Angebot im:	Wintersemester 2010/11
Studiengang:	BA
Modul:	B 12 - Wahllehrveranstaltungen
Kurseinheit:	Theoretical Foundations of Gerontology and Palliative Care
Semester:	6.
Lehrsprache:	englisch
Semesterwochenstunden:	2
vorgesehene Gruppengröße:	12
Kontaktzeit (Stunden):
Selbstudium (Stunden):
Leistungspunkte (ECTS):	3
Dozent/in:	Diplom-Betriebswirt (FH) Christopher Klinger, MPA (University of North Carolina)

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Day/Time:

Modular course on 4 Fridays and 2 Saturdays (6 sessions a 4 contact hours)

Course Outline

Gerontology broadly deals with aging, older people and age as a category of (social) structure. The first part of the course focuses on defining gerontology and palliative care as well as on a wide range of theories related to aging and the life course/their linkages to health and social policy. In line with an increase in the number of deaths in Germany, estimated to grow by another ⅓ to 1.01 million by 2030, the second part of the course reviews death and dying in contemporary society – also from a palliation perspective.

Objective:

Theoretical foundations of gerontology and palliative care are introduced – learners will be able to critically analyze and use theory knowledgably in their writing, research and practice. Further enhancement of presentation and (written) communication skills in English in preparation for work and/or studies abroad

Contents:

Introduction to gerontology and palliative care, (social) theories of aging and the life course. Interdisciplinary aspects of gerontology for research and practice. Critical ge-rontology and linkages to health and social policy. Universal Design and assistive technologies. History and principles of hospice and palliative care service provision – including pain and symptom management, advance directives, living wills and berea-vement care.

Prerequisits:

Openness to critically engage with aging, death and dying. Command of the English language

Methods:

Short lectures, seminar discussion, student presentations and literature analyses.

Evaluation:

Individual presentation (30%) and term paper (70%) on a specific theory or critical enquiry on an agreed-upon topic in the aging and/or palliative care realm.

Literature:

• Bengtson, V., Gans, D., Putney, N., & Silverstein, M. (Eds.). (2009). Handbook of Theories of Aging (Second Edition). New York, NY: Springer.

Selected course readings provided by the instructor.