Addresses the worldwide experience of suffering through a biblically-informed perspective for the sake of the Church’s mission to a hurting world. Topics addressed in this course will include pastoral care, nursing, healthcare, and healing (both spiritual and physical) as they pertain to disease and disability. Students will be assessed on the readings and lectures through online discussion, case-studies, and service projects.

With the rise of chronic illness, increased life expectancy, and complex medical technology, palliative care offers quality of life to those facing life ending or life limiting illness. In this course, students will read, discuss, and engage the basic concepts of palliative care. Students will explore the history of medicine, the rise of medical technology, and the complex challenges facing patients in today’s healthcare system. This course prepares students who wish to go further in the care of those facing serious illness.

Addressing the challenges of life-limiting or life-ending illness with those in distress demands the best from medical or pastoral caregivers. In this course, students will study, engage, and practice the vital communication skills necessary for empathic engagement with the seriously ill and their families. The broader use of palliative care interventions will also be examined and applied to real world case studies so that caregivers can engage effectively the needs of the seriously ill.

With the rise of palliative care, healthcare professionals are recognizing the importance of holistic care. To address these needs, medical teams are more open to interprofessional and interdisciplinary engagement in order to understand the values of and meet the needs of patients. Pallaitive care is at the forefront of this engagement. Students in this course will develop skills and methods for claiming one's place at the table, communicating with other professionals, and contributing meaningfully to the patient's care.

With advanced medical technology now capable of sustaining the body long after meaningful quality of life has ceased, advanced planning around end of life care is essential to dying well. In this course, students will be introduced to the important elements of planning for end of life, will practice leading conversations around end of life planning, and will gain an awareness of the complex issues surrounding end of life care. This course will enable participants to engage others in their care to grapple with the important issues involved in dying well.

In this course, students will examine the challenges facing the terminally ill and how to give care to those facing the experience of dying. Looking at the physical and spiritual dimensions of dying, students will examine their own fears around death, gain understanding of the dying process, and how to be effective caregivers to those facing end of life.