Syllabus: Images of the Disabled

Available here from Teaching Media: http://www.teachingmedia.org/images-of-the-disabled/

“Depictions of illness and physical disability reflect, often in reversal, our beliefs about merit, human worth, dignity, community, and the definition of a life well lived. The works examined in this course—ranging in genre from the horror film to the sports documentary—can evoke anything from pity to anger to laughter. They are worth bearing witness to on their own merits, as well as serving as a reflection of the complex social negotiations our society has continued to make on these issues through decades. While you may be familiar with some of the works that will be screened in this course, the goal here will be to help you to see them in a new way, both from an ideological and fine art perspective.”

Keywords: ability/disability, analysis, disability studies