Exploring personal stories
(1) Select two online personal stories (related to death, non-death related losses, grief) that, at a minimum, explain the person’s experiences following the loss. Losses may include non-death related loss. Ideally, the personal stories you select should have helped you to understand what the person felt before, during, and following the loss. At a minimum, there needs to be information in the story that discusses experiences following the loss. The loss should be experienced by the person writing the blog/article or YourTube video.
(2) Provide a brief introduction to your paper. Introductions work best when written last.
(3) Provide a brief description of the person (e.g., demographics, type of loss, when the loss occurred).
(4) Include a summary of the stories to provide context to their experiences for an outside reader. Use relevant details from the story that will help you to make connections to the course content/textbook.
(5) Using the information you presented in the summary, make specific connections to what you know and understand about death, grief, and loss throughout the semester (e.g., course content, textbook). Be specific.
Include information about developmental perspectives. For instance, what did you find relevant to the experiences discussed by the person in the story to developmental perspectives highlighted in the textbook and/or from what you already know regarding development? To what extent did information about developmental perspectives highlighted in the textbook/course content enable you to understand their experience more fully?
At a minimum, three specific concepts (e.g., theories, models, perspectives) from the textbook/ course content should be included in each story. Please do not repeat the same concepts for each story; use a variety to demonstrate your knowledge. Note: Writing that a person has a non-death loss is not considered a specific connection, as this is general information. Another example: Indicating the person’s partner died by suicide and the book discussed suicide, is not considered a specific connection.
Things to ponder as you think about specific concepts. What did you notice from the story that you can relate to grief experiences discussed in the course content/textbook?
Examples: Was the death traumatic for the person? Did they experience disenfranchised grief? What were some of their mediators of mourning? Secondary losses? Did they experience ambiguity with their loss? Did they experience symbolic/psychosocial losses? How did they cope?
(6) As part of the conclusion, discuss specifically what you learned from reading these stories.
Please use different websites (i.e., both stories should not come from the same website). One of the personal stories may be from a video. If you choose to use a video, ensure there is enough information in the video to write about the person’s personal experiences following the loss.
For organizational purposes, write about the first story, then write information about the second story.
Format
Minimum word count: 650 words. Maximum 850 words.
Double-Spaced
Third-Person
Use headings
APA: Cite sources (in-text citations)
Use APA for your reference page.
Introduction
Includes a brief introduction that highlights the types of personal stories discussed in the paper.
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomePersonal Story Summaries
Provides a brief description of the person (e.g., demographics, type of loss, when the loss occurred).Provides insightful and specific details about the stories. The narrative of the person was evident in the paper. The information is written in a manner that shows at a minimum what the person felt following the loss. Details are provided that answer the questions “at a minimum” that are to be included in the assignment. Synthesis is apparent in the manner the stories were summarized.
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeMaking Connections
Provides specific details and connections about death, grief, and loss from course content. Utilizes specific names of concepts and links this information to the stories summarized. Includes information about developmental perspectives. At a minimum, each story had three specific connections. The same connections were not repeated for each story.
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeConclusion
Provided a conclusion about what was learned from reading these stories.
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeWritten Communication & Format
Language clearly and effectively communicates ideas to the reader. Errors related to mechanics of writing (grammar, sentence structure) are minimal and do not impact readability. Transitions between ideas enhance the overall presentation of the assignment. Writing presents as well-organized, well-developed, and expressed with clarity. Sentence fluency enhances the presentation of the assignment. Word choice connects to the writing style of the assignment. Proofreading is evident based on few errors related to basic mechanics of writing. Minimum word count met. In-text citations and reference page completed.
