Course Description
Advanced studies in archival research within the context of Disability Studies. Students will engage with primary sources such as artifacts, personal stories, historical documents, manuscripts, and media to increase understanding of the work undertaken by activists, advocates, organizations, and the experiences of people with disabilities in Georgia and beyond.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
In addition to a capstone product, graduate students will
produce a 10-page paper that demonstrates knowledge production
through empirical investigation, analysis, and interpretation of
primary source material(s).
Athena Title
Disability in the Archives
Non-Traditional Format
Course includes a service-learning project during the semester that either employs skills or knowledge learned in the course or teaches new skills or knowledge related to course objectives. Student engagement in the service-learning component will be up to 50% of overall instruction time.
Undergraduate Prerequisite
IHDD 2001
Graduate Prerequisite
IHDD 6001 or IHDD 6001E
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
1.Students will develop fundamental archival research skills, including mastering the appropriate terminology and learning the proper handling of original materials 2.Students will analyze documentary materials and artifacts within the framework of archival research and build observation and summarization skills 3.Students will develop their abilities to think critically, analyze information, and write persuasively about a variety of topics in disability studies using documentary artifacts 4.In service to the Georgia Disability History Alliance, students will develop research products, curate archival material, and/or assist with community outreach services to increase their understanding of the value of the interconnected processes of research, analysis, and dissemination in the scholarship of disability studies 5.Students will discover the sensory and emotional impact of handling historical materials 6.Students will reflect critically on the value of archival research and curation to disability studies
Topical Outline
•Georgia Disability History Alliance: Overview and expectations •Georgia Disability History Archive and other special collections at UGA •Archives-Based Learning Basics – the documentary record •Archives-Based Research Methods – searching the archive •Disability in Image: curation of photographic rhetoric •Disability in Writing: curation of written/published rhetoric •Disability in Audiovisuals: curated film clips/sound bites •Project Formulation •Research, analysis, and synthesis (multiple weeks) •Project presentations and discussion