Conceptual Areas of Death Education

The need for the inclusion of death education concepts into the curriculum at all levels has been expressed by numerous health educators. In order to effectively meet this need, it is imperative that teachers be adequately prepared to deal with the diverse and sometimes controversial topics encompassed by a death education course. Although there is a vast amount of information in the area of death and dying, there does not appear to be a consensus about the essential knowledge base which should be included in a professional preparation course in death education for health educators. As a result, death education courses vary tremendously in the scope and depth of topics covered. Current events, instructor biases, previous experiences, and departmental philosophy often determine the focus of a death education course.