Course Listing Disability Studies

The course will focus on historical and contemporary portrayals of disability and disabled people in literature.

Prerequisites: Pre-Req: 42.101/102 College Writing I & II.

Analyzes the growing importance of sports in American life. Examines the psychological, political and social impact of sports on society. Discusses how sports have been shaped by such monumental events as war, the civil rights movement, and the changing economy.

An introductory study of Civil Liberties Law & Politics; analysis of constitutional doctrine and related materials with emphasis on contemporary controversies.

An advanced study of the meaning of liberty in America is pursued through an examination of the development of constitutional doctrine and the resulting nationalization of American concepts of civil liberty.

Presents an introduction to the study of various patterns of mental, behavioral, and personality disorders with consideration of issues of diagnosis, etiology, and treatment in terms of contemporary theory, research, and practice.

Prerequisites: Pre-Req: 47.101 General Psychology.

Considers such topics as: the psychology of sex differences; biological bases of psychological sex differences; the nature of female sexuality; clinical theory and practice concerning women; women as mental patients and mental health consumers; implications for psychology and for women's status.

Prerequisites: Pre-Req: 47.101 General Psychology.

Examines behavior problems of childhood and adolescence across developmental transitions with a focus on the interaction of risk and protective factors in the child and his or her social context (e.g., family, school, friendships). Problems such as depression, anxiety, conduct disorder, ADHD, learning disabilities, and the consequences of trauma and maltreatment are addressed.

Prerequisites: Pre-Reqs: 47.101 General Psychology and 47.260 Child & Adolescent Development.

This course exaines a range of developmental disabilities, their etiology, consideration of underlying brain function, assessment procedures, and current diagnostic, treatment and educational approaches. In addition, the impact of disability on individuals and the families of those affected, cultural and social aspects of disability, and current practices in service provision will be considered.

Prerequisites: Pre-Reqs: 47.101 General Psychology and 47.260 Child & Adolescent Development.

This course provides students with a wide range of interests and backgrounds with the opportunity to examine their own mental model(attitudes/values/ assumptions) of disability. It includes an overview of the nature of mental retardation and other disabilities and it provides opportunities to explore and understand the historical social response to disability. Students will look at a range of strategies for providing support and intervention and they will learn about how to effect change through a variety of strategies, including advocacy.

Prerequisites: Pre Req: 47.101, General Psychology; student may not enroll if already has credit for 59.363.

This course explores the human ability to produce and understand language. The course addresses whether, when and how human beings evolved the ability to talk, the major competing theories of language, and issues such as dialect and bilingualism.

Prerequisites: Pre-Req: 47.101 General Psychology.

This fieldwork based course examines standards for services to people with developmental disabilities, exploring the forces that support or interfere with realizing current best practice. In this course, students will develop an understanding of the life of an individual with a disability that includes hopes and dreams, vision, the societal context of his/her life, and the services and personal relationships that influence growth and change. Students will learn to implement person centered planning, community membership mapping, and become familiar with professional skills and standards. Fieldwork opportunities include all ages and service delivery models.

Prerequisites: Pre or Co-Req: 47/59.363 Introduction to Disability Studies, or 47.363 Psychology of Developmental Disabilities.

This seminar accompanies a human service/education-based field placement and provides a critical examination of organizations and personal leadership in the lives of people with disabilities. Students will explore how formal services, advocacy, and informal community systems impact one another and impact the lives of people with disabilities. Students will examine their own field placements from a variety of theoretical frameworks, using this knowledge to understand personal leadership change opportunities. Students who are considering a career in a human service profession will have the opportunity to learn how vision, mission, community partnerships, funding, human resources, regulations, and families/individuals themselves impact service delivery.

Prerequisites: Pre-Req: 47.101 and 47.269; and Pre-req or Co- Req: 47.363, or 59.363, or 47.362.

This course is organized around several key questions that are used to study the concepts of disability and ability from a variety of sociological and interdisciplinary perspectives. Specifically, the course explores representations of disability in popular culture and medical discourses to discuss disability and ability as social constructs. By looking at various literary and cultural representations, this course investigates constructions of the disabled and abled body, how this becomes politicized, and the implications of these constructions.

Examines the process of immigration and majority-minority relations in the United States over the last century with particular emphasis on the process of adaptation in a pluralistic society. The treatment of minority groups in other societies is examined as well.

This course is an interdisciplinary introduction to the field of gender studies. A variety of topics are presented, such as gender stratification, work and family, sexual identities, media representations of women and men, women's movement, and violence against women. Feminist theories and methods are also introduced.

Analysis of how social institutions define and respond to various forms of social deviance, from individual mental illness to gang violence to illegal acts by governments and corporations. Attention will be paid to the construction and management of deviant identities, the role played by social status, and the social importance of institutions of social control.

Despite the recent growth of feminist methodologies, there is no one way of doing feminist methodologies. The growing body of literature in this area addresses the distinctive challenges and strengths of doing this research. Gender Studies scholars especially seek to question the framing of a study, managing of emotions, and ethical dilemmas. We will explore feminist strategies for creating, implementing, and analyzing a project that is grounded in the everyday lives of people while situating them in a social, political, and economic context. We will explore the interdisciplinary intersections where these challenges push at the boundaries of the disciplines of your major field of study. We will also investigate how to use as variety of qualitative approaches while doing a feminist project and the ways in which feminism can enlighten understandings of "traditional" qualitative methods.

Prerequisites: Academic Plan Sociology (BA) only, or Instructor permission.

All purposeful human activity involves design. Every day we are surrounded by the products of design processes--buildings, cars, entertainment, corporations, schools, even laws and regulations. They make our lives easier in many ways, but they may also create significant social and environmental problems. In the past, designers often did not consider the impact of their deigns on society, or ignored the negative consequences. Our culture and legal system usually permitted, or even encouraged, this irresponsibility. Today, a small group of scholars, businessmen and women, and activists are rethinking how we design the things around us, with the goal of addressing the most pressing social and environmental issues. This class will introduce students to some of these issues, the people who are confronting them, and the ways in which all of us can contribute to designing a better Future World. With a series of hands on projects, coupled with readings and other resources, students will work to design aspects of the future. In the process you will learn about possible solutions to complex, important problems, but also learn valuable life skills such as problem framing, problem solving, critical thinking, active learning, communication, and simple construction methods. No previous experience is required-only curiosity and eagerness to learn.

The purpose of this course is to help students to become more effective and sensitive employee or manager in an increasingly diverse workplace. Whether you are in the majority or the minority I a given setting, this course will help you evaluate the situation and will lay the groundwork for effective action. A student who successfully completes this course will be able to evaluate a written description of a diversity initiative in a corporate setting, take action that is sensitive to individual differences and group tendencies, and apply an in-depth interviewing technique that not only develops the capacity to do research, but develops important life skills.

This course provides students with a wide range of interests and backgrounds with the opportunity to examine their own mental model(attitudes/values/ assumptions) of disability. It includes an overview of the nature of mental retardation and other disabilities and it provides opportunities to explore and understand the historical social response to disability. Students will look at a range of strategies for providing support and intervention and they will learn about how to effect change through a variety of strategies, including advocacy.

Prerequisites: Pre-req: 47.101, General Psychology; Student may not enroll if already has credit for 47.363.

This course provides for an in-depth exploration of values, and attitudes of participant. It also offers students the chance to deepen their capacity to identify with people with developmental disabilities and for investigating the reality of disenfranchisement. Finally, it provides a forum for discussion of fieldwork experience and to integrate such experience with what they have learned in their Psychology and related courses. (Field Placement Required)

Prerequisites: Pre-Req or Co-Req: 47.363 or 59.363, or 47.362; student may not enroll if already has credit for 47.480/59.480.

This course is a continuation of 47.480. The classroom experience accompanies the field placement and provides a critical examination of the nature of community and advocacy in the lives of people with disabilities. Students are provided with a forum to explore personal values and attitudes relative to community and to identify key elements of healthy communities. Strategies for supporting people with disabilities to assume valued, community roles will be identified. (Field Placement Required)

Prerequisites: Pre-Req: 47.101 and 47.269; and Pre-req or Co- Req: 47.363, or 59.363, or 47.362.