Initial Post
Include the following:
Online Personal Story: Choose a blog, article, or video that offers a first-person narrative (i.e., the person experiencing the loss is the author of the blog/article and the focus of the video) of the person’s loss and experiences following the loss. The length of the blog, article, or video should be such that you have enough details to explain their experiences. For instance, using a video that is five minutes long or blogs/articles that are a brief paragraph will not provide enough context to maximize the quality of your initial post. On the other end of the spectrum, the video does not need to be a 50-minute documentary.
Locating Stories: To find suitable personal stories, consider exploring TED talks where speakers share their personal grief and loss experiences. There are videos around 15-20 minutes long that provide unique insights into the speaker’s experiences. Additionally, you could search for vlogs on YouTube, where individuals share stories across several videos. There are also other YouTube channels that post stories of people with lived experiences. When selecting a video, look for sources that allow you to learn about the person’s experiences after their losses, how they coped, etc. If you prefer blogs, there are people with lived experiences who have written blog articles and/or created websites where they share their personal experiences.
Story Highlights: In your initial post, provide a summary that gives an outside reader a clear understanding of the person’s loss and key aspects of their story. Include direct links to the story or video for reference.
Course Connections: Draw at least one specific connection between the personal story and course content (e.g., lecture content, assigned textbook).
Things to ponder about course connections:
How does the individual’s experience align with or differ from the grief experiences discussed in our course?
Did the person experience disenfranchised grief, secondary losses, or ambiguity in their loss?
What mediators of mourning were evident in their story?
Were there any symbolic or psychosocial losses?
How did the person cope with their loss?
You do not need to answer these questions verbatim. These questions are used as a resource for additional context about ways to make course connections.
Note: If you include the instructions in your initial post to help guide your completion of the initial post, delete the instructions before submitting the post.
Minimum word count: 300 words. I have uploaded the textbook for information to refrence course material. We are currently on chapter 9 and 10. You can refrence previous chapters if need be.
