The Truth About Death and Dying

As Halloween gets closer, it is good to remember that this holiday is more than tricks or treats, but also about respecting the dead.

Now as scary as it seems, everyone dies someday. However, there is a class at Hutchinson Community College that might help people become at ease, perhaps even find an appreciation for the afterlife.

That is Death and Dying, taught by Angela Logan, it is worth three credit hours and offered in person and online. Logan said one of the main concepts of Death and Dying is getting students ready for grieving a lost loved one, since it is bound to happen.

Logan said the class also talks with students about how expensive health insurance is. The class even visits hospitals and hospice facilities.

Logan said that one of the projects is researching suicide prevention. It is done this way to avoid the subject getting too personal. Logan said she has experience with helping people with their grief since she worked with a church. 

Logan said while the class does watch small clips of media, there is one movie the class will watch at the end of the year – “Hotel Rwanda”. This movie is about genocide and if someone in the class us not up for that, Logan will give the student a documentary to watch instead. 

Camille Bryant, McPherson, sophomore, said that she only took the class to get her last humanity credit, but she has found that Death and Dying is interesting and she would recommend it to anybody. 

Bryant said that her favorite part of the class is when they would research the meaning of death in other cultures.

Bravin Powell, Gardner freshman, said that the main concepts of the class to him are dealing with grief and how to handle loss. Powell said that he finds the class helpful for those who don’t talk about death. 

It is good to know that there is a class such as Death and Dying.  To teach individuals with different beliefs and backgrounds about healthy ways to cope with death.  While death can be a scary topic, it doesn’t have to be.

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