Aging, Death, & Capitalism
Curriculum guideline
Effective Date:
Course
Discontinued
No
Course code
SOCI 3345
Descriptive
Aging, Death, & Capitalism
Department
Sociology
Faculty
Humanities & Social Sciences
Credits
3.00
Start date
End term
Not Specified
PLAR
No
Semester length
15
Max class size
35
Contact hours
Lecture: 2 hours
Seminar: 2 hours
Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Seminar
Learning activities
- Lecture
- Small group exercises
- Class discussion
- Computer lab work
- Audio-visual materials
- Guest speakers
Course description
This course examines aging and death as a social process as it relates to the rise of capitalism and its related institutions. The rise of capitalist societies in the 19th century profoundly shaped the experience of aging and dying. Modern medicine and technologies have dramatically extended life spans while enabling us to avoid dying and death as a reality until old age. Culturally, capitalist societies stigmatize old age while idealizing youthfulness as exhibited in mass media and the lucrative multi-billion dollar beauty products industry. Today, aging is often considered a “disease” that can be “cured” with technologies provided by our capitalist economy, transforming our sense of self as we move through different stages of life. Drawing on the insights of classical and contemporary sociological theory, the course considers individual experiences of aging and dying, wider patterns of stratification and inequality related to old age, as well as demographic shifts in the aging population in Canada and across the globe. Finally, this course critically examines various socio-cultural and historical attitudes and practices concerning dying and death.
Course content
- Theories of Capitalism, Aging & Society
- Global Demographic Trends in Industrialized Societies
- Poor Houses, Nursing Homes, and the Biomedicalization of Aging
- Industrialization, the Welfare State, and Aging
- Work, Retirement, and Economic Security
- Intersectionality, Inequality, and Aging
- Aging & Political Participation
- The Aging Body
- Attitudes Towards Death
- Dying & Death in the Context of Canadian Social Institutions
- Age & Death: Generational Differences
- Suicide & Medically Assisted Death
- Choices & Support Systems for the Dying
Learning outcomes
At the completion of the course, the successful student will be able to:
- Identify major streams of sociological theory with regards to aging in capitalist societies;
- Define capitalism, industrialization, modernity and post modernity;
- Define social gerontology and ‘old age’;
- Describe the rise of biomedicalization as it relates to aging and dying and other institutions such as hospitals and nursing homes;
- Compare the Canadian demographic profile to global aging trends in industrialized societies;
- Define and give examples of aging across the life course within the context of postmodernism in a global comparative perspective;
- Describe transforming economic conditions between traditional and modern societies as it relates to changing institutions of aging, dying and death;
- Identify how intersecting axes of inequality (race, gender, class and sexual orientation), as well as power and status structures created by capitalism shape the experience of aging and death, including unpaid care work
- Discuss the emergence of the welfare state in relationship to industrialization;
- Explain how labour force trends are relevant to retirement and aging;
- Explain the relationship between social participation and quality of life;
- Identify supports contributing to the care and well-being of older populations;
- Discuss medically assisted death and historical-legal dimensions;
- Compare several different cultural approaches to aging, dying, and death.
Means of assessment
Evaluation will take place in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy. Evaluation will be based on course objectives and may include quizzes, exams, critical essays, literature reviews, term/research projects, oral presentations, multi-media presentations and a personal family and age project. The specific evaluation criteria will be provided by the instructor at the beginning of the course.
An example of one evaluation scheme is:
| Two mid-term exams | 45% |
| One group project | 20% |
| One research project | 25% |
| One final quiz | 10% |
| Total | 100% |
Students may conduct research with human participants as part of their coursework in this class. Instructors for the course are responsible for ensuring that student research projects comply with College policies on ethical conduct for research involving humans.
Textbook materials
- Laura Funk. Sociological Perspectives on Aging. Don Mills: Oxford University Press, 2015.
- Herbert C. Northcott and Donna M. Wilson. Dying and Death in Canada. Toronto, University of Toronto Press, 2017.
Texts will be updated periodically.