SCWK 8831 Dying, Grief, and Bereavement

Elective Beginning with an overview of the social phenomena of death and how social attitudes and practices influence the environmental context in which death takes place in contemporary society, the course explores the influence of cultural diversity in the way death is experienced by diverse groups. The tasks of mourning following a person's death and the bereavement process present complex socio-emotional challenges for family and friends throughout the lifespan. Issues in self-reflection and self-care are presented to offer practitioners ways to grow personally and professionally through the process of their clients' losses.

Course overview

Department
Social Work
School
SSW
Credits
3
Level
Graduate
Offered
Every Fall, Every Spring

Catalog details

Prerequisites
SCWK7721

Catalog text is imported from the reviewed Boston College course snapshot. Confirm eligibility in EagleApps.

Course evaluations

Response-weighted averages from Boston College’s official course evaluations (Avalanche/Blue).

Course rating
4.84 / 5 · Excellent
166 responses
Instructor rating
4.91 / 5 · Excellent
166 responses
Terms evaluated
10
Most recent: Spring 2026

Scales: overall ratings run from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent); agreement questions from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree); weekly effort from 1 (up to 1 hour) to 5 (10 or more hours).

Evaluations by term and instructor
TermInstructorCourse overallInstructor overallWell organizedClear learning objectivesIntellectually challengingHelpful assignmentsApplicable beyond courseAttendance necessaryWeekly effortResponses
Spring 2026John Franchitto4.94.94.94.94.64.84.94.81–3 hrs/week18 of 22
Fall 2025John Franchitto4.84.94.94.94.74.84.94.71–3 hrs/week17 of 24
Summer 2025John Franchitto5.05.05.05.04.74.85.04.84–6 hrs/week6 of 24
Fall 2024John Franchitto4.94.94.94.84.54.94.84.91–3 hrs/week16 of 22
Summer 2024John Franchitto4.94.95.05.04.74.95.04.94–6 hrs/week17 of 23
Spring 2024John Franchitto4.95.05.04.94.64.85.04.71–3 hrs/week19 of 23
Fall 2023John Franchitto—————————19 of 22
Fall 2022John Franchitto4.74.84.64.74.74.64.94.5—23 of 24
Summer 2022John Franchitto4.84.94.94.94.54.84.94.94–6 hrs/week15 of 24
Fall 2021John Franchitto4.94.95.04.94.84.95.04.91–3 hrs/week16 of 24

Data freshness

Course and evaluation data last updated 2026-10-09. Source details and limitations are documented in Data Sources and Methodology.

Instructors

  • John Franchitto
    Spring 2026, Fall 2025, Summer 2025, Fall 2024, Summer 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022, Summer 2022, Fall 2021 · Official rating 4.91/5