GEOGRAPHIES OF DEATH
GEOG 595
Spring 2026 • Thursdays 2:30–5:20 • SMI 409
Instructor: José Alavez
Email: (jalavez@uw.edu)
Office: SMI 303F
Office hours: by appointment
Course Description
In recent years, we have mourned the loss of friends during a global pandemic; grieved the deaths of migrants and activists; and witnessed the devastation of human and more-than-human communities through slow violence and genocide. Drawing on the work of academics such as Avril Maddrell, Jason de León, Achille Mbembe, and Kathryn Gillespie, this graduate seminar invites students to collectively examine and develop spatial frameworks for understanding the emotional, social, and political dimensions of contemporary deathscapes.
This course brings together voices from different disciplines and geographies with the aim of gaining a heterogeneous and diverse understanding of death. Yet, one of the main goals of this course is to approach it through spatial lenses that encompass diverse scales, temporalities, power dynamics, and senses of place and belonging. I invite you to think of deathscapes (i.e., spaces for and by the dead) not as containers for mortal activities or materialities, but as active agents that co-produce multiple experiences around death, mourning, and loss from individual, social, and more-than-human perspectives.
Seminar Themes
| Weeks 1–2 | Historical and Modern Western Attitudes Towards Death; Deathscapes |
|---|---|
| Weeks 3–4 | Border death, forensics, institutional death, human rights |
| Week 5 | Necropolitics |
| Weeks 6–7 | Necropolis; pluriversal frameworks towards care and death |
| Weeks 8–9 | Haunting, memory; ,more-than-human death |
| Week 10 | Genocide; grieving from afar |
Learning Goals
- Analyze how death and grieving processes operate across different geographical and temporal scales.
- Assess the diverse cultural and community approaches to death, memorialization, and mourning.
- Examine how social, economic, and political forces that shape people's lives continue to influence and be reflected during the dying event and after death.
- Consider how and why non-human actors should be included in broader analyses of death geographies.
- Analyze how death permeates different spaces and mobilities, from the spatial, embodied-emotional, and the virtual.
Classroom Expectations
Respect and Listening
This course offers students an opportunity to learn about historical and contemporary approaches to death and mourning. In recent years — and particularly in recent months and days — the world has experienced significant social, cultural, and political changes that may affect students in different ways. Recognizing this, the course seeks to create a respectful and supportive space where students, if they choose, may share their perspectives and feel heard by others in the class. Diverse viewpoints, questions, and thoughtful debate are encouraged as long as they do not cause harm to the physical or mental well-being of any individual, whether inside or outside the classroom.
Attendance and Participation
This course is designed as a graduate seminar, and for that reason your participation is essential and is reflected in the course grading rubric. Each student's voice matters and has a place in our classroom. In-person engagement and participation is mandatory since it is the core of this seminar. You are highly encouraged to contribute by offering academic interpretations during class discussions, activities, and in response to the course materials.
Mental Health and Well-Being
Your physical and mental well-being are a priority in this course. Its topics may engage with difficult histories and contemporary issues that can affect students in different ways, shaped by personal experiences, identities, and backgrounds. My intention is to approach these materials with care and to avoid causing harm or (re) traumatization.
You are always encouraged to take care of yourself. If a topic or discussion feels difficult at any point — before, during, or after class — you are welcome to reach out to me. Together, we can discuss support, flexibility, or alternative ways of engaging with the material when appropriate.
The UW Counseling Center offers confidential support both related to this course and beyond. Counselors are available in Spanish, English, and other languages. You can schedule an appointment online or by calling 206-543-1240. These services are provided at no cost to currently enrolled, degree-seeking UW students, supported by the services and activities fee.
Final Project
We will discuss your final project during our first session, and you will have in-class time to workshop it with me and your classmates. The final project may take one of the following forms:
- An academic article or thesis chapter suitable for publication or integration into their graduate research;
- A critical literature review on a topic relevant to death geographies;
- A research-creation outcome, such as a digital zine or storymap, that translates theoretical and empirical insights into an alternative medium.
I am open to exploring other types of academic products, since death and grief should be open to different outcomes, performances, and processes. Regardless of format, projects should demonstrate sustained engagement with key course thinkers and theories.
Grading Assignments and Projects
| Assignment | Weight | Due |
|---|---|---|
| Reading Reflections | 25% | Before each session in Canvas (Thursdays by 2:30 pm) |
| Weekly Questions | 10% | Wednesdays by 11:59 pm (except Weeks 1 and 5) |
| Seminar Lead | 15% | Weekly (except Weeks 1 and 5) |
| Participation | 15% | Weekly |
| Mini Proposal | 5% | Before Week 3 session in Canvas |
| Final Project | 40% | Presented in Week 10 |
Reading Reflections (25%)
You must submit four reading responses based on the topics covered in four different weeks — except for Week 1 and the week in which you lead the seminar. For example, you may write a reflection on Week 2, Week 3, Week 5, and Week 8. The goal is for you to choose the topics that are most useful to your academic work, so that these responses can serve as seeds for future projects. Responses should be two pages long, double-spaced, 12 pt. font, and one-inch margins.
Note: A reading reflection of week 5 (i.e., Necropolitics) is mandatory.
Your reading responses should address three main points:
- Introductory paragraph: What are the main themes, concepts, and methodologies addressed by the author? What are their research questions? What theoretical gap are they seeking to explore? What data or experiences do they draw on in their research?
- One or two paragraphs on the role of space: What is the role of deathscapes in the study, and what are those places? For example: Is space a container for activities? Is it a place that reflects inequalities or power dynamics? Is it an agent that shapes human and more-than-human experiences?
- Your personal assessment: What does the author do well, and what could be improved? Does this work connect to themes and theories you have encountered in other courses or in your thesis? Would you propose a different approach to this research?
Weekly Questions (10%)
Every week (except Weeks 1 and 5), you will submit two or more questions related to the readings. The purpose of these questions is to support your peers who are in charge of leading the seminar. These questions are open: theoretical inquiries, how authors may speak to previous readings, practical questions about your own research project(s), methodologies concerning death.
Seminar Lead (15%)
You will take turns leading a seminar session. You may pick any week except Weeks 1 and 5. You will choose your week during our first session; I will also give you tips on how to lead the seminar.
Participation (15%)
Your participation is mandatory and essential in this course. Please keep your use of digital devices to a minimum and only in the service of engaging with course material. Do not hesitate to step forward and offer an analysis of the readings, even if you feel your idea is not fully developed. In this seminar, knowledge is built collectively rather than individually. You may also ask the class for support if there is a concept you do not fully understand. If at any point during the seminar you feel alienated, please reach out to me so we can find a solution together. Likewise, if for any unavoidable reason you need to miss a session, let me know as soon as possible so we can find a way to account for your participation.
Mini Proposal (5%)
You will submit a project mini-proposal before Week 3. This document should include your research question; whether it would be part of your dissertation or another larger project — and if so, how; what sources or data you will use for your project (e.g., theory, interviews, novels); and your rough plan for the methodological approach to investigating your question. This mini-proposal will help you get an early start on your project and receive feedback from your peers and me. This mini-proposal should be two pages long, double-spaced, 12 pt. font, and one-inch margins.
Final Project (40%)
Students will choose one of three formats to deepen their engagement with the themes of the course: (1) an academic article or thesis chapter suitable for publication or integration into their graduate research; (2) a critical literature review on a topic relevant to death geographies; or (3) a research-creation outcome that translates theoretical and empirical insights into an alternative medium. Regardless of format, projects should demonstrate sustained engagement with key course thinkers and theories.
Grading Scale
Final grades for the course will be assigned based upon the following scale:
| Letter Grade | Percentage | 4.0 Scale |
|---|---|---|
| A+ | 97–100 | 4.0 |
| A | 95–96 | 3.9 |
| 93–94 | 3.8 | |
| A− | 91–92 | 3.7 |
| 90 | 3.6 | |
| 89 | 3.5 | |
| B+ | 88 | 3.4 |
| 87 | 3.3 | |
| 86 | 3.2 | |
| B | 85 | 3.1 |
| 84 | 3.0 | |
| 83 | 2.9 | |
| B− | 82 | 2.8 |
| 81 | 2.7 | |
| 80 | 2.6 | |
| 79 | 2.5 | |
| C+ | 78 | 2.4 |
| 77 | 2.3 | |
| 76 | 2.2 | |
| C | 75 | 2.1 |
| 74 | 2.0 | |
| 73 | 1.9 | |
| C− | 72 | 1.8 |
| 71 | 1.7 | |
| 70 | 1.6 | |
| 69 | 1.5 | |
| D+ | 68 | 1.4 |
| 67 | 1.3 | |
| 66 | 1.2 | |
| D | 65 | 1.1 |
| 63–64 | 1.0 | |
| 61–62 | 0.9 | |
| 59–60 | 0.8 | |
| D− | 55–58 | 0.7 |
| E | <55 | 0.0 |
Weekly Schedule
Geography Code of Conduct
The Department of Geography is committed to ensuring a classroom environment that contributes to optimum teaching and learning for all students. Individuals who engage in disruptive behavior that creates a negative or threatening environment for teaching and learning will be asked to leave the classroom by the instructor. These requests are not negotiable.
Disruptive behavior includes: verbal or physical aggression toward other students or faculty, threats of violence, unyielding argument or debate, yelling inside or outside of the classroom, untimely outbursts, violating class policies about technology use or seating, refusing to follow faculty directions, and entering and exiting the classroom in disruptive ways.
You can consult the Geography Code of Conduct on the department website.
Religious Accommodation
Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW's policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at the Religious Accommodations Policy page.
Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form.