Syllabus

• Instructor vision and mission
• College of Education mission
• COE conceptual framework

• quick writes
• progressive essay
• film review essay
• book review essay

• quick writes
• progressive essay rough draft
• progressive essay final draft
• film review essay
• book review essay

• progressive essay rough draft
• progressive essay final draft
• film review essay
• book review essay

Course Description:
This course will explore the social construction of disability from a variety of perspectives. The notion of disabilities as a social construction has received considerable attention in the Special Education literature and this course is designed to prepare future teachers and researchers to interact with others regarding this concept in an articulate and informed manner. In this course we will:

• examine relevant literature,
• discuss current theory, and
• deconstruct popular media, including films and written biographies.

This course supports the College of Education and Mental Retardation and Severe Disabilities Emphasis frameworks by addressing student abilities within the context of a diverse society, recognizing the need to support all individuals in life-long learning, and validating all individuals, including those with disabilities, as valuable members of their communities, including their communities of learners.

• Understand and are able to articulate a theoretically grounded definition of the social construction of disability.
• Understand how actions on the part of individuals can function to reconfirm or contest common notions of ability/disability.
• Understand how individual characteristics, such as socioeconomic status, ethnicity, language background, ethnicity, age, etc., contribute to the social construction of disability.
• Understand the function of social institutions, such as schools, in the social construction of disability.
• Understand how portrayals of individuals with disabilities in the media contribute to the social construction of disabilities.
• Are able to identify fundamental assumptions underlying service provision systems (i.e. special education or institutions) for individuals with disabilities.

.
Please note that the following references are NOT in APA format, due to limitaions of the internet.
.

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.

Bogdan, R., Biklen, D., Shapiro, A., & Spelkoman, D. (1982). The disabled: Media's monster. Social Policy, 13(2), 32-35.

Bogdan, R., & Knoll, J. (1995). The sociology of disability. In E. L. Meyen & T. M. Skrtic (Eds.), Special education and student disability, an introduction: Traditional, emerging, and alternative perspectives (4th ed., pp. 675-711). Denver, CO: Love Publishing.

Cortés, C. E. (1995). Knowledge construction and popular culture: The media as multicultural educator. In J. A. Banks & C. A. M. Banks (Eds.), Handbook of research on multicultural education (pp. 169-183). New York: MacMillan.

Dansforth, S. (2000). Resistance theories: Exploring the politics of oppositional behavior. Multiple Voices, 4(1), 13-29.

Danforth, S. (2000). What can the field of developmental disabilities learn from Michel Foucault? Mental Retardation, 38(4), 364-369.

Danforth, S., & Navarro, V. (1998). Speech acts: Sampling the social construction of mental retardation in everyday life. Mental Retardation, 36(1), 31-43.

Danforth, S., & Rhodes, W. C. (1997). Deconstructing disability: A philosophy for inclusion. Remedial and Special Education, 18(6), 357-366.

Darling-Hammond, L. (1995). Inequality and access to knowledge. In J. A. Banks & C. A. M. Banks (Eds.), Handbook of research on multicultural education (pp. 465-483). New York: MacMillan.

de Valenzuela, J. S., Connery, M. C., & Musanti, S. I. (2000). The theoretical foundations of professional development in special education: Is sociocultural theory enough? Remedial and Special Education, 21(2), 111-120.

Ferguson, P. M. (1987). The social construction of mental retardation. Social Policy, 18(1), 51-56.

Figueroa, R. A. (1999). Special education for Latino students in the United States: A metaphor for what is wrong. In T. V. Fletcher & C. S. Bos (Eds.), Helping individuals with disabilities and their families: Mexican and U.S. perspectives (pp. 147-159). Tempe, AZ: Bilingual Review/Press.

Gartner, A. (1982). Images of the disabled/disabling images. Social Policy, 13(2), 15.

Gelb, S. A. (2000). "Be cruel!" Dare we take Foucault seriously? Mental Retardation, 38(4), 369-372.

Goode, D. (1992). Who is Bobby? Ideology and method in the discovery of a Down syndrome person's competence. In P. M. Ferguson & D. L. Ferguson & S. J. Taylor (Eds.), Interpreting disability: A qualitative reader (pp. 197-212). New York: Teachers College Press.

Harlan, S. L., & Robert, P. M. (1998). The social construction of disability in organizations: Why employers resist reasonable accommodation. Work and Occupations, 25(4), 397-435.

Jones, S. R. (1996). Toward inclusive theory: Disability as social construction. NASPA Journal, 33(4), 347-354.

Luckasson, R. (September/October 2000). New draft definition of mental retardation proposed. American Association on Mental Retardation: News and Notes, 1, 12.

Luckasson, R., et. al. (1997). Mental retardation: Definition, classification, and system of supports (9th ed.). Washington, DC: American Association on Mental Retardation.

McLaren, P. (1994). Life in schools: An introduction to critical pedagogy in the foundations of education (2nd ed.). New York: Longman. (chapter 5 is included in the required reading packet)

Mehan, H., Hertweck, A., & Meihls, J. L. (1986). Handicapping the handicapped: Decision making in students' educational careers. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. (Chapter 7 is included in the required reading packet)

Mercer, J. R. (1992). The impact of changing paradigms of disability on mental retardation in the year 2000. In L. Rowitz (Ed.), Mental Retardation in the year 2000 (pp. 15-38). New York: Springer-Verlag.

Peter, D. (2000). Dynamics of discourse: A case study illuminating power relations in mental retardation. Mental Retardation, 38(4), 354-362.

Rao, S. S. (2000). Perspectives of an African American mother on parent-professional relationships in special education. Mental Retardation, 38(6), 475-488.

Rueda, R. (1989). Defining mild disabilities with language-minority students. Exceptional Children, 56(2), 121-128.

Safran, S. P. (1998). Disability portrayal in film: Reflecting the past, directing the future. Exceptional Children, 64, 227-238.

Sleeter, C. E. (1986). Learning disabilities: The social construction of a special education category. Exceptional Children, 53(1), 46-54.

Stainback, W., & Stainback, S. (1984). A rationale for the merger of special and regular education. Exceptional Children, 51(2), 102.

Taylor, S. J. (1988). Caught in the continuum: A critical analysis of the principle of the least restrictive environment. JASH, 13(1), 41-53.

Taylor, S. J. (2000). Perspectives: Two perspectives on Foucault and postmodernism. Mental Retardation, 38(4), 363.

Taylor, S. J., & Bogdan, R. (1980). Defending illusions: The institution's struggle for survival. Human Organization, 39(3), 209-218.

Wiest, D. J., & Kreil, D. A. (1995). Transformational obstacles in special education. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 28(7), 399-407.

Artiles, A. J. (1998). The dilemma of difference: Enriching the disproportionality discourse with theory and context. The Journal of Special Education, 32(1), 32-36.

Biklen, D. (1988). The myth of clinical judgment. Journal of Social Issues, 44(1), 127-140.

Biklen, D., Corrigan, C., & Quick, D. (1989). Beyond obligation: Students' relations with each other in integrated classes. In D. K. Lipsky & A. Gartner (Eds.), Beyond separate education: Quality education for all (pp. 207-223). Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes.

Campbell-Whatley, G. D., & Comer, J. (2000). Self-concept and African-American student achievement: Related issues of ethics, power and privilege. Teacher Education and Special Education, 23(1), 19-31.

Danforth, S. (1995). Toward a critical theory approach to lives considered emotionally disturbed. Behavioral Disorders, 20(2), 136-143.

Day-Vines, N. L. (2000). Ethics, power, and privilege: Salient issues in the development of multicultural competencies for teachers serving African American children with disabilities. Teacher Education and Special Education, 23(1), 3-18.

Delgado-Gaitan, C., & Trueba, H. (1991). Crossing cultural borders: Education for immigrant families in America. London: The Falmer Press. -- chapter 1 included in packet

Dudley-Marling, C., & Dippo, D. (1995). What learning disability does: Sustaining the ideology of schooling. Journal of Learning Disability, 28(7), 408-414.

Duplass, D., & Smith, T. (1995). Hearing Dennis through his own voice: A redefinition. Behavioral Disorders, 20(2), 144-148.

Ferguson, P. M., & Ferguson, D. L. (1996). Communicating adulthood: The meanings of independent living for people with significant cognitive disabilities and their families. Topics in Language Disorders, 16(3), 52-67.

Forness, S. R. (1988). Reductionism, paradigm shifts, and learning disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 21(7), 421-424.

Harry, B. (1992). Cultural diversity, families, and the special education system: Communication and empowerment. New York: Teachers College Press. -- chapter 1 on reserve

Kalyanpur, M., & Harry, B. (1999). Culture in special education: Building reciprocal family-professional relationships. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes. -- chapter 2 on reserve

Kimball, W. H., & Heron, T. E. (1988). A behavioral commentary on Poplin's discussion of reductionist fallacy and holistic/constructivist principles. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 21(7), 425-428, 447.

Mactavish, J. B., Mahon, M. J., & Lutfiyya, Z. M. (2000). "I can speak for myself": Involving individuals with intellectual disabilities as research participants. Mental Retardation, 38(3), 216-227.

Mehan, H., Hertweck, A., & Meihls, J. L. (1986). Handicapping the handicapped: Decision making in students' educational careers. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. -- chapter 6 included in reading packet

Michal-Smith, H. (1987). Presidential address 1987: Hollywood's portrayal of disability. Mental Retardation, 25(5), 259-266.

Patton, J. M. (1998). The disproportionate representation of African Americans in special education: Looking behind the curtain for understanding and solutions. The Journal of Special Education, 32(1), 25-31.

Patton, J. M., & Townsend, B. L. (2000). Ethics, power, and privilege: Neglected considerations in the education of African American learners with special needs. Teacher Education and Special Education, 22(4), 276-286.

Phillips, M. J. (1992). "Try harder": The experience of disability and the dilemma of normalization. In P. M. Ferguson & D. L. Ferguson & S. J. Taylor (Eds.), Interpreting disability: A qualitative reader (pp. 213-227). New York: Teachers College Press.

Poplin, M. S. (1987). Self-imposed blindness: The scientific method in education. Remedial and Special Education, 8(6), 31-37.

Poplin, M. S. (1988a). Holistic/constructivist principles of the teaching/learning process: Implications for the field of learning disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 21(7), 401-416.

Poplin, M. S. (1988b). The reductionistic fallacy in learning disabilities: Replicating the past by reducing the present. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 21(7), 389-400.

Poplin, M., & Phillips, L. (1993). Sociocultural aspects of language and literacy: Issues facing educators of students with learning disabilities. Learning Disability Quarterly, 16(4), 245-255.

Reid, D. K. (1988). Reflections on the pragmatics of a paradigm shift. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 21(7), 417-420.

Rist, R. C. (2000). HER Classic: Student social class and teacher expectations: The self-fulfilling prophecy in ghetto education. Harvard Educational Review, 70(3), 266-301.

Rhodes, R. L. (1998, October). An introduction to school psychology and special education services in Mexico. Paper presented at the annual BorderWalking Conference, Las Cruces, New Mexico.

Safran, S. P. (1998). The first century of disability portrayal in film: An analysis of the literature. The Journal of Special Education, 31, 467-479.

Safran, S. P. (2000). Using movies to teach students about disabilities. Teaching Exceptional Children, 32(3), 43-47.

Salend, S. (1999). The impact of inclusion on students with and without disabilities and their educators. Remedial and Special Education, 20(2), 114-126.

Shannon, P. (1995). Text, lies, and videotape. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. -- chapter 1 on reserve

Skrtic, T. M. (1991b). The special education paradox: Equity as the way to excellence. Harvard Educational Review, 61(2), 148-206.

Sleeter, C. (1987). Literacy, definitions of learning disabilities, and social control. In B. M. Franklin (Ed.), Learning disabilities: Dissenting essays (pp. 67-87). London: The Falmer Press.

Townsend, B. L., & Patton, J. M. (2000). Reflecting on ethics, power, and privilege. Teacher Education and Special Education, 23(1), 32-34.

Trueba, H., Jacobs, L., & Kirton, E. (1990). Cultural conflict and adaptation: The case of Hmong children in American society. New York: The Falmer Press. -- chapter 1 on reserve

Utley, C. A., Delquadri, J. C., Obiakor, F. E., & Mims, V. A. (2000). General and special educators' perceptions of teaching strategies for multicultural students. Teacher Education and Special Education, 23(1), 34-50.

Zola, I. K. (1992). "Any distinguishing features": The portrayal of disability in the crime-mystery genre. In P. M. Ferguson & D. L. Ferguson & S. J. Taylor (Eds.), Interpreting disability: A qualitative reader (pp. 233-250). New York: Teachers College Press.

Bogdan, R., & Taylor, S. J. (1994). The social meaning of mental retardation: Two life stories. New York: Teachers College Press.

Ferguson, P. M., Ferguson, D. L., & Taylor, S. J. (Eds.). (1992). Interpreting disability: A qualitative reader. New York: Teachers College Press.

Goffman, E. (1963). Stigma: Notes on the management of spoiled identity. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall.

Goode, D. (1994). A world without words: The social construction of children born deaf and blind. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University
Press.

Gould, S. J. (1981). The mismeasure of man. New York: W. W. Norton and Company.

Harry, B. (1994). The disproportionate representation of minority students in special education: Theories and recommendations. Alexandria, VA: National Association of State Directors of Special Education.

Kozol, J. (1991). Savage inequalities: Children in America's schools. New York: Crown Publishers.

Oakes, J. (1985). Keeping track: How schools structure inequality. New Haven, CN: Yale University Press.

Poplin, M. S., & Cousin, P. T. (Eds.). (1996). Alternative views of learning disabilities: Issues for the 21st century. Austin, TX: PRO-ED.

Skrtic, T. M. (1991a). Behind special education: A critical analysis of professional culture and school organization. Denver, CO: Love Publishing.

Skrtic, T. M. (Ed.). (1995). Disability and democracy: Reconstructing [special] education for postmodernity. New York: Teachers College Press.

Taylor, D. (1991). Learning denied. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Course Structure:
This course is designed so that students will interact actively with the course material -- whole and small group discussion, rather than instructor lecture, will make up the bulk of in-class sessions. Therefore, it is imperative that students arrive at each class having thoroughly read all of the assigned readings. Graded assignments are designed to be instructional as well as providing a means of arriving at a final grade for each student. Therefore, emphasis will be placed on graded out-of-class assignments that rely on analysis, synthesis and evaluation of course materials and development of critical thinking.

Students who require special accommodations or instructional modifications need to notify the instructor by the beginning of the semester, or as soon as difficulties become apparent, with appropriate documentation from the Student Support Services Center (277-3506), Mesa Vista Hall, Room 2021.

Written directions for all assignments are provided in this syllabus, along with the criteria for determining point values. Extra copies of the syllabus, assignments, and grading criteria are available at the instructor’s web site at: http://www.unm.edu/~devalenz/. All written assignments will be expected to be typed and follow the American Psychological Association Manual (5th ed.) format, unless otherwise specified. A brief guide to APA is also available on the instructor's web site, under the "handouts" link.

In particular, all assignments should:

• Be typed and double-spaced.
• Use 12-pt font, and a serif typestyle (such as Times New Roman).
• Have 1 inch margins on all sides.
• Be copied onto plain white paper, stapled at the top left hand corner. Please do not put your assignment in a folder or plastic cover, unless otherwise specified.
• Have the text lined up/aligned on the left margin only (“left justified”). Leave the right margin “ragged.”
• Be written in complete sentences, using grammar, style, and vocabulary appropriate for an academic audience.
• Use person-first language.
• Include a brief header and page number in the upper right-hand corner of each page.
• Use section headings appropriately and in correct APA format.
• Include a separate reference page at the end of your assignment, which includes all of the sources cited in the paper and is formatted according to APA guidelines.
• All works/sources used in the assignment must be appropriately attributed (see ‘academic dishonesty policy’ below).

A cover page for each assignment is included in this assignment, which include a self-assessment in the form of a check list. All criteria must be met and the cover sheet must be completed for the assignment to be accepted.
 

NOTE:   Any assignment which is not written in a manner that is comprehensible to the instructor, which does not meet the stated minimum criteria for the assignment, and/or which contains profanity or is presented in an otherwise unprofessional manner will not be accepted. A student may be allowed to revise their assignment, at the discretion of the instructor.

Final grades will be determined by a point system (X out of 100 total possible points). Fractionated grading will be used, with the following breakdown:

 

A+ = 100	B+ = 88-89	C+ = 78-79	D+ = 68-69	F = below 60
A = 94-99	B = 84-87	C = 74-77	D = 64-67
A- = 90-93	B- = 80-83	C- = 70-73	D- = 60-63

NOTE: According to UNM regulations, graduate students may not be assigned a grade of C-, D+, D, or D-. Therefore, graduate students who do not accumulate a minimum of 74 points by the end of the semester will be assigned an F.

Incompletes and withdraws from the course will be allowed only in accordance with UNM policies. Please see the UNM catalog for a description of these policies.

"Any student who has been judged to have engaged in academic dishonesty in course work may receive a reduced or failing grade for the work in question and/or the course.

Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, dishonesty in quizzes, tests, or assignments; claiming credit for work not done or done by others . . ."

What does this mean for this course?
a.)  In terms of written work, this means that you have the responsibility to make it very clear in all written work what portion of the work you wrote and what was written by other people, such as book or article authors, web site authors, or your colleagues. This includes both direct quotes and paraphrases.
b.)  Additionally, you must make it clear what you read to complete the assignment (a ‘primary source’), versus what the authors of the sources read in preparation for their work (a ‘secondary source’).
c.)  Finally, the work that you turn in for this class must be specifically written for the assignments in this course, this semester -- you may not turn in work (either in whole or part) that you have used for a grade in another course.

So, if you didn’t actually write it or you didn’t actually read it, you must make that explicit. Additionally, if you didn’t originally write it for this class, you may not use it. Failure to comply with these guidelines falls under the category of academic dishonesty and will result in the following:

• The first time a problem of this sort appears in an assignment, I will assume that it is unintentional and will ask you to re-write the assignment. Points may be deducted from your assignment at my discretion. You will be required to meet with me to learn how to avoid this problem in future assignments.
• The second time this problem is noted in an assignment, you will be assigned 0 points for that assignment.
• If the problem appears for the third time, you will be assigned a failing grade in the course.
• If this problem appears for the first time in your final assignment for this course, you will be assigned 0 points for the assignment, unless there is time for you to re-write it before I turn in the final grades at the end of the current semester.

To assist you in understanding what plagiarism is and isn’t, you will be provided with a handout during the first day of class on what plagiarism is and how to avoid it. Further information on avoiding plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty can be found in the APA Manual and at the Dartmouth College Website: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~sources/contents.html. Rutgers University also has many resources on this topic, including an interactive presentation on plagiarism: http://sal.rutgers.edu/plagiarism.html.

If you have any concerns or questions about how to appropriately indicate what is your own work and what is derived from the work of others, or whether small portions of an assignment developed for another course might be appropriate to include in an assignment for this course, please see me during office hours, or if that time is not convenient, call or email to set an appointment time.

IMPORTANT! You may NOT e-mail your assignments to me as an attachment, as all assignments must include a signed cover sheet.

3.) Re-Writes: In order to be fair to all students, re-writes will not be allowed, except under extraordinary circumstances beyond the student's control. However, students are STRONGLY encouraged to talk with, e-mail questions to, and/or submit drafts to the instructor at least 1-2 weeks ahead of time, so that revisions can be made, if necessary, by the assigned due date.

• a photocopy of a colleague's notes from the missed class,
• a typed response to the reading questions (available on the course website), and
• a typed summary of all assigned readings for the class missed.
• a typed response to the assigned quick write (available on the course website).

Five points will be deducted for every absence that is not made up.

Late arrivals to class interrupt the learning of all students. Therefore, a point will be deducted for arriving more than 30 minutes late to class. Arriving more than an hour late or leaving more than an hour early will be considered a class absence and will need to be made up, as indicated above.

• arriving to class on time and well-prepared,
• paying attention to instructor and/or other students when they are speaking,
• turning off the ringer of your cellular phone and not taking calls within the classroom (please step out in the hall to speak if you must answer an emergency call),
• use of appropriate and non-offensive language during class and in written class assignments,
• demonstrating cooperation with and respect for the instructor and peers during class discussions,
• actively participating, on-topic, during small group activities, and
• showing consideration for other students' need for alternative teaching strategies.

I expect students to demonstrate consistently positive class participation. Frequent and/or significant failure to fulfill these expectations will result in the student being dropped from the course.

January 26, 2004 (#1)
Topic: Introduction
Read: no reading due on the 1st class

February 2, 2004 (#2)
Topic: Theoretical frameworks
Read: Jones (1996) AND McLaren (1994) - Chapter 5

February 9, 2004 (#3)
Topic: The sociology of disability
Read: Bogdan & Knoll (1995)
 

February 16, 2004 (#4)
Topic: Comparing and contrasting paradigms and considering legitimizing myths
Read:  Mercer (1992) AND Taylor & Bogdan (1980)

February 23, 2004 (#5)
Topic: Exploring images in the media
Read:

• Cortés (1995)
• Gartner (1982)
• Bogdan, Biklen, Shapiro & Spelkoman (1982)
• Safran (1998)

March 1, 2004 (#6)
Topic: Intersecting critical theory and the social construction of disability
Read: Harlan & Robert (1998) AND Danforth (2000 - resistance theories)
Due:   Film review essay

March 6, 2004 (#7)
Topic: Why do we keep talking about race, class and gender?
Read: Darling-Hammond (1995) AND de Valenzuela, Connery, & Musanti (2000)
**mid-semester class evaluation (how is it going so far?)

March 15, 2004 (#8)
No Class -- UNM Spring Break

March 22, 2004 (#9)
Topic: Mental retardation
Read: Ferguson (1987), AND Luckasson, et al (1997), AND Luckasson (2000)
Due: draft of progressive study guide

March 29, 2004 (#10)
Topic: The process of socially constructing disability
Read:

• Danforth & Navarro (1998)
• Peter (2000)
• Taylor (2000)
• Danforth (2000 - Foucault)
• Gelb (2000)

April 5, 2004 (#11)
Topic: Institutional involvement in constructing disabilities
Read: Rao (2000) AND Mehan, Hertweck, & Meihls (1986) -- chapter 7
 

April 12, 2004 (#12)
Topic: Personal perspectives of disability
Read: Bogdan (1980) AND Goode (1992)
Due: book essay

April 19, 2004 (#13)
Topic: What does the social construction of disability imply about inclusion?
Read: Taylor (1988) AND Stainback & Stainback (1984)

April 26, 2004 (#14)
Topic: Approaches to reform
Read: Rueda (1989), Figueroa (1999) AND Wiest & Kreil (1995)

May 3, 2004 (#15)
Topic: Approaches to reform, cont.
Read:  Sleeter (1986), AND Danforth & Rhodes (1987)
Due: final draft of progressive study guide
 

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Last updated: December 23, 2003