American Studies 241 - DISABILITY IN POPULAR CULTURE

Spring
2018
01
4.00
Sarah Orem
TTh 03:00-04:20
Smith College
30080-S18
HILLYR 109
sorem@smith.edu
From butt-kicking warriors like Imperator Furiosa, to state leaders like New York governor David Paterson and former president FDR, to ultra-glamorous models like Jillian Mercado and Nyle DiMarco, images of and persons with disabilities have shaped the discourse of American popular culture. Though popular literary genres have long framed disability as tragic or pitiable, disabled writers have successfully appropriated popular, commercial styles to leverage critiques against dominant conceptions of disability. The purpose of this course is to investigate what arguments these popular texts make, whether implicitly or explicitly, about disability. Enrollment limit of 20. (E)
Permission is required for interchange registration during the add/drop period only.