Funeral Service Education

Course Code: ANAT 100

This course is required for students in the Funeral Services Education, Occupational Therapist Assistant and Physiotherapist Assistant, Paramedic and Practical Nursing programs in the School of Health Sciences. It is designed for those with limited background in human biology. With a focus on anatomy, structure and function of the human body will be discussed to provide a background, which will enable the student to understand the basic concepts of health and of disease.

Course Code: FSER 100

This course will introduce the student to a variety of techniques that may be utilized in embalming. Students will work in small groups for embalming practice, then from the small group practice students will prepare lab reports and present their cases in class to fellow students. Hypothetical cases will also be used.

Course Code: FSER 101

This course will cover the responsibilities of funeral service personnel related to the technical aspects of embalming, as well as historical development and theoretical principles of embalming.

Course Code: FSER 103

This course is an introduction to funeral service as it is practiced currently in North America. The history and evolution of the profession are examined. Customs are compared with those of other countries. Past, present and future roles of the funeral director are discussed. The students are introduced to funeral service procedures, practices and equipment that are common to most funeral home operations in Canada. Pertinent provincial legislation is discussed. Students develop some specific skills regarding effective and appropriate communication in funeral service.

Course Code: FSER 105

In this course students will be introduced to a number of ethical issues in funeral service. They will examine two fundamental questions from several perspectives: ?How do we best care for the dead?; and, ?How do we best care for the living?? We will focus on, ?How do we run an ethical funeral service?? Students will be exposed to reading materials published in various funeral service trade magazines. They will be challenged to reflect on their own values and beliefs, and through discussion to explore those held by others.

Course Code: GNED 101

The humanities course focuses on fundamental questions individuals ask of themselves as they proceed through life. Why are we the way we are? Do we have free will or are we prisoners of our past experience or our biological inheritance? What motivates societies to change? Why do societal changes so often divide people into opposing camps? Why do so many people find contemporary life at home, at work, and in the community unfulfilling? What constitutes good government? How should injustice be fought? Can nations successfully deal with global problems? What is science and how does it differ from other kinds of inquiry? Can scientists provide solutions to the problems we face? What is art and does it offer answers of its own? What is its relationship to beauty, to knowledge, and to ethics? Is objectivity about art (or anything) possible? These questions are organized into units that begin with issues concerning the nature of the individual and then extend outward to various social, cultural and physical contexts.

The issues explored in this course are too complex to have any one right answer. Rather, individuals must search for answers that make sense of their experiences via various theoretical perspectives. The humanities course supports this endeavour through study of different thinkers presented in the readings and exploration of different points of view explored in class discussions.

Course Code: MICR 100

In order to prevent the spread of infection to themselves, their colleagues, and to others, it is necessary for health care and funeral service workers to understand certain fundamental concepts of microbiology. This course will introduce the student to the common micro-organisms, their unique characteristics, and their relationship to the human population. Also discussed will be the modes of transmission of a select group of pathogenic micro-organisms, the prevention and control of infection, and the body's defence mechanisms.

Course Code: WRIT 121

Writing Skills for Funeral Service Education and Registered Practical Nursing students requires students to become familiar with the fundamentals of analytical reading and writing, both in academia and in the workplace. Students will learn to communicate clearly, accurately, and objectively about relevant vocational subjects and support the application of these skills in all program areas.
WRIT 121 introduces students to the strategies of effective essay writing, job search writing and critical reading and thinking. Students will learn to apply these skills to vocationally relevant assignments, with a special emphasis on persuasive communication skills. Students will learn how to select and organize pertinent information according to purpose and audience and will practise presenting their ideas clearly, precisely and effectively in various written formats. To complete WRIT 121 successfully, students must produce writing that meets or surpasses the minimum departmental standards as set out in the attached criterion sheets.

Course Code: FSER 150

This course is a continuation of the practice and approach used in Embalming Lab 1. During this course, students are required to incorporate the material from all related courses completed or in process.

Course Code: FSER 151

Embalming Theory 2 will expand on the Embalming Theory 1. Disease processes and their influence on embalming procedures will be examined in order for the student, after consideration of the theory, to select the most appropriate procedure to follow.

Course Code: FSER 152

This course is a continuation of FSER 103 Orientation to Funeral Service 1. The students will continue to be introduced to funeral service procedures and practices, as well as religious and fraternal rites and rituals. Current and future roles of the funeral director will be discussed in relationship to these practices. Students will be exposed to the theory of interviewing and will develop some basic skills regarding arrangement counselling. Students develop some specific skills regarding equipment use.

Course Code: FSER 153

The general topic of restorative art will be covered in each of its classifications as follows: reduction of swelling; treatment of emaciation; treatment of trauma; treatment of erosion; the application of cosmetics, professional and commercial. This course will include theory, demonstration and practice in simulated conditions. Students will develop some specific skills in each of the previously mentioned areas.

Course Code: FSER 154

This course will involve an in-depth examination of psychological concepts in the areas of grief, bereavement and mourning, with particular emphasis on the roles of the funeral director in relation to these concepts. It will also investigate the role of the funeral director as a facilitator of the funeral service, crisis intervener and after care counsellor.

Course Code: FSER 155

This course is an introductory business course examining the roles of marketing, accounting, finance, operations and human resource management in an organization, to determine how each function supports the overall objectives of the organization. The emphasis will be on the legal, social, business, pragmatic and contemporary needs of the funeral service professional.

Course Code: PATH 150

This course is an overview of common diseases affecting the human organism. It provides Funeral Service Education students with the terminology, and causes and manifestations of common diseases they will need to communicate with medical personnel and the public.

Course Code: FSER 200

This course offered through correspondence during the fall semester of the in-service year, consists of four assignments designed to help the student relate theory to practice in various aspects of the profession.

Course Code: FSER 250

As in FSER 200 Theoretical Application 1, this course consists of correspondence assignments designed to help the student relate theory to practice in additional aspects of the profession.

Course Code: FSER 251

This is the final course in the Funeral Service Education program. It is delivered on campus during the spring semester and provides for total program review, discussion of current professional issues and preparation for licensing examinations.