Image: Film Still from Goodbye CP (Kazuo Hara, 1972).

course overview

 

Theme and approach:

This course considers the ways in which ability and disability are conceived, represented, and negotiated. Through weekly readings screenings, and discussions we will examine mainstream media representations (from Hollywood and Network/Cable TV) alternative film/video, educational and internet-based media as well as assistive technologies.

 

Questions addressed include: How are our ideas about [dis]ability mediated by communication, media, and technology? How have these developed and changed historically? What ethical challenges are presented by the representation of disability? What assisitve and prosthetic roles do communication media/technology take on? What are the intersections and frictions among disability studies, critical gender studies, critical race theory, and other disciplinary/theoretical and policical approaches to concerns with identity and embodiement?

 

Meetings and Office Hours

Class meets on Fridays 9 -11:50 AM in MCC 127

Office Hours: Tues 11:00 am - 12 pm & Thurs 10:30-11:30 am in MCC 241

Email: bgoldfarb [at] ucsd • edu

 

Requirements

  • Attendance is mandatory. Any unexcused absences will negatively impact your participation grade.
  • Weekly readings (approx. 30-50 pages) and/or film/video viewing (streamed via UCSD film library reserve).
  • Weekly online discussion entries in response to prompts about the readings and/or class projects (on TritonEd).
  • Term paper or project submitted at mid-term and final. (Specifications to be discussed in class).

Assessment

The main goals of this class are learning and preparation for research, as well as intellectual and creative work in the field. Grades are required, but I hope of secondary concern. Participants will be graded based on attendaence, participation, and completion of assignment, as follows:

  • Participation: 30%
  • Weekly online discussion entries (TritonEd) and assignments 30%
  • Term paper or project project 40%

Texts

  • Class readings will be available via TritonEd, E-reserves, or linked to the course website as noted on the syllabus.

Suggested/Optional Texts:

  • Charles a. Riley II (2005), Disability and the Media: Prescriptions for Change
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Disability Accommodations

The professor is dedicated to making this course as accessible to all students as possible and working with students to address diverity of learning styles. If you require accommodations or services for disabilities, please communicate with the Professor at the beginning of the course and register with the Office of Students with Disabilities (OSD) in order to obtain a current Authorization for Accommodation (AFA) letter. This letter is required for eligibility for requests. Receipt of AFAs in advance is necessary for appropriate planning for the provision of reasonable accommodations. OSD Academic Liaisons also need to receive current AFA letters.

For additional information, contact the Office for Students with Disabilities:

Course Policies

1.     Courtesy and consideration for others: The position taken in this class is that are no stupid opinions, only uninformed ones. Therefore in disagreeing with others' opinions, it is necessary to provide them with information that might persuade them to think differently instead of simply dismissing their views out of hand. All participants in the class are also required to observe the UCSD Principles of Community which can be found at: https://ucsd.edu/about/principles.html

2.     You are expected to read course materials before all lectures, sections and screenings. You are also expected to participate in all section discussions.

3.     Attendance at all seminar meetings is required. Unexcused absenses will affect your grade final course grade. NOTE: our Tuesday, November 21st meeting is important as it will be dedicated to presentation of the main course project. Failure to attend without a documented medical or other emergency will significantly impact your course grade. Missing two sections meetings will result in a course grade reduction of 2 grade points (your maximum course grade will go from an A+ to A-), missing three section meetings will result in a reduction of 5 grade points (your maximum course grade will go from an A+ to B-), Missing 4 section meetings will result in an F. If you have a legitimate excuse and must miss a class or section meeting, it is your responsibility to: (a) notify your the professor, in advance if possible; and provide a written medical excuse when appropriate (b) obtain notes and information on what you missed from classmates (c) complete the assigned readings for the class. Do not ask the professor about material that you missed before obtaining notes from a classmate.

4.     All assignments must be turned in on the due date indicated on the syllabus. You will lose a grade point for each day that an assignment is late. This means, for example, that if you get an A on an assignment that is two days late, your grade will drop to a B+

5.     Incompletes will only be given for valid and documented medical or legal reasons (e.g. court appearance). There will be no exceptions to this policy.

6.     You are required to observe university regulations regarding academic integrity. This means no student shall engage in any activity that involves attempting to receive a grade by means other than honest effort; for example:

  • No student shall knowingly procure, provide, or accept any unauthorized material that contains questions or answers to any examination or assignment to be given at a subsequent time.
  • No student shall complete, in part or in total, any examination or assignment for another person.
  • No student shall knowingly allow any examination or assignment to be completed, in part or in total, for himself or herself by another person.
  • No student shall plagiarize or copy the work of another person and submit it as his or her own work.
  • No student shall employ aids excluded by the instructor in undertaking course work or in completing any exam or assignment.
  • No student shall alter graded class assignments or examinations and then resubmit them for re-grading.
  • No student shall submit substantially the same material in more than one course without prior authorization.
  • No student shall sign attendance sheets for another student, or ask someone else to sign in for her/him. Any plagiarism will result in a grade of F for the assignment or exam, will be reported to the Academic Integrity Office, and may result in an overall course grade of F. To view the UCSD Academic Integrity Statement, visit: https://students.ucsd.edu/academics/academic-integrity/ai-and-you.html

    Maintaining Academic Integrity: Students agree that by taking this course all required papers will be subject to submission for textual similarity review to Turnitin.com for the detection of plagiarism. All submitted papers will be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such papers. Use of the Turnitin.com service is subject to the terms of use agreement posted on the Turnitin.com site.

7.     All cell phones and similar devices must be silenced and put away during class. Laptops, tablets and other networked devices may only be used during lecture for note taking and web queries relevant to the seminar discussion, NOT for email, social networking, or non-seminar related work.