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  • Disability Studies Minor

Contact the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Email:
sbs.dean​@nau.edu
Call:
928-523-2672
Get application information
For more information on minors available from the Institute for Human Development, please visit the Institute for Human Development website.


Disability Studies, Minor

Students from a wide variety of backgrounds and disciplines will benefit from the interdisciplinary Disability Studies minor. The minor will provide you with foundational knowledge of the rapidly emerging field of disability studies. You will explore and critically examine the historical and legal treatment of people with disabilities and acquire an awareness and understanding of the role of disability in today society.

You will examine your own attitude towards disability while reflecting on the construct of normality and the ways in which this concept has shaped the understanding of disability. Through studying the emergence of disability culture and the disability rights movement, you will come to appreciate the concepts of acceptance, inclusion, integration, independence, and productivity as these apply to individuals with disabilities and society at large.

This undergraduate minor explores the role of disability in society today and how society's concept of normalcy has shaped perceptions of disability. Students will build a firm realization that disability can be understood as one facet of human diversity. By pursuing foundational knowledge of the rapidly emerging field of disability studies, students will learn to think critically about the ways in which disabled persons have experienced inequality and oppression.

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Requirements Accordion Open

University Requirements

  • A minor is earned in conjunction with a bachelor's degree.

    To receive a minor (18 to 24 units) at Northern Arizona University, you must complete a planned group of courses from one or more subject matter areas with a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0. At least 12 units of the minor must be unique to that minor and not applied to any other minor.

Overview Accordion Closed

Overview

In addition to University Requirements:

  • Complete individual plan requirements.

Please note that students may be able to use some courses to meet more than one requirement. Contact your advisor for details.

No more than 50% of the units used to satisfy minor requirements may be used to satisfy major requirements.

Minimum Units for Completion18
Fieldwork Experience/InternshipOptional
ResearchOptional
Some online/blended courseworkRequired

Purpose Statement
 
The minor in Disability Studies is an excellent complement to most majors. Its purpose is to assist students in acquiring foundational knowledge of the rapidly emerging field of disability studies. Students will learn to think critically about the ways inwhich disabled persons have experienced inequality and oppression. They will explore the role of disability in society today and how society concept of normalcy has shaped perceptions of disability. Students will build a firm realization that disability can be understood as one facet of human diversity

Student Learning Outcomes

As a result of completing the undergraduate minor in Disability Studies students will: 

  • Demonstrate foundational knowledge of disabilities which affect persons across the lifespan and the social systems which support persons with disabilities at critical junctures in their lives.
  • Communicate that disability is part of human diversity and demonstrate understanding of this diversity and its impact on personal and societal attitudes
  • Define disability from a number of different paradigms and compare and contrast different models of disability.
  • Discuss the concepts of person/family centeredness, functionality and participation and contrast it with diagnosis, handicap and limitations.
  • Investigate how public policy and disability rights play a role in society’s changing view of disabilities and how they affect supports and services.
  • Analyze how disability is represented across disciplines and in society through the arts, literature, media and other public domain areas.

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Details

Minor Requirements
  • Take the following 18 units:

    • DIS 201, DIS 304, DIS 410, DIS 498 (12 units)
    • Select two courses from the following (6 units):
      • CSD 191
      • (DIS 283 or ANT 283), DIS 309, (DIS 335 or PHI 335), DIS 407, DIS 485, DIS 497
      • PE 365W
      • PRM 326
  • Be aware that some courses may have prerequisites that you must also take. For prerequisite information click on the course or see your advisor.
     

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Campus Availability

  • Flagstaff

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Elizabeth M Pifer
Assistant Director, EO & Affirmative Action
Disability Resources
Elizabeth.Pifer@nau.edu
+1 928 523-5091
Health and Learning Center , room 2050
College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Location
Room 200 Building 65
Raul H. Castro Building
5 East McConnell Drive
Flagstaff, AZ 86011
Mailing Address
PO Box 15700
Flagstaff, AZ 86011
Contact Form
Email
sbs.dean@nau.edu
Phone
928-523-2672
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