Spring 2018

Quirky Citizenship: Autism in the Political Imagination

Listed in: Political Science, as POSC-412

Faculty

Kristin Bumiller (Section 01)

Description

[SC, IL] This course will explore how autism as both a medical diagnosis and a social category has gained significance over the past forty years. The course will situate the study of autism in the broader framework of the disability rights movement. We will consider the evidence for its characterization as an “epidemic” and how medical experts, parents, and autistic individuals have challenged and collaborated with each other. The study of autism will also be viewed in relation to wide-ranging political concerns, including vaccination and public health, economic costs of care, gender identities, and the growth of bio-medical power. This course satisfies the advanced seminar requirement for the Department of Political Science.

Requisite: An Introductory course in political science or its equivalent. Limited to 18 students. Spring semester. Professor Bumiller.

POSC 412 - L/D

Section 01
Tu 02:30 PM - 05:00 PM BARR 102

ISBN Title Publisher Author(s) Comment Book Store Price
Thinking in Pictures: My Life with Autism Vintage, 2006 Temple Grandin Amherst Books TBD
Multiple Autisms: Spectrums of Advocacy and Genomic Science University of Minnesota Press, 2015 Jennifer Singh Amherst Books TBD
Neurotribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity Avery, 2016 Steve Silberman Amherst Books TBD
Understanding Autism: Parents, Doctors, and the History of a Disorder Princeton University Press, 2013 Chloe Silverman Amherst Books TBD
Vaccine Court: The Law and Politics of Injury NYU Press, 2016 Anna Kirkland Amherst Books TBD

These books are available locally at Amherst Books.

Offerings

2024-25: Not offered
Other years: Offered in Spring 2018, Fall 2019, Fall 2020, Fall 2021