Time Schedule:
Sara L. Goering
PHIL 401
Seattle Campus
A study of philosophical topics at the advanced level. Topics vary.
Class description
This course will examine how disability literature (self-narratives, fiction, family memoirs) interacts with philosophical work on disability (models of disability, epistemological questions about knowledge of disability, ethical and political questions about justice and the treatment of people with disabilities, etc.) to enhance awareness and understanding of disability. Readings will cover a wide range of topics and viewpoints, with selections on physical, psychiatric and intellectual impairments, discriminatory attitudes and stigma, community vs. institutional living, family obligations toward disability, concerns about labeling disabilities, physical access issues, and interactions with professionals. The course will invite critical analysis of commonly accepted assumptions about the disadvantages of disability.
Readings will include: An Anthology of Disability Literature (ed. Christy Ibrahim), No Pity (Joseph Shapiro), Invisible (Hugues de Montalambert), The Speed of Dark (Elizabeth Moon), and a choice of several other texts (including My Stroke of Insight, Riding the Bus with My Sister, The Shape of the Eye, Jacob’s Hands, and Born on a Blue Day), along with a collection of electronic articles.
Student learning goals
General method of instruction
Recommended preparation
Class assignments and grading
