Writing Bodies and Minds: Disability and Literature

3.0 credits · Undergraduate

Nondisabled writers and filmmakers often treat disability as a symbolic characteristic—disabled characters are most often either saintly or villainous. But what is disability? How do disabled writers depict disability? In this course, we will explore representations of ability and disability through the lens of Disability Studies. Concurrently, we will focus on the history of disability as a concept and as a lived experience. We also will examine how disability intersects with race, gender, sexuality, and more. Likely readings will include older texts such as Shakespeare’s Richard III as well as contemporary fiction, poetry, and essays by disabled and nondisabled writers.