University Course Requires Students To Think Of Death, Write Their Will As Major Quiz

A course in a Chinese University requires students to put themselves in death situation and write their will as a major quiz.

The course on thanatology at Guangzhou University, whose assessment includes asking students to write a will for themselves, is so popular that it was selected among open online courses (MOOC) last year.

“The problem of life and death is a universal problem. When they write their own will, the students will put themselves in a death situation, which can stimulate students to cherish their lives and love from their family,” the main teacher Hu Yi’an said on campus in Guangzhou, South China’s Guangdong Province.

“I think writing a will is a very fresh assessment,” a female student said.

Hu was not surprised that his course was in the list of MOOC.

“I often interact with students online. The biggest feature of online courses is fragmented learning. If students ask questions on the learning platform, I will give the answers,” Hu said.

As the longest and most comprehensive course on life and death at China’s universities, the course mainly involves the essence and dignity of life and death, and the awareness of death, death optimization, and suicide issues, according to the course overview on MOOC’s website.

“Thanatology may allow more pessimistic and even desperate people to look at the current sufferings correctly. The premise of not fearing death is to revere life,” one Weibo user said.

“Death is one topic that everyone needs to face sooner or later. It is good to have this course early in life,” another netizen commented.

Source: Global Times