SPC
ED 511: Social Construction of Disability
click
here to return to the course home page
February
24, 2009 (class #6)
Topic:
How disability gets constructed: the power of language (week 1 of 3)
Class
outline:
|
|
Announcements, questions, and quandaries:
-
Watch "There's Something About Mary" by class
next week.
-
Your film review is due in two weeks. Don't
delay!
-
I strongly recommend that you watch and discuss
the film in small groups. However, the paper must be INDIVIDUALLY written.
-
Keep posting to the wiki.
|
|
|
Interactive presentation:
Where's Trig: An analysis of the use of disability in the 2008 Presidential
campaign (PowerPoint available on e-reserves) |
|
|
Quick write: Does it matter how disability
and people with disability are referred to and talked about? Does language
really matter? Why or why not? |
|
|
Small group #1:
-
Identify some assumptions about disability
that showed up in your language diary assignments.
-
What were the big things that you learned
as a result of this assignment?
|
|
|
Report out from groups |
|
|
Small group #2:
Consider
this essay by Robin Morgan listed on the Women Studies blog: http://unmwomen.blogspot.com/
and discuss what you think of the use of the term "stupid", in light of
the purpose of the essay. What reactions do you have?
|
|
|
Report out from
groups |
|
|
Choral reading of
poem |
|
|
Minute paper |
Overheads:
-
PowerPoint - available on ereserves
Handouts:
Reading
Questions:
.
Author:
Peter (2000)
| 1.) |
The author reiterates Foucault's suggestions
that "discourse is a key mechanism in the process of social control" (p.
354). What do you understand this to mean? |
| 2.) |
The author discusses four major ideas
(introduced on page 355) in this article. Summarize the major points of
each section. |
| 3.) |
In what ways does the IEP process and
IEP document relate to the analysis presented in this article? |
| 4.) |
Did you find the author's argument and
analysis convincing? Why or why not? |
| 5.) |
Now that you've read this article:
-
...what seem to be some important concepts
in this reading?
-
...what are some new terms for you?
-
...what new questions do you have?
|
.
Authors:
Haller, Dorries, and Rahn (2006)
| 1.) |
Haller, Dorries, and Rahn state that “language
has always had power to define cultural groups” (p. 61). Drawing
from your own experiences, what are some examples of the influences language
and vocabulary have had on groups you consider yourself to be a member
of? |
| 2.) |
What role has language/word choice/vocabulary
played in your personal or professional experiences with issues of disability? |
| 3.) |
How do the phrases “wheelchair user”,
“wheelchair bound”, “confined to a wheelchair” differ in their contributions
to the social construction of disability. |
| 4.) |
What are some of the major findings of
this study and how is this information relevant to your life, both personal
and professional? |
| 5.) |
Now that you've read this article:
-
...what seem to be some important concepts
in this reading?
-
...what are some new terms for you?
-
...what new questions do you have?
|
* To view PDF documents, such as the readings on reserve,
you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader. Click here to download
a free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader
Extra
Resources:
Website Links:
.
Recommended Readings
on reserve:
Bogdan, R. (1980).
What does it mean when a person says, "I am not retarded"? Education
and Training of the Mentally Retarded, 15(1), 74-79.
.
Brownlow, C., &
O’Dell, L. (2006). Constructing an autistic identity: AS voices online.
Mental
Retardation, 44(5), 315-321.
.
Danforth, S., &
Navarro, V. (1998). Speech acts: Sampling the social construction of mental
retardation in everyday life. Mental Retardation, 36(1), 31-43.
.
Finlay, W. M., &
Lyons, E. (2005). Rejecting the label: A social constructionist analysis.
Mental
Retardation, 43(2), 120-134.
.
Goggin, G., &
Newell, C. (2004). Uniting the nation? Disability, stem cells, and the
Australian media. Disability and Society, 19(1), 47-60.
Recommended Books:
Ferguson, P. M.,
Ferguson, D. L., & Taylor, S. J. (Eds.). (1992). Interpreting disability:
A qualitative reader. New York: Teachers College Press.
| Return
to top |
Julia Scherba de Valenzuela,
Ph.D.
|
Last
updated: February 16, 2009
|