HST 238 - Disability History in the United States

Course unit(s): 1
Meets GAR (students beginning prior to Fall 2024): Meets general academic requirement HU.
Meets Explore Core requirement (students beginning Fall 2024 and later): HS
This course is a thematic exploration of the history of disability in the United States, and is designed to give students a deeper, more nuanced understanding of the lived experiences of people with disabilities or mental illness. We will consider the experience of disability in the United States across time, space, and theme, from the colonial foundation of asylums, to the diverse experiences of disabled people of color, to the discrimination against disabled immigrants. We will consider the changing needs and treatment of disabled veterans, as well as the federal government’s response to the demands of disabled citizens. The course will culminate in the successes and challenges posed during the twentieth century, such as deinstitutionalization, the rise of the disability rights movement in the twentieth century, and the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990.