Dying, Death, and Grief in an Online Universe

Carla J. Sofka, PhD, is Associate Professor of Social Work, Sienna College, Loudonville, NY. Her previous positions include Assistant Professorships in the field of thanatology at the Institute of Life and Death Education and Counseling, Taipei, Taiwan, Skidmore College, and Washington University. Dr. Sofka has published in Journal of Mental Health Counseling, Generations, Death Studies, and The Journal of Personal and Interpersonal Loss. She has contributed chapters to numerous thanatology texts and is a frequent presenter during the ADEC conferences including her most recent (2009) panel discussion with Drs. Worden, Doka, and Hoy (luminaries in the field). She is a director of the Baccalaureate Social Work Program, a member of the ADEC and NYS Social Work Education Association, and Associate Editor of Death Studies. ||Ilene C. Noppe, PhD, is Professor, Human Development/Psychology/Women's Studies, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Wisconsin. In addition to her contribution to Adolescent Encounters with Death, Handbook of Thanatology, Living with the Dying, and Child Development, her many articles have appeared in such journals as Journal of Mental Health Counseling, The Forum, and Death Studies. She is a frequent presenter at ADEC. |Kathleen R. Gilbert, PhD, CFLE, FT, is Associate Professor of Applied Health Science and Director of Undergraduate Education, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana. She has contributed to the International Encyclopedia of Marriage and Family Relationships, 2/e; Annual Edition: The Family; and well over 70 articles appearing in thanatology as well as educational, family studies, and related mental health journals. Dr. Gilbert is current President of ADEC, past President of the Indiana Council on Family Relations, and on the Editorial Board of Traumatology, Family Science Review, and Journal of Qualitative and Ethnographic Research; Guest Editor of Illness, Crisis and Loss, and a reviewer for Omega, Death Studies, and JOGNN

Part 1: The Communication Technology Revolution and Implications for Thanatology Chapter 1: Thanatechnology as a Conduit for Living, Dying, and Grieving in Contemporary Society Chapter 2: Demographic and Geographic Factors Impacting the use of Technology as a Resource Part II: Building Online Communities of Support Chapter 3: Social Networking Sites as Communities of Support Chapter 4: The Special Case of Youth Chapter 5: Blogging: New Age Narratives of Dying and Grief Chapter 6: Internet Communities of Bereavement: Online Support Groups Chapter 7: Therapeutic Support through Online Counseling Chapter 8: In Cyberspace, There's No Such Thing as Disenfranchised Grief Chapter 9: Virtual Funerals and Memorialization Part III: Thanatechnology as a Tool for Information and Learning Chapter 10: Informational Support Online Chapter 11: Open to Hope: An Online Thanatology Resource Center Part IV: Death Education Chapter 12: Creating and Maintaining Safety in the Cyberclassroom Chapter 13: Thanatology Research Part V: Thanatechnology: Responsibly Looking Forward Chapter 14: The Ethics of Thanatechnology Chapter 15: Dying, Death, Grief, Solace, and Commemoration: What's now, what's next? APPENDICES: information literacy guidelines, including basic criteria for selecting reliable sources; access to web-based resource