UH Honors College Hosting 'Week of the Dead'

Students Presenting Art, Performances Focused on Concepts of Mortality, Death

Halloween and the Day of the Dead are around the corner. In keeping with the spirit of the season, the University of Houston’s Honors College has a week of events focused on the topic of death.Week of the Dead

During the Honors College’s “Week of the Dead,” students will create art and deliver performances focused on the concepts of mortality, the afterlife, death rituals and other topics.

Students in sections of the Honors College’s Readings in Medicine and Society course – taught by Gabriela Maya and Helen Valier – are  participating in the “Week of the Dead.”

Maya titled her course section “Mortality” and is guiding students through readings and discussions centered on how humans face death, the fear of death, rituals and death in religion. She said that her students will deliver performances based on rituals and create art that honors the dead.

“The ‘Week of the Dead’ will showcase several artistic reactions to the thought that we all are going to die,” Maya said. “It sounds very dark, but I think it will be a very enlightening week that is fun for both students and those who attend our events.”

Throughout the week, students also will showcase altars dedicated to authors they are studying within the Honors College’s Human Situation course. These altars – inspired by the Day of the Dead – will be located throughout the college.

Another highlight of the week is the “Death Panel” on Oct. 31 featuring Honors College faculty offering their insights on death and the afterlife.

Week of the DeadThe “Week of the Dead” provides students with a creative outlet to address death and mortality, and it also celebrates the launch of the Honors Program in Health Professions. This program offers Honors College student’s perspectives on career opportunities in the health industry and connects them with medical/healthcare professionals.

All “Week of the Dead” exhibitions and events will run 2:30 – 4 p.m. in the Honors College Commons (second floor of UH’s M.D. Anderson Library). A schedule of events is as follows:

  • Oct. 27 – “Facing Mortality”
  • Oct. 28 – “Medicine and Mortality”
  • Oct. 29 - “Rituals and Afterlife”
  • Oct. 30 – “Medicine and Mortality”
  • Oct. 31 – “Death of Panel”

The Honors College at UH is a hub of excellence that serves the needs of gifted undergraduates in more than 100 fields of study and reflects the rich diversity of the University of Houston in its courses, faculty and students. For over 50 years, the Honors College has offered students the best of both worlds: the advantages of a small college together with the comprehensive resources and rich diversity of a large university. For more information about the Honors College, visit http://TheHonorsCollege.com.