There is a taboo surrounding death in our North American culture. We're not sure how to talk about it, or how to connect through it. The HBO series Six Feet Under breaks this taboo with its honest, humorous and moving look at death and dying. There are important lessons to be drawn from this series. Teachers could revolutionize their classrooms as this show has revolutionized television: by dealing with issues that most tend to avoid. Parker Palmer and Mary Rose O'Reilley's views on education provide a foundation for this thesis. First, teachers need to recognize the fragility of their students as well as their own. Second, they need to appreciate that loss comes in many forms, and that mourning is often necessary. Third, teaching needs to create a space for both students and teachers to express themselves. Fourth, this space also needs to exist in order for both teachers and students to truly listen to one another. Fifth, teachers need to change their own perception of death and dying if they expect students to do the same. Last, teachers need to promote the idea of connection with the world outside the classroom. This thesis's intention is to bring awareness and acceptance around death and dying to individuals, particularly teachers, by exploring Six Feet Under through the characters' journeys, and extracting its many valuable lessons.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.116053 |
| Date | January 2008 |
| Creators | Sweer, Jennifer. |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Arts (Department of Culture and Values in Education.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 003134591, proquestno: AAIMR66991, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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