Seminar in Historical Analysis (405-0-24)

Topic

History of Disability

Instructors

Haley Elisabeth Bowen

Meeting Info

Harris Hall room 101: Tues 2:00PM - 5:00PM

Overview of class

The cultural meanings and boundaries of disability, like those of race and gender, have shifted dramatically over time. This seminar will highlight emerging historical scholarship from the interdisciplinary field of disability studies, exploring how disability has been constructed from the early modern period to the present. Our goal is not (merely) to locate disabled individuals within the historical archive, but rather to critically examine the origins of key historical concepts pertaining to disability (such as "monstrosity" and "normality"), investigate how disability has intersected with other social identities, and envision future directions for this cutting-edge field. Readings will familiarize students with a variety of theoretical and methodological approaches to disability history, including the history of medicine, the history of the body, cultural history, and crip theory. Weekly historical case studies — on topics such as eugenics, institutions for the deaf, and Atlantic slavery — will occasionally be paired with theoretical and/or interdisciplinary readings. Students from outside of the history department are welcome.

Registration Requirements

Graduate Students Only

Learning Objectives

Students will: 1) critically interrogate disability as a social construct that changes over time; 2) read recent historical monographs from the field of diability studies; 3) develop an understanding of key methodologies within contemporary disability history

Class Notes

History Major Concentration(s): Americas, European
History Minor Concentration(s): Europe, United States