Introduction to Disability Studies

In this course we will explore the varied and evolving meanings of disability-as condition, lived experience, and analytical framework. Dominant issues -including representation, education, employment, bioethics, institutions, community, and policies and rights will serve as touchstones for research, analysis, and learning. Rigorous attention to the links between disability and other significant social categories, such as race, ethnicity, socioeconomic class, sexual orientation and identification, gender, and age define disability studies and this course. Films, on-line exhibits, music, advertising, popular media, and the material world reflect the wide range of sources on which this course draws. While the United States is highlighted in this class, transnational and global components figure significantly as well. 3 hrs. sem.