Dr Judith Wester introduced everyone to the first ‘Life Lesson’. Hold on a minute… surely we were here to learn about death and all the gruesome things associated with it- I was expecting morbid talks, counselling, gory details, crying and yet the workshop was being called ‘Life Lessons’. It was a surprising start and straight away we adjusted to the fact that we were going to be thrown a curve ball and have to start rethinking all we had previously…
Katy’s Blog #2 My recent work with CEDAR has led me to participate and observe a fantastic group of young people following them on a journey into a new realm exploring and learning about a somewhat taboo, alternative and dare I say it ‘scary’ topic of death and dying. Adults may shy away from broaching this subject and some may think young people ought not even be thinking or speaking about a such topic – and yet every day young…
Written by Kathryn Walker Hi my name is Kathryn (Katy), and I am a Social Anthropologist. My practice encompasses observing and learning about the world in which we live. Through participating in the lives of other people I record the many facets of human diversity, explore the social and cultural customs and different ways of life and through field work and in-depth description compare, analyse and test theories that aim to understand human nature. Out of a fascination with life…
CEDAR LIFE LESSONS PILOT PROGRAMME Ten wonderful volunteers, ages 14-21, from the Shropshire Young Health Champion scheme enrolled in the first-ever three-day CEDAR Life Lessons course, which ran from 28th-30th July 2014. This ground-breaking programme was created by the Thanatologist, Dr Judith Wester, founder of CEDAR CIC, to teach young people about death, loss and remembrance in a healthy and stimulating way. The programme was a great success and will be reported on more fully over the coming months. The…
Cedar CIC About the company CEDAR helps people, young or old, to learn how to talk about death, dying and loss in compassionate and supporting ways In addition, CEDAR helps professionals to expand their general and specialist knowledge around the topics of death, grief and bereavement in a variety of social and cultural circumstances. Whether speaking to a child, young person or adult we all need to understand, accept and respond to death appropriately in order to minimise distress. Challenge…
Written by Diana Spoge I am a visiting first-year student from Latvia, attending the University of Wolverhampton. When I was asked to analyse an image pertaining to death using semiotics I chose this image because of the connection with my culture. It is simplified here in order to share it with a wider audience.
© Sam Price, University of Wolverhampton, School of Art & Design, UK Gallows humour is often discussed as ‘laughter in the face of pain’. Galgenhumor, which finds its origins around 1848 Germany, is referred to as ‘cynical humor that derives from stressful or traumatic situations’. However, it has been in practice for many centuries. It is used as a way of getting around situations that are otherwise overwhelming or unavoidable in nature such as death, war, disease or horrific crime.
Force, N (May 3, 2011) Humor’s Hidden Power: Weapon, Shield and Psychological Salve, Braeden Press It is often said that “laughter is the best medicine,” but this aphorism fails to fully express the power inherent in humor. Humour’s Hidden Power reveals how humor has empowered people to overcome overwhelming circumstances throughout history, how laughter changes brain chemistry and functioning, how the genders use humor differently, and the ways in which comedians have used humor to heal themselves and others through…
Written by Ryan Hillback As a first year broadcasting/ journalism student at the University of Wolverhampton, our instructor, Dr Judith Wester, asked us to use semiotic techniques to explore images that represented the idea of death in various forms. This is a modified version of my examination of the image I chose, leaving out some of the academic ideas to present here as a blog.
Focus Group – Death Education in Schools