This work was undertaken with a view to developing a textbook for United States secondary schools on the subject of death and dying through a religious lens. The purpose of this work is to provide high school teens with the means of coping with loss and a foundation for crafting their own meaning of life and death. Taking a close look at death attitudes among young people in the United States, as well as high school faculty and staff for the purpose of determining whether or not death education can be provided for public high school students, the work starts from the premise that said death education, using a religious model, should be provided for teenagers because the religious model provides the necessary elements of idea, ritual, and community, so necessary for building a world-view. Research was conducted in the form of survey and historical review to determine the efficacy of the proposed course of study. Upon analysis of the available information on death education history and course offering, as well as analysis of the survey results, the conclusion was reached that the provision of death education in the nation‟s public high schools would go a long way to reducing death anxiety amongst United States teenagers, and also give the adolescents a model for creating their own sense of meaning for all of life that includes death. / Religious Studies and Arabic / D. Litt. et Phil. (Religious Studies)

This work was undertaken with a view to developing a textbook for United States secondary schools on the subject of death and dying through a religious lens. The purpose of this work is to provide high school teens with the means of coping with loss and a foundation for crafting their own meaning of life and death. Taking a close look at death attitudes among young people in the United States, as well as high school faculty and staff for the purpose of determining whether or not death education can be provided for public high school students, the work starts from the premise that said death education, using a religious model, should be provided for teenagers because the religious model provides the necessary elements of idea, ritual, and community, so necessary for building a world-view. Research was conducted in the form of survey and historical review to determine the efficacy of the proposed course of study. Upon analysis of the available information on death education history and course offering, as well as analysis of the survey results, the conclusion was reached that the provision of death education in the nation‟s public high schools would go a long way to reducing death anxiety amongst United States teenagers, and also give the adolescents a model for creating their own sense of meaning for all of life that includes death. / Religious Studies and Arabic / D. Litt. et Phil. (Religious Studies)

The dissertation addresses the issue of death education. It represents the concept of this education as it was created and is realized in the United States (Levinton, 1977; Wass, 2003; Doka 2015). The aim of qualitative research is to map the experiences of teachers with the theme of school death. It follows experiences of interventions in cases of death in the closest family of pupils or the death of a member of the school community, experience with topics related to death in teaching, as well as conditions for education related to death. The data were obtained through semi-structured interviews with ten teachers. Part of the work on based on teacher intervention in 11 cases, six of which were concerned with deaths in the pupil's family, in three a pupil died. In two cases, deaths were related to teachers. In the interviews, teachers paid much attention to the situation regarding the classroom reporting, usually choosing a factual announcement after which the pupils were recommended how to behave to the mournful classmate. In this recommendation, there was an emphasis on empathy or on the preservation of common behavior. If the event was communicated by a pupil or the teacher perceived their interest, a discussion in which the pupils communicated their reflections, experiences followed. No teacher noticed a strong emotional response from pupils. To the grieving pupil, teachers usually expressed their participation outside the classroom. In their further negotiations with him, they either sought to maintain the order or considered different options. These included both the demands on the pupil and the choice of topics in the classroom respecting the sensitivity to family issues or devoting attention to death issues (often through reading). Part of the work on the subject of death in teaching presents school subjects where teachers can deal with death related topics. It is the Czech language, Elementary studies, Natural sciences, History or Ethical and Dramatic Education. Although the themes of death in the curriculum appear, only some teachers are giving them attention. Most often it is then the case for a wide range of discussions or essay writing of pupils, which usually follows common reading. Teachers perceive pupils' interest in these topics. In some cases, teachers have sought to counterbalance the numbing impact of contemporary death mediation by making pupils feel through reading or film watching. The theme of death has sometimes been raised by the pupils themselves. Teachers perceived support from their personal experience (for five their parents died in childhood or adolescence). In their professional training, they perceived courses such as Critical Thinking or Philosophy for Children superior providing them with tools for work with demanding themes. Many teachers apply a personal approach to their pupils which naturally forms an appropriate framework for interventions as well as teaching on the theme of death.

At Resuscitation Units and Intensive Care Units nurses face the issue of dying and death every day. Very often they are in contact with the dying and their immediate family and they are expected to have professional approach and provide comprehensive care. Stress that the nurses experience in these situations results into mental, emotional and physical exhaustion, and can be manifested by psychosomatic problems. Preparation of nurses to these situations and support of their management is therefore a key factor for the management of this demanding profession. The theoretical part of the thesis contains a description of the current state of the issue, characterizes resuscitation and intensive care, and deals with the issue of death and dying in Resuscitation Units nad Intensive Care Units, managing situations associated with death and the support of nurses in these situations. The work has four goals. The first objective is to determine what method of preparation of nurses is in practice ensured in Resuscitation Units and Intensive Care Units for the performance of high-quality nursing care for dying patients. Another objective is to determine whether and how the nurses are prepared and trained in the field of management of situations connected with the death of a patient in Resuscitation Units and Intensive Care Units. The third objective is, whether there is and what is the form of assistance to nurses in RU and ICU provided by the team and the management of the Department in case of deaths of patients, and the fourth objective is to determine what form and manner of support nurses expect and require. Research part of the thesis was carried out by quantitative investigation using an anonymous questionnaire. Respondents were answering 38 questions, 13 questions were closed, 21 half open and 4 were open. The support is most frequently understood as a psychological support, good teamwork, communication, supervision and representation where necessary. Management is expected primarily to provide support through education, ensuring supervision, corresponding financial support and professional psychological assistance where necessary. On the basis of this work?s results a proposal for the course for paramedical professions working in RS and ICU called ?Course of the Strategy of Difficult Situations Management in the Care for the Dying and Their Close Family in Intensive and Urgent Care?, was made.