In case you need more material, I have three suggestions:

The Bonesetter's Daughter, Amy Tan - a girl deals with her caregiver's suicide

Durable Goods, Elizabeth Berg - a daughter deals with her mother's unexpected death

The Time Traveler's Wife, Audrey Niffenegger - I haven't read this one, it was just recommended to me, but I think it is a husband dealing with a wife's unexpected death

 

Here are the topics I am tentatively looking at, depending on which ones flush out better.

 

Pre-death rituals

 

Comforting/self-disclosure

Social support

Pre-planning services

 

Immediate post-death rituals

 

Adolescents’ reactions to parent’s funeral

Adolescents’ bereavement over time/externalizing & internalizing behaviors

Parents’ reactions to news of child’s death

Grief

Obituaries

 

Long-term post-death rituals

 

Grieving if death seen as preventable vs. not preventable

Website memorials

Letters/communications to the deceased

Religious services/prayers

Anniversary of death

So what we've decided on is Expected vs Unexpected Death, which is the better death for both the dying and the survivors.  I'll just post the quick sketched outline I've been mulling over.

I. In literature, what depiction of death is more prevalent and more sympathetic and engrossing.

II. East of Eden by John Steinbeck (expected death)

    A. Dying process of Samuel Hamilton

    B. Funeral and aftermath for survivors

    C.  meaning of his death, how it reflects his life

III.  The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (sudden death)

    A. Death of Jay Gatsby

    B. Funeral and aftermath

    C. meaning of his death, his legacy

IV.  Which death is depicted as the better/more desirable/admirable.  (I'm leaning towards the expected)

V. Conclusion, tying in how prevalent death is in literature and culture, even from a young age (Bambi, Charlotte's Web, Where the Red Fern Grows, etc.).  Literature builds the expected death as the meaningful death, better for all.

 

Any thoughts you all have will be apprechiated.  I am still trying to find a better example of the sudden death.  The Great Gatsby works because he is murdered and there are a few pages describing his funeral.  I am going to flip through Little Women to see if that can fit better so I'll see how that goes.  See ya!

So just to post and explore our topic and different ideas, and for Betty's benefit, here's a little bit of what we discussed.  We are still on the topic of eulogizing but it is such a rich topic.  One potentially specific question I thought we might be able to use was 'who do we eulogize at death/funeral'.  Is the person we are eulogizing the "true" person or an idealized portrait?  Is it the eulogizer's idea of the person?  Do we ignore or augment certain aspects of the person?  If it is an old person or troubled person, do we ignore the bad, focus on the good?  If it is a young person, how do we focus on what little life was lived or instead do we mourn what could have been?

Any other thoughts?

Ok, I updated the wiki with the last version of the proposal.  Also I thought I would post some of the information from yesterday so that Cathy can know whats going on.

The final project will consisit of 5-6 pages written by each person in the group along with (still a bit unclear about this part) 3 pages for the intro and conclusion.  Not sure whether this means 3 pages together or 3 pages for each.

Some suggested topics were as follows:

Death Rituals and different traditions for different cultures/religions

Death in the secular age, do we still need to mourn and grieve?

A literary anthology of death literature

The lecture yesterday reinforced my interest in exploring the eulogy/eulogizing of the dead.  Is it a cathartic experience?  Do we do it because we want to have a positive memory of the dead to hold onto?  How much of it is for the deceased and how much of it is for the survivors.  What exactly do people mean when they state that "this is exactly what the deceased would have liked"

Hey guys, I have reviewed your conference proposal and suggested comments are listed below. Before getting into the specific comments, consider an overall key thought. You guys have assembled a nice skeleton proposal that meets the basic requirements in satisfactory fashion. However, as is so often the case, the devil is in the details. As you fine-tune your proposal, look for opportunities to expand or dig deeper, so that the review committee has every opportunity to see your respective transdisciplinary insights into the topic of poverty.

1. Your statement of purpose is clear and direct, however, it reads as a standalone item. As you review the rest of your proposal, be sure to note how the various speakers and panels will address the questions and concerns raised in your statement of purpose. If possible, at the end of the statement, consider adding a few targeted transdisciplinary goals for the conference that go beyond simply starting a dialogue and answering questions. Since your group has such a nice transdisciplinary balance, consider having each contributor write a paragraph touching on how their respective discipline (psychology, philosophy, literature…) could elucidate the topic of poverty, thus yielding new insights.

2. I strongly recommend beefing up your schedule by adding short paragraphs explaining the themes and topics each speaker and panel will focus on and what the essence of their transdisciplinary contribution will entail. Simply listing the name and title of a speaker or the “Student Panel #1” will not cut it with a review committee. They want detail, specifically transdisciplinary and scholarly detail.

3. In your planning timeline, you may want to consider having a student call for papers, which they will present as part of the panels. That way you are enhancing the research component of the conference. Secondly, what do you mean by “poster” presentations? Do you mean “posted” presentations?

4. On your budget, be sure to go into more detail, as this is typically what review committees want to see. Note “in-kind” donations (lunch and refreshments can often be provided by sponsors), and be more specific in itemizing all expenses (itemize travel and honorariums, for example.). For conference materials, you are going to want to spend more money on printed posters, conference bulletins and other print materials.

If you have any further questions, feel free to e-mail me (tyler.reeb@cgu.edu) or meet Tom and I at Hagleburger’s this Wednesday from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Cheers,

Tyler