Intro to Disability Studies: Disability and Technology

For almost as long as humans have been using tools, we have been using technology to accommodate disability. For this reason, we often imagine technology as the utopian horizon to disabled life: cutting edge prosthetics, more inclusive spaces, less pain, and a longer life. But there is a dark side, too, a history in which technological advancements have created impairments and been used to justify the social exclusion of people with disabilities. IN this class, we engage these questions through the literary writing of Octavia Butler, Kazuo Ishiguro, Ricardo Piglia, and many others, as well as critical texts that expand our understanding of the issues at stake. Class is taught by Dr. Roanne Kantor, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1:30 PM - 3:20 PM.