Other 'Others' in US Disability History

DIS ST/HSTCMP 402 & 502 A  Topics in Disability History

Winter 2026

Hybrid Instruction Tues & Thurs 10:30-12:20, likely in this format:

Tuesday classes on Zoom only

Thursday classes in-person & on Zoom

Welcome to the course

Hello! I'm Joanne Woiak (she/her), faculty in the Disability Studies Program. Please reach out to me with any questions about the course. My email is jwoiak@uw.edu. The course will follow a hybrid format that's designed to provide flexibility in how you access the content and how you show your engagement with the material. I'm here to support you and I look forward to teaching and learning with you this quarter!

Course Description and Readings:

Other 'Others' in US Disability History. The essay “Disability History: Why We Need Another ‘Other’” (Kudlick 2003) announced the analytic and theoretical tools of an emerging field of study with the potential to "reshape our scholarly landscape.” The field of disability studies (DS) recognizes disability as political and relational. The scope of disability history now encompasses lived experiences and concepts not typically named as disability, especially at the intersections of race, ethnicity, class, labor, sex, and gender. The authors we will read use historical case studies to ask: What qualifies as disability history? When DS expands beyond an identity-based framework, who else might become legible as subjects of historical inquiry, and why? What evidence, sources, and research methods are available to us, and how do we engage in these studies in ways that are accountable and accessible? 

Course learning goals are to deepen our understanding of disability and ableism in the past and how they shape the present, especially in conjunction with the history of constructs of race and racism. We will analyze recent historical scholarship that excavates unique features of Black disability politics and cultural work, that looks at immigration history through a DS lens, and that centers the roles of geographical place and community proximities in narratives about white rural nonconformity. Throughout the course, we will consider how critical disability studies aligns with, is indebted to, and potentially enhances the analyses of power developed in fields such as women of color feminism and queer theory, as we focus on groundbreaking research about communities, activist movements, policies, and methodologies for disability history in late-19th and 20^th century United States contexts.

Readings will include chapters from: Sami Schalk, Black Disability Politics (2022), Douglas Baynton, Defectives in the Land: Disability and Immigration in the Age of Eugenics (2016), and Ryan Lee Cartwright, Peculiar Places: A Queer Crip History of White Rural Nonconformity (2021).

• Schedule of Topics & Readings - TBD
• Policies & Grading & Resources
• Please always check the Modules and daily Home Pages for all information and updates about content warnings, assignments, lectures, films, readings, and announcements.

Assignments:

• 15% Participation
• 10% Interdependence (note taking & annotating)
• 30% Reading Responses (write 4 papers)
• 15% Facilitating Discussion (small group assignment)
• 30% Essay/Project
  • 10% Draft/Pre-writing and peer workshop
  • 20% Final essay/project
• Students enrolled in DIS ST/HSTCMP 502: This class is taught jointly as DIS ST/HSTCMP 402/502. Graduate students will have an additional assignment preparing a short presentation on one reading for one day followed by their leadership of the discussion. Grad students will also write a final term paper that takes a deeper dive into one or two of the topics and/or theories covered in the course. This assignment can be negotiated with the instructor; it could be a literature review, original research into historical primary sources, a draft article for your primary field of study, or another format.

Readings:

It’s expected that you do the required reading before class begins and be prepared to discuss your ideas, queries, and opinions. Consult the modules regularly for readings, film & podcast links, lectures, supplementary texts, and updates to the assignments.

All of the required readings are on the course website as PDFs or external links. You can find them in Files and in the Modules.

Learning objectives:

• Understand the history of disability and activism in the United States in connection with other social categories and movements.
• Gain or deepen a theoretical background in the field of disability studies (DS), and apply the concept of the social construction of disability to knowledge and methods in disability history.
• Investigate how normalcy is constituted through gender, sexuality, race, class, and disability.
• Develop skills in communicating complex ideas related to disability, diversity, and intersectionality.
• Demonstrate knowledge of emerging issues, debates, and scholarship in disability history, disability studies, and disability justice.
• Disability Studies Program Learning Goals: https://disabilitystudies.washington.edu/skills-knowledge-careers

Accommodations & access:

            Please do not wear scented products in our classroom or the instructor’s office, to make these spaces more accessible for people with chemical sensitivity.

            The instructor is trying to create an inclusive learning environment. Your experiences in the class are important to all of us. If you anticipate or encounter barriers participating or demonstrating your learning because of any aspect of how the course is taught, I encourage you to contact me as soon as possible so that we can discuss options.

            We can work in conjunction with Disability Resources for Students: Disability Resources for Students (UW Seattle) Email: uwdrs@uw.edu Phone: 206-543-8924. If you have already established accommodations with DRS, please communicate your approved accommodations to me at your earliest convenience so we can discuss your needs in this course. DRS offers resources and coordinates reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities and/or temporary health conditions.  Reasonable accommodations are established through an interactive process between you, your instructor(s) and DRS. 

            Note that while this is directly applicable to students who are registered with DRS, you do not need to disclose a disability or provide an accommodations letter to discuss accessibility. Please feel free to talk with me about any aspect of accommodations or accessibility.

Religious Accommodations Policy

Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy. Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request.

Policies & Grading

Communication policy:

It is critical that we all feel comfortable communicating often this quarter so that you are supported in your learning.

Please make sure you set the Canvas communication settings to an email that you check regularly as I will use the announcements function and the Canvas inbox to communicate with you. Try to check your inbox daily.

Log in to Canvas regularly and go to the Modules to make sure that you have the most up-to-date information.

The best way to contact me is using the Canvas inbox or my email.

All requirements and policies of this course are outlined in this syllabus. Any changes to the syllabus, announcements, and handouts will be posted on the course website, and it is your responsibility to keep track of assignments and due dates and to check the website regularly for updates. Feel free to contact the instructor if you have any questions or concerns about the course.

Policies for submitting work:

All work will be submitted electronically to Canvas. 

Please communicate with me about any access needs. The due dates are intended to provide structure, and extensions will be granted whenever needed. No late penalties. I am happy to work with you for any reasons - you don't need to provide any explanations or apologies. 

Zoom Recordings:

For components of this course that run synchronously via Zoom, class sessions may be recorded. The recording will capture the presenter’s audio, video and computer screen. Student audio and video will be recorded if they share their computer audio and video during the recorded session. The recordings will only be accessible to students enrolled in the course to review materials. These recordings will not be shared with or accessible to the public. The University and Zoom have FERPA-compliant agreements in place to protect the security and privacy of UW Zoom accounts.

Students who do not wish to be recorded should:

• Change their Zoom screen name to hide any personal identifying information like their name or UW Net ID; and
• Not share their computer audio or video during their Zoom sessions

Documentation of sources and academic integrity:

All work submitted for course credit must be an original effort. For all writing assignments, direct quotations, paraphrases, information, interpretations, and opinions taken from another person’s work must be identified. Plagiarism means presenting the words or ideas of another person as if they were your own, for example by turning in someone else’s work or failing to document material you have quoted or borrowed. Any evidence of cheating or plagiarism, whether intentional or accidental, will result in a grade of zero for that assignment. Additional sanctions may also be imposed by the University administration under the provisions of the Student Conduct Code. You are responsible for understanding all aspects of University regulations regarding academic integrity.

Artificial Intelligence and Large Language Model Policy

We know that artificial intelligence (AI) text generators like ChatGPT are powerful tools that are increasingly used by many. And while they can be incredibly useful for some tasks (creating lists of things, for example), it is not a replacement for critical thinking and writing. Artificial intelligence text generators and editors are “large language models” – they are trained to reproduce sequences of words, not to understand or explain anything.

This course permits limited use of AI tools such as Chat GPT. Students are always expected to participate in the active learning process, and the use of AI without additional effort from students is always prohibited (such as copy-pasting an AI-generated essay). Inappropriate use of AI is considered academic misconduct. For more information, the University of Washington’s academic misconduct policies here: https://www.washington.edu/cssc/for-students/academic-misconduct/.Links to an external site.

In general, students are expected to adhere to the following guidelines for AI use in this course:

• AI is permitted to be used as a starting point or brainstorming tool for assignments.
• AI is permitted to assist in the writing and reasoning process, but students must always incorporate their own independent analysis, language, and formatting for assignments.
• When AI is used, it should be cited. Citing the use of AI helps us understand how it is used in the student learning process and guides recommendations over time.

Please be aware that AI tools carry inherent drawbacks. There is risk of biases and/or giving inaccurate or incomplete information. If used to proofread or edit your original writing, it may change your text so much that it no longer reflects your original thought or it may use terminology incorrectly. The text that AI text generators provide you is derived from another human’s original writing and likely multiple other humans’ original writing. As such, there are intellectual property and plagiarism considerations. Additionally, pay attention to the privacy of your data. Many AI tools will incorporate and use any content you share, so be careful not to unintentionally share copyrighted materials, original work, or personal information.

If you use AI tools, you must use them in a way that helps you learn, not hampers learning. Remember that these are tools to assist you in your coursework, not a replacement for your own learning of the material, critical thinking, and writing skills. If you are using AI tools to help you in this class and you’re not doing well on assignments, we expect that you will reflect upon the role that the tool may play in your class performance and consider changing your use.

Students are responsible for examining the quality of work and checking for biases and accuracy of information for all submitted work.

If you have any questions about citation or about what constitutes academic integrity in this course or at the University of Washington, please feel free to contact the instructors to discuss your concerns.

Grading scale

Student Resources

Legal

• Student Legal Services: https://depts.washington.edu/slsuw/
• How to Respond to Non-UWPD Law Enforcement on Campus (resources):
  • UW Leadership Without Borders
  • Federal Policy Updates page UW Provost Office
  • UW Human Resources Support Services - Immigration Enforcement on Campus
  • Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network

Mental Health Services to Students

• Main UW website with many on-campus and off-campus resources: https://wellbeing.uw.edu/topic/mental-health/
• View more Student Support Services on this Canvas page and on the University Services and Support Page Link
  • Student Health and Wellness Center: http://depts.washington.edu/livewell/Links to an external site. 206.543.6085
• UW Counseling Center - link

Technology help (UW Seattle)

• help@uw.edu 206.221.5000
• Request help with Canvas
• Request help with Zoom
• Visit the Canvas tutorials for support resources.

Libraries

• http://www.lib.washington.edu/
• Disability Studies Research Guide UW Libraries

Writing

• POL S/LSJ/JSIS Writing Center: http://depts.washington.edu/pswrite/
• Odegaard writing & research center: http://depts.washington.edu/owrc/
• CLUE writing center: http://depts.washington.edu/clue/dropintutor_writing.php
• Interdisciplinary Writing Studio (IWS) for CHID, GEOG, and GWSS students: https://geography.washington.edu/interdisciplinary-writing-studio
• Another recommended writing and citation guide resource is the website Purdue OWL: "The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University houses writing resources and instructional material, and we provide these as a free service of the Writing Lab at Purdue. Students, members of the community, and users worldwide will find information to assist with many writing projects. Teachers and trainers may use this material for in-class and out-of-class instruction."

More

• Office of the Ombud: https://www.washington.edu/ombud/ 206-543-6028
• The Samuel Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center - email ecc@uw.edu to learn more their efforts to create discussion spaces
• Huskies Vote https://www.washington.edu/studentlife/vote/