This week I started a Masters course at the University of Glasgow. The course is run by the End of Life Studies Group and is a completely online part-time course that will last for about three years.
It’s very exciting to be studying and there are lots of topics in the course that will of huge interest to me. I applied last year with some concern that it’s been about 40 years since I was last at university! But the course is very much aimed at people in work and returning to study. Just the fact that it is an online course is significant. This wasn’t a response to COVID, the course was always designed to be delivered remotely.
And I got a real sense of that yesterday with our first class seminar, held on Zoom. There were people from England, Scotland, Canada and Mexico on the call.
That fact alone makes this really significant to me. Because I’m really looking forward to sharing experience with people from different countries and professional backgrounds. I want to explore how funerals work in other countries. What I can learn as a celebrant from other professionals like death doulas.
Of course, it will be a lot of work. And I still need to conduct funerals and make a living. But I think the rewards will be huge and I look forward to updating this blog with my progress and some of the things I’m learning.
Michael Hannah, Dundee, 15 January 2021