pressing human interest.