English 287 - Spring, 2016

Topics in Literature & Media

Class Information

Instructor: Boluk, Stephanie
CRN: 63206
Time: W 12:10-3: 6:10-9
Location: 120 Voorhies

Description

In this graduate seminar we will engage the discourse and theory of critical disability studies and explore how the concept of disability relates to digital media. How can we rethink the constraints and affordances of twenty-first century media technologies in terms of disability? How does disability transform from an essential condition to a social, political, and legal construct that intersects with issues of race, class, gender, and sexulity? In this class we will study the history of accessible media, from braille books to sip and puff sensors to the ubiquitous screens, user interfaces, communication protocols, and prosthetic technologies in the twenty-first century. And from the plagiarism controversies surrounding Helen Keller’s writing to an eye-tracking system built by an international community to aid an L.A. graffiti artist with ALS, we will undertake a survey of some technical, medical, legal, ethical, political, cultural, and philosophical issues surrounding disability and media.

Grading

Final Project/Paper
Participation
Class Presentation