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CRITICAL DISABILITY STUDIES MINOR

Program Preview

December 2nd, 2022

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WHAT IS CRITICAL DISABILITY STUDIES?

  • Disability is part of the human experience
  • Different communities hold different values about disability
  • Disabled people share communities and history
  • The world can be designed to promote access and justice

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WHY DO WE NEED A MINOR?

  • Building a disability-affirming culture at Western
  • Adding a special emphasis to a range of majors
    • Humanities
    • Social Sciences
    • Design
    • Education
    • Laboratory Sciences
  • Building a more just and equitable world

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MINOR AT A GLANCE

  • Approximately 24-30 credits
  • Three required classes
    • DISA 301 – Fundamentals of Critical Disability Studies (5 credits)
    • DISA 302 – Topics in Critical Disability Studies (5 credits)
    • DISA 401 – Capstone in Critical Disability Studies (5 credits)
  • Three additional electives
    • Ranging from 3-5 credits each

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DISA 301 - FUNDAMENTALS OF CRITICAL DISABILITY STUDIES

  • Study the key concepts of Critical Disability Studies
  • Learn about the history of disability communities
  • Practice universal design principles

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DISA 302 - TOPICS IN CRITICAL DISABILITY STUDIES

  • Apply fundamental principles to various sub-topics:
    • Film studies
    • Dance and performing arts
    • Comic books
    • Greek mythology
    • Sexuality
    • Recreations
    • Politics
  • Can be repeated as elective

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THREE ELECTIVES (UP TO 15 CREDITS)

  • Communication, Identity, and Difference (Comm 260)
  • Accessible Computing (CSEC 497T/597T)
  • Disability and Access in the Sciences (CSEC 397)
  • Cultural Disability Studies (ENGL 397K)
  • Disability in Literature (ENGL 497)
  • Disability, Diversity, and the Mass Media (EXCE 205)
  • Elementary American Sign Language sequence (EXCE 101, 102, and 103)
  • Disability, Individuals, and Systems (HSP 443)
  • Religion and Disability (REL 330)

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ALTERNATIVE ELECTIVES

  • Repeat DISA 302 with a different instructor
  • Take an independent study
  • Do an internship (coming soon)
  • Take another class not on our list (with approval)

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DISA 401: CAPSTONE IN CRITICAL DISABILITY STUDIES

  • Small cohort of Critical Disability Studies minors
  • Reflect on previous course work and personal experiences
  • Design a research study on a particular topic
  • Create a multimedia project based on your research

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GOALS FOR MINOR GOING FORWARD

  • Minor begins in fall 2023
  • New courses will be added over the coming years:
    • Disability and Access in the Sciences
    • Disability in Fine and Performing Arts
    • Disability in Law and Politics
    • Internship in Critical Disability Studies

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WHAT TO DO NOW?

  • Reach out to the Institute for Critical Disability Studies co-directors to discuss the minor at icds@wwu.edu
  • Take courses from our electives list or other courses on disability-related topics
    • Make sure to check with the co-directors to find out if outside courses count for credit in the minor
    • All valid courses will recognize these courses once you declare your minor

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GET INVOLVED

  • Join the Disability Studies and Action Collaborative (open to everyone)
    • If you want to help developing the minor, join the curriculum committee
  • Join our mailing list (see below)

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GIVE US FEEDBACK

  • What excites you about the minor?
  • What questions do you have?
  • What problems do you notice?

We will take your feedback and incorporate it into our final proposal for the minor or build it into our program development going forward.