University Catalog

Disability Studies

Department website: http://disabilitystudies.uta.edu

Minor in Disability Studies

The interdisciplinary field of disability studies explores the experiences of people with disabilities—one of the largest minorities in the United States and worldwide—as well as the ways in which conceptions and representations of disability and “the normal” have shaped human experiences more generally.  Treating disability as a crucial element of human diversity, the Minor in Disability Studies approaches disability as a social, cultural, and political construct rather than just a medical condition (as it is commonly viewed). Taught by faculty from the Colleges of Liberal Arts, Nursing and Health Innovation, Business, and Education as well as the School of Social Work, this flexible and multidisciplinary minor prepares students for a variety of graduate programs and for careers in law, education, public health, engineering, nursing, architecture, medicine, social work, communication, public history and museums, and sports management and coaching, among other fields.

Students seeking to minor in Disability Studies should first consult with advisors in their major departments or programs for approval, then meet with the director and advisor of the Minor in Disability Studies. A minor in Disability Studies consists of 18 hours, including two required courses:  U.S. Disability History (DS 3307/HIST 3307) and Disability Studies Internship (DS 4395).  Students also take two to four core disability studies courses and can take up to two approved electives.  No more than four courses may be completed in a single discipline. 

The Disability Studies Internship (DS 4395) is a supervised internship/capstone course through which students apply the academic skills they have acquired in Disability Studies courses.  Interns work at an approved business, academic, or non-profit site that focuses on adapted sports, disability history, assistive technology, disability rights and policy, or universal design and accessibility; they also complete a capstone essay.  Students should complete DS 4395 as one of their final courses for the minor and must have already taken or be taking DS 3307/HIST 3307.  

Some of the electives change focus from term to term and may therefore not be relevant to the minor during a particular semester.  Credit will only be given when the topic of the course (or a substantial portion) focuses on issues related to disability. Other relevant courses not listed below may also be used to fulfill the minor, with approval from the director of the Minor in Disability Studies.  For that reason and for the purposes of planning the internship, it is important that students consult with the advisor for the minor before registering each semester.  

Required courses (two courses)
DS/HIST 3307U.S. DISABILITY HISTORY3
DS 4395DISABILITY STUDIES INTERNSHIP3
Core Disability Studies courses (at least two courses)
DS 2301TOPICS IN DISABILITY STUDIES3
DS 3308HISTORY OF MADNESS3
or HIST 3308 HISTORY OF MADNESS
DS 3312DISABILITY & SOCIAL WORK3
or SOCW 3312 DISABILITY & SOCIAL WORK
DS 3321TOPICS IN DISABILITY STUDIES3
DS/PHIL 3322DISABILITY ETHICS3
DS 3327CYBORGS AND PROSTHETICS3
or HIST 4327 CYBORGS AND PROSTHETICS
DS 3331RESEARCH IN DISABILITY STUDIES3
DS 3346DISABILITY IN MASS MEDIA3
or COMM 3346 DISABILITY IN MASS MEDIA
DS 3355UNIVERSAL DESIGN & ACCESSIBILITY IN THE PERFORMING ARTS3
or THEA 3355 UNIVERSAL DESIGN & ACCESSIBILITY IN THE PERFORMING ARTS
DS 3399DISABILITY AND ART3
or ART 3399 DISABILITY AND ART
DS 4100WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL1
DS 4191CONFERENCE COURSE1
DS 4291CONFERENCE COURSE2
DS/HIST 4326TOPICS IN DISABILITY HISTORY3
DS 4329DISABILITY & WORK3
or MANA 4329 DISABILITY & WORK
DS 4391CONFERENCE COURSE3
DS 4491CONFERENCE COURSE4
KINE 3304ADAPTED PHYSICAL EDUCATION & SPORT3
Core courses requiring prior approval from director
HIST 4395HISTORY SEMINAR3
Electives (up to two courses)
ART 4304ART AND THE HUMAN CONDITION3
ASL 1441BEGINNING AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE I4
ASL 1442BEGINNING AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE II4
ASL 2313INTERMEDIATE AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE I3
ASL 2314INTERMEDIATE AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE II3
ANTH 3369MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY3
HEED 3330CONSUMER HEALTH AND PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEMS3
HIST 4307HISTORY OF MEDICINE3
HIST 4309SOCIAL DARWINISM AND EUGENICS3
HIST 4333COMPARATIVE CIVIL RIGHTS HISTORY3
HUMA 3300MEDICAL HUMANITIES3
HUMA 3350CLINICAL MEDICINE AND THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE3
HUMA 3360AMERICAN HEALTHCARE THROUGH FILM3
KINE 3307SPORT AND SOCIETY: ISSUES AND DEBATES3
LING 2371LANGUAGE IN A MULTICULTURAL USA3
MANA 4326DIVERSITY IN ORGANIZATIONS3
MODL 4310GRAPHIC NOVELS AND THE MEDICAL WORLD3
PHIL 3319BIOMEDICAL ETHICS3
POLS 3309HEALTH POLITICS, POLICY, AND ADVOCACY3
POLS 4340FEDERAL SOCIAL POLICY3
POLS 4350HEALTH POLITICS AND POLICY3
SOCI 3318SELF AND SOCIAL IDENTITY3
SOCI 3342SOCIOLOGY OF THE HUMAN BODY3
or KINE 3342 SOCIOLOGY OF THE HUMAN BODY
SOCI 4320MEDICAL SOCIOLOGY3
THEA 3351ROBOTS, DIGITAL HUMANITIES, AND THEATRE3
Electives requiring prior approval from director
ANTH 3330CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND IDENTITY3
ART 4396SPECIAL STUDIES IN ART HISTORY3
COMM 3350HEALTH COMMUNICATION3
ECON 3301THE ECONOMICS OF HEALTH3
ENGL 3347TOPICS IN MULTICULTURAL AMERICAN LITERATURES3
ENGL 4345TOPICS IN CRITICAL THEORY3
HIST 3330U.S. LEGAL AND CONSTITUTIONAL HISTORY, COLONIAL TO 18773
HIST 3331U.S. LEGAL AND CONSTITUTIONAL HISTORY, 1877 TO PRESENT3
HUMA 3340TOPICS IN HUMANITIES3
KINE 2351HEALTH ISSUES IN DIVERSE & VULNERABLE POPULATIONS3
KINE 3350URBANIZATION AND VULNERABLE POPULATIONS3
PHIL 3341TOPICS IN BIOETHICS3
SCIE 4304DIAGNOSIS OF HUMAN DISEASE3
SOCI 3336SOCIAL INEQUALITY3
SOCW 3307DIVERSE POPULATIONS3
SPED 4304ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY3
SPED 4307SPECIAL EDUCATION LEGAL AND POLICY ISSUES3

Courses

DS 2301. TOPICS IN DISABILITY STUDIES. 3 Hours.

Special topics of interest in the field of Disability Studies. May be repeated for credit when the topic changes.

DS 3307. U.S. DISABILITY HISTORY. 3 Hours.

Examines the history of ideas about disability, the historical lives of people with disabilities, and the history of disability policy. The growth of asylums, the rise of the eugenics movement, a historical look at freak shows, the impact of industrialization on experiences of disability, the evolution of special education, the role of ideas about disability in colonialism, the historical treatment of disabled veterans, and the development of the disability rights movement. Offered as HIST 3307 and DS 3307; credit will only be granted once. Prerequisite: HIST 1301 and HIST 1302.

DS 3308. HISTORY OF MADNESS. 3 Hours.

Examines insanity in its social and historical contexts through the prisms of class, race, gender, and disability from the birth of the asylum in the eighteenth century to contemporary debates about depression and psychopharmacology. Focuses on madness and psychiatry in the Global North, with comparisons to the Global South. Offered as HIST 3308 and DS 3308; credit will be granted in only one department.

DS 3312. DISABILITY & SOCIAL WORK. 3 Hours.

Examines major themes in disability and social work. Topics include basic understandings of disability, lived experiences of people with disabilities, legal and policy perspectives, working with adults and children with a variety of disabilities, history of disability policy and disability rights, disability advocacy, and resources in the community, among others. Offered as DS 3312 and SOCW 3312; credit will only be granted in one department.

DS 3321. TOPICS IN DISABILITY STUDIES. 3 Hours.

Special topics of interest in the field of disability studies. May be repeated for credit when the topic changes.

DS 3322. DISABILITY ETHICS. 3 Hours.

Explores the philosophical literature pertaining to disability and disabled experiences. Topics include defining disability, healthcare allocation, de-institutionalization, assisted dying and euthanasia, and the ethics of genetic and reproductive technologies. Offered as PHIL 3322 and DS 3322; credit will only be granted once.

DS 3327. CYBORGS AND PROSTHETICS. 3 Hours.

Explores the history, theories, and evolving representations of prosthetics, bionics, cyborgism, and the post-human. Investigates the origins and development of the prosthetics industry, historical experiences of prosthetics users, and cultural depictions and debates about human-technology interactions. Offered as DS 3327 and HIST 4327 and previously as DS 3321 and HIST 4388; credit will only be granted once.

DS 3331. RESEARCH IN DISABILITY STUDIES. 3 Hours.

Introduction to the theories and methods that disability studies scholars use to conduct research and present their findings in written and oral form. Recommended: HIST 3307 or DS 3321.

DS 3346. DISABILITY IN MASS MEDIA. 3 Hours.

Explores how mass media frames disability and neurodiversity for the general public. Focuses on issues related to disability and mass media representation, including journalism, TV, film, advertising, photography, documentary, video games, and the Internet. Topics may include media models of representation, inspiration porn, disability blogs, accessible media, and disabled mimicry in TV and film, among others. Offered as DS 3346 and COMM 3346; credit will be granted in only one department.

DS 3355. UNIVERSAL DESIGN & ACCESSIBILITY IN THE PERFORMING ARTS. 3 Hours.

Explores the principles of Universal Design using the performing arts as a case study: creating environments, events, buildings, and products to accommodate the broadest spectrum of human ability, size, age, and other characteristics. Investigates how to put into practice the accessibility guidelines of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Performing is not required. Offered as THEA 3355 and DS 3355; credit will only be granted in one department.

DS 3399. DISABILITY AND ART. 3 Hours.

Explores the many connections between disability and art, including both art created by people with disabilities and the wide variety of artistic representations about disability. Examines the purposes of art-making by people with disabilities: for therapeutic reasons, as a means of self-expression, to achieve professional goals, or as an act of activism. Investigates historical depictions of disability in art as well as art's role as a visual voice for the disability rights movement. Offered as DS 3399 and ART 3399; credit will only be granted once. Prerequisite: Any two of the three courses ART 1309, ART 1310, and ART 1317; or permission from the instructor or Disability Studies.

DS 4100. WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL. 1 Hour.

Only open to adapted sports student athletes. May be repeated 10 times. Prerequisite: permission from the director of the Minor in Disability Studies.

DS 4191. CONFERENCE COURSE. 1 Hour.

Directed independent study for the advanced undergraduate. A close examination of a chosen topic through research and/or reading; format designed by instructor and student. Course may be repeated for credit once with a change in faculty. Prerequisite: Prior approval of the instructor and the director of the Disabilities Studies minor.

DS 4291. CONFERENCE COURSE. 2 Hours.

Directed independent study for the advanced undergraduate. A close examination of a chosen topic through research and/or reading; format designed by instructor and student. Course may be repeated for credit once with a change in faculty. Prerequisite: Prior approval of the instructor and the director of the Disabilities Studies minor.

DS 4326. TOPICS IN DISABILITY HISTORY. 3 Hours.

Special topics of interest in disability history, such as disability history in global perspective; hard-of-hearing histories, deaf histories, and Deaf History; or disability in the global South. May be repeated for credit when the topic changes. Offered as DS 4326 and HIST 4326; credit will be granted in only one department. Prerequisite: HIST 1301, HIST 1302.

DS 4329. DISABILITY & WORK. 3 Hours.

Explores the complex relationship between disability and work within the United States from a current and historical perspective. Topics include study of the Americans with Disabilities Act; research on the diversity, population, and changes in proportions of people with disabilities; employment rates and experiences of people with disabilities; attitudes and perspectives surrounding and affecting the employment opportunities and experiences of people with disabilities; and ways to provide inclusive, non-discriminatory workplaces. Offered as MANA 4329 and DS 4329; credit will only be granted once. Prerequisite: 60 hours or MANA 4326 or Disability Studies permission.

DS 4391. CONFERENCE COURSE. 3 Hours.

Directed independent study for the advanced undergraduate. A close examination of a chosen topic through research and/or reading; format designed by instructor and student. Course may be repeated for credit once with a change in faculty. Prerequisite: permission from the director of the Minor in Disability Studies.

DS 4395. DISABILITY STUDIES INTERNSHIP. 3 Hours.

Supervised internship in which students apply the academic skills they have acquired in Disability Studies courses by working in a related non-profit or business environment. Prerequisite: HIST 3307 or 3 hours of core disability studies courses; permission of the instructor.

DS 4491. CONFERENCE COURSE. 4 Hours.

Directed independent study for the advanced undergraduate. A close examination of a chosen topic through research and/or reading; format designed by instructor and student. Course may be repeated for credit once with a change in faculty. Prerequisite: Permission from the director of the Minor in Disability Studies.