PSYC 368 - Psychology of/and Disability

What is “disability” and what does an understanding of disability tell us about human experience more generally? What is a “disability identity” and what implications might claiming that identity have for psychological well-being and social change? How do stereotypes of disabled people and expectations of “normality” affect everyone’s lives (not just those with disabilities)? Why don’t many Deaf people consider themselves “disabled?” What might we learn from shifting the “problem” of disability from the individual person to the social environment? This course will explore these and many other questions that emerge from thinking about the experience of disability (and its intersection with identities based on gender, race, class, and sexuality). Grounded in a critical disability and Deaf studies framework that considers the socially, culturally, linguistically, and historically constructed meaning of physical, sensory, and cognitive “impairments,” the course will rely on theoretical and empirical readings from psychology and related disciplines, memoir, film, and guest visitors as we explore the social and psychological meanings of disability. Prerequisite(s): PSYC 100 and PSYC 201 Offered occasionally. (4 Credits)