SOC 2053 - Sociology of Disability

Credits: 3
Hours/Week: Lecture None Lab None
Course Description: Disability activists reject society’s pity for the handicapped, demanding acceptance and the same opportunities non-disabled people take for granted as they live and work in the world. Starting with a brief history of disability in the United States, this course will examine how disability is socially constructed and forms an axis of inequality in society. Topics include disability culture and identity, disability policy, the intersection of disability and gender, portrayals of disability in the media, and disability rights movements in the US and abroad.
MnTC Goals
5 History/Social/Behavioral Science, 7 Human Diversity

Prerequisite(s): ENGL 1020   with a grade of C or higher OR ENGL 1021  with a grade of C or higher.
Corequisite(s): None
Recommendation: None

Major Content

1. Current issues (e.g. emergency preparedness for people with disabilities)
2. Disability culture and identity
3. Disability policy (e.g. ADA, IDEA)
4. Disability rights movements in the US and abroad
5. Diversity of disability experience; hidden disabilities
6. History of disability in the United States
7. Intersection of gender, race, class, age and sexuality with disability
8. Measuring disability, statistics and demographics
9. Representations of disability in the media and popular culture
10. Societal models of disability (e.g. medical, interactional, structural, constructionist)

1. Outline the disability rights movement in the United States and at least one other country
2. Analyze media and popular culture representations in terms of the assumptions they embody about disability
3. List significant pieces of disability legislation, their intended effects, and their shortcomings
4. Articulate the significance of disability culture and identity
5. Describe how disability forms an axis of inequality in US society
6. Outline the history of disability in the United States
7. Identify sources of commonality and difference in experience among the larger disability community
8. Critique the medical model of disability
9. Describe how gender, race, class, and sexuality intersect with individuals experiences of disability
10. Explain the significance of a social constructionist approach to studying disability

05. 03. Use and critique alternative explanatory systems or theories.

05. 04. Develop and communicate alternative explanations or solutions for contemporary social issues.
Competency 2 (7-10)
07. 01. Understand the development of and the changing meanings of group identities in the United States’ history and culture.

07. 02. Demonstrate an awareness of the individual and institutional dynamics of unequal power relations between groups in contemporary society.

07. 03. Analyze their own attitudes, behaviors, concepts and beliefs regarding diversity, racism, and bigotry.

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