In this course we will examine the history, meanings, and realities of disability in the United States. We will analyze the social, political, economic, environmental and material factors that shape the meanings of "disability," examining changes and continuities over time. Students will draw critical attention to the connections between disability, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, socioeconomic status and age in American and transnational contexts. Diverse sources, including films and television shows, music, advertising, fiction, memoirs and material objects, encourage inter and multi-disciplinary approaches to disability. Central themes we consider include language, privilege, community, citizenship, education, medicine and technology and representation.
Professor Perspective
American Studies Professor Susan Burch feels privileged to be teaching American Disabilities, a class that has been previously offered at Middlebury but debuts in its revamped format this semester. “On a big level, my intent is to have students asking tough questions about the world around them,” said Burch. By using disability as a lens through which to examine history and culture, Burch hopes that students will walk away from her class with a new “touchstone for critical thinking.” The course is centered around a museum exhibit project, which Burch said “intentionally engages with a material culture, a culture that shapes our understanding of the body and mind.” Students work in groups throughout the semester to create a final product intended to be shared with the public, adding to the material culture they have studied. The museum exhibit project serves as a teaser for any students interested in the associated winter term internship opportunity with the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.
Student Perspective
For any prospective American Studies major, American Disabilities is a natural first step. The collaborative nature of the course lends itself to a big class size that offers a hearty welcome to students with any level of interest in the American Studies department. “I feel like this class is unique in that you don’t hear about it being offered at other schools,” said Tyler Wood ’15. Other students recognize the class’s uniqueness not just amongst other schools, but within the College. “[Even though the College is] such an advanced and modern school disabilities studies still only makes up a very small part of a department. There is only one professor that teaches it,” said Priscilla Odinmah ’15. “My love, sex, race and disabilities class made me aware of how disabilities are so overlooked,” said Suraj Patel ’15. Odinmah agrees with Patel and finds that the class offers a new perspective on social issues in America. “We’ve embraced women, we’ve embraced gay. Disabilities is the last frontier,” she said.
