Mar 28, 2024  
2016-2017 General/Graduate Catalog - Expires August 2022 
    
2016-2017 General/Graduate Catalog - Expires August 2022 [Archived Catalog]

Disability Studies Minor


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Affiliation: Interdisciplinary Studies

Disability is a constant, pervasive, and deeply misunderstood element of human existence. While prevalence rates are unclear, at least 15-20% of all people have a disability. Virtually all people will have a disability at some point in their lives due to accident, disease, or old age. Few lives remain untouched by disability. We experience disability in our family, in our friends, in ourselves, and in every social, political, professional, or religious community. People with disabilities, throughout the world and in large numbers, remain disenfranchised, segregated, and oppressed. The systematic study of the world, through the lens of Disability Studies, addresses this injustice.

The field of Disability Studies examines disability as a social, cultural, and political phenomenon, and explores how disability is defined and represented. The Disability Studies Minor is an interdisciplinary approach to examining the interplay between the lived experience of disability and the social construction of disability. The Minor balances theoretical exploration with practical application, and provides students with a broad understanding of disability history, cultural representation, social justice and civil rights issues, policy concerns, and current ethical debates.

Program Requirements:


  • The minor requires the successful completion of 15 or more credits.
  • A grade of C or better is required for any class to count in the minor.
  • All courses may double count with a student’s major, minor, or LSP requirements.
  • No more than eight credits from any prefix may be counted for the minor.

Required Courses: 4 Credits


Electives: 11 Credits


c. Petitioned Courses (no more than 6 credits)


These courses are potentially eligible based on how a student chooses to complete assignments, projects, or service learning with a disability studies focus. The list below includes courses that have been identified as possibilities; however, other courses, internships, practicums, or service learning activities could be considered as well. Ideally, the semester the student is taking the course they will discuss with the instructor and Disability Studies Committee Chair what they plan to do and develop a contract. Upon evidence of successful completion, the course will be substituted for an elective. If the course has already been taken, then the student will have to provide evidence through copies of assignments and projects from the course that they did indeed incorporate a Disability Studies lens.

List of Current Possible Petition Courses

 

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