Developing Death Literacy Death literacy goes beyond understanding the dying process—it is about fostering meaningful conversations, breaking the silence around illness and loss, and giving people the knowledge needed to make informed decisions. In this course, we will explore mortality, end-of-life care options, and the effects of fear and aversion, through a respectful lens of cultural, spiritual, religious, and identity-based humility. We will also examine the power of storytelling as a tool for conveying complex concepts. For our final project, students will participate in a story-sharing event, applying what they have learned to gently enhance communal death literacy.  Francesca Arnoldy is a practicing community doula and death literacy author as well as a published researcher at the Vermont Conversation Lab.

Francesca Arnoldy

Reviews and ratings for Francesca Arnoldy at Middlebury College.Francesca Arnoldy teaches Developing Death Literacy and more.  Explore top rated instructors and find the best for you.Is Francesca Arnoldy good ? Find out on MiddCourses.

Easy J-term class. The class was more emotionally intensive than anything else, but I expected that going in and Francesca makes sure to set you up with lots of resources to help you take care of yourself. You do lots of introspection and reflection. I didn't feel like there was enough content to necessarily constitute a full class, but I much preferred a slow and easy jterm class to something intense