Rhetoric, Writing, and Public Discourse 201-A: Special Topic in Rhetoric, Writing, and Public Discourse: Disability Rhetoric

What is "disability"? A doctor may answer by describing certain impairments or symptoms. A lawyer would look at the Americans with Disabilities Act and discuss disability through a lens of civil rights. From a rhetorical perspective, disability is constructed through the stories we tell. The contours of disability are ever-changing, growing and constricting, precisely because disability is a rhetorically constructed category of being in the world that intersects with all other identity categories. In this class we will examine the stories that create "disability" and the material effects these stories have on folks with disabilities. We will read, watch, feel, and listen to a variety of authors and creators who have engaged with this question. Some come out of Rhetoric, such as Jay Dolmage and Stephanie Kirschbaum. Some will come from the field of Critical Disability Theory, such as Sami Schalk and Robert McRuer. Many others will come from popular culture and social media, such as Sins Invalid, and Nomy Lamm. May be taken for credit towards the Gender Studies major or minor.