Disability Studies BA

Overview

Disability Studies is a multifaceted field that examines the nature, meaning, and consequences of disability. The Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Disability Studies is an interdisciplinary, community-based, capstone major. It appeals to undergraduates seeking a conceptual and practical understanding of disability as a foundation for graduate or professional studies and/or careers across a broad spectrum of professions. The major curriculum recognizes disability as a central part of our lived experience; a critical dimension of social, cultural, and political identity; and a frequent target of discrimination and exclusion. Through foundational courses, interdisciplinary electives, community-engaged course work, and a senior capstone research project, students in the major learn to think critically about disability as a core aspect of the human experience, preparing them to enact transformational change across disability communities and beyond.

Capstone Major

The Disability Studies major is a designated capstone major. Students have the option of completing a capstone seminar (Disability Studies 191) or independent research project (Disability Studies 198A and 198B, or 199A and 199B) that enables them to use knowledge and skills acquired through previous coursework to engage, under the … For more content click the Read More button below.

The Disability Studies major is a designated capstone major. Students have the option of completing a capstone seminar (Disability Studies 191) or independent research project (Disability Studies 198A and 198B, or 199A and 199B) that enables them to use knowledge and skills acquired through previous coursework to engage, under the guidance of a faculty member, in a research or creative project that results in a final paper or other product.

Learning Outcomes

Demonstrated understanding of disability studies concepts, theories, history, and political movements

Integration of multiple perspectives on disability through interdisciplinary inquiry

Development of professional skills through academic and applied experiences

Use of theory to inform practice through participation in community-engaged learning activities

Conduction and communication of research to various audiences

Entry to the Major

Admission

Pre-Major

Transfer Students

Transfer applicants to the Disability Studies major with 90 or more units must complete the following preparatory courses prior to admission to UCLA: one social theory course; one race, identity, and society course; one humanities and ethics course; and one data analysis course. Disability Studies 1 must be taken at UCLA once a transfer student is admitted to the University.

Refer to the UCLA transfer admission guide for up-to-date information regarding transfer selection for admission.

Major Requirements

Preparation for the Major

Complete five courses as follows:

DIS STD 1 - Construction of (Dis)ability and Ableism in U.S.

Social Theory

Race, Identity, and Society

Select one course from:

AF AMER 1 - Introduction to Black Studies AF AMER 6 - Trends in Black Intellectual Thought AM IND M10 - Introduction to American Indian Studies ASIA AM 10 - History of Asian Americans ASIA AM 20 - Contemporary Asian American Communities ASIA AM 30 - Asian American Literature and Culture ASIA AM 40 - Asian American Movement ASIA AM 50 - Asian American Women CCAS 10A - Introduction to Chicana/Chicano Studies: History and Culture CCAS 10B - Introduction to Chicana/Chicano Studies: Social Structure and Contemporary Conditions CCAS 20 - Central American Studies: Histories and Cultures CLUSTER 20B - Race and Indigeneity in U.S.CLUSTER M72B - Sex from Biology to Gendered Society CLUSTER 80BX - Frontiers in Human Aging COMM M72B - Sex from Biology to Gendered Society DESMA 10 - Design Culture EDUC 11 - Education, Equality, and Future of American Society: Problems, Prospects, and Policies GENDER 10 - Introduction to Gender Studies LBR STD 10 - Introduction to Labor and Workplace Studies SOC GEN M72B - Sex from Biology to Gendered Society SOCIOL M72B - Sex from Biology to Gendered Society WL ARTS M23 - Introduction to American Indian Studies

Humanities and Ethics

Select one course from:

CLUSTER M71B - Biotechnology and Society CLUSTER 73B - Brain, Bodymind, and Society: All in Your Head?COM LIT 1E - Social Media and Storytelling: Comparing Cultures DESMA 10 - Design Culture MCD BIO 60 - Biomedical Ethics PHILOS 22 - Introduction to Ethical Theory PHILOS 22W - Introduction to Ethical Theory SOC GEN 5 - Integrative Approaches to Human Biology and Society SOC GEN M71B - Biotechnology and Society

Data Analysis

The Major

Core (5 units)

Disability-Centered Electives (8 units)

Select two courses from the following. Anthropology 149 may only be applied if the topic offers an interdisciplinary perspective of disability. Nursing M172 and M172XP must be taken together to satisfy one course.

ASL M115 - Enforcing Normalcy: Deaf and Disability Studies ANTHRO 137P - Anthropology of Deviance and Abnormality ANTHRO 149 - Selected Topics in Social Anthropology ASIA AM M117 - Asian American Personality and Mental Health DESMA 171 - Topics in Interactivity and Games EDUC 104A - Introduction to Exceptional Learners EDUC 132 - Autism: Mind, Brain, and Education ENGL M103 - Studies in Disability Literatures GENDER M121 - Topics in Gender and Disabilities GENDER 152 - Gender, Disability, and Education GENDER M161 - Sports, Normativity, and Body HNRS M183 - Being Human: Identity and Mental Illness NURSING M172 - Care Work: Disability Justice and Health Care NURSING M172XP - Care Work: Disability Justice and Health Care PSYCH M107 - Asian American Personality and Mental Health PSYCH 127A - Clinical Psychological Science PSYCH 127B - Clinical Psychological Science: Biological Bases PSYCH 127C - Clinical Psychological Science: Developmental Perspectives PSYCH 132A - Learning Problems, Schooling Problems: Policy and Practice PSYCH M139 - Perspectives on Autism and Neurodiversity SOC GEN M166 - Health-Care Ethics SOC GEN M183 - Being Human: Identity and Mental Illness SOCIOL M120 - Disability Rights Law SOCIOL M148 - Sociology of Mental Illness

Disability Studies

Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Disability (16 units)

Select one course from each of the following categories:

Category 1: Health Humanities and Bioethics

Select one course from the following. Anthropology 149 may only be applied if the topic offers an interdisciplinary perspective of disability. Disability Studies M172 and M172XP, or Nursing M172 and M172XP, must be taken together to satisfy one course.

ANTHRO 137P - Anthropology of Deviance and Abnormality ANTHRO 149 - Selected Topics in Social Anthropology ASIA AM M117 - Asian American Personality and Mental Health ASIA AM M129 - Health Issues for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders: Myth or Model?ASIA AM M161 - Ethnic, Cultural, and Gender Issues in America's Healthcare Systems COM HLT 100 - Introduction to Community Health Sciences COM HLT M140 - Health Issues for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders: Myth or Model?COM LIT 180 - Variable Topics: Medical Humanities in Comparative Contexts DIS STD 138XP - Applied Autism Intervention: Multidisciplinary Perspective DIS STD M139 - Perspectives on Autism and Neurodiversity DIS STD M148 - Sociology of Mental Illness DIS STD M166 - Health-Care Ethics DIS STD M172 - Care Work: Disability Justice and Health Care DIS STD M172XP - Care Work: Disability Justice and Health Care DIS STD M183 - Being Human: Identity and Mental Illness EDUC 132 - Autism: Mind, Brain, and Education HLT POL M110 - Ethnic, Cultural, and Gender Issues in America's Healthcare Systems HIST 179A - Variable Topics in History of Medicine HIST 179B - History of Medicine: Foundations of Modern Medicine HIST 179C - Medicine and Society in 20th-Century America HNRS M183 - Being Human: Identity and Mental Illness NURSING M172 - Care Work: Disability Justice and Health Care NURSING M172XP - Care Work: Disability Justice and Health Care PHILOS 173 - Philosophy of Medicine PUB AFF M131 - Diversity in Aging: Roles of Gender and Ethnicity PUB AFF 134 - Politics of U.S. Health Policy PSYCH M107 - Asian American Personality and Mental Health PSYCH 127A - Clinical Psychological Science PSYCH 127B - Clinical Psychological Science: Biological Bases PSYCH 127C - Clinical Psychological Science: Developmental Perspectives PSYCH M139 - Perspectives on Autism and Neurodiversity SOC GEN M166 - Health-Care Ethics SOC GEN M183 - Being Human: Identity and Mental Illness SOCIOL M148 - Sociology of Mental Illness

Category 2: Access and Social Change

Select one course from the following. Disability Studies M172 and M172XP, or Nursing M172 and M172XP, must be taken together to satisfy one course.

CESC 172XP - Community-Engaged Research to Address Health Disparities DIS STD 145 - Mental Disability Law DIS STD M148 - Sociology of Mental Illness DIS STD M149 - Disability Rights Law DIS STD M166 - Health-Care Ethics DIS STD M172 - Care Work: Disability Justice and Health Care DIS STD M172XP - Care Work: Disability Justice and Health Care DESMA 171 - Topics in Interactivity and Games EDUC 104A - Introduction to Exceptional Learners GENDER 152 - Gender, Disability, and Education NURSING M172 - Care Work: Disability Justice and Health Care NURSING M172XP - Care Work: Disability Justice and Health Care PSYCH 132A - Learning Problems, Schooling Problems: Policy and Practice SOC GEN M166 - Health-Care Ethics SOCIOL M120 - Disability Rights Law SOCIOL M148 - Sociology of Mental Illness

Category 3: Representation, Embodiment, and Disability Cultures

Select one course from:

ASL M115 - Enforcing Normalcy: Deaf and Disability Studies COM LIT 180 - Variable Topics: Medical Humanities in Comparative Contexts DIS STD M103 - Studies in Disability Literatures DIS STD 111 - Disability as Spectacle: Performing Nonnormative Bodies DIS STD M114 - Variable Topics in Performance and Disability Studies DIS STD M115 - Enforcing Normalcy: Deaf and Disability Studies DIS STD M121 - Topics in Gender and Disabilities DIS STD M139 - Perspectives on Autism and Neurodiversity DIS STD M161 - Sports, Normativity, and Body ENGL M103 - Studies in Disability Literatures GENDER 104 - Bodies GENDER M121 - Topics in Gender and Disabilities GENDER M161 - Sports, Normativity, and Body PSYCH M139 - Perspectives on Autism and Neurodiversity THEATER M114 - Variable Topics in Performance and Disability Studies

Category 4: Global and Historical Perspectives

Select one course from the following. Anthropology 149 may only be applied if the topic offers an interdisciplinary perspective of disability.

ANTHRO 137P - Anthropology of Deviance and Abnormality ANTHRO 149 - Selected Topics in Social Anthropology COM HLT 132 - Health, Disease, and Health Services in Latin America COM LIT 180 - Variable Topics: Medical Humanities in Comparative Contexts DIS STD M103 - Studies in Disability Literatures ENGL M103 - Studies in Disability Literatures GENDER 152 - Gender, Disability, and Education HIST 179A - Variable Topics in History of Medicine HIST 179B - History of Medicine: Foundations of Modern Medicine HIST 179C - Medicine and Society in 20th-Century America

Internship or Research Practicum (8 units)

Capstone (5 or 6 units)

Honors Program

Policies

Preparation for the Major Policies

The Major Policies

Honors Program

Admission: The honors program is open to majors with a 3.5 departmental and a 3.0 overall grade-point average (GPA). Students with lower GPAs may petition for admission to the program. Students should apply by winter quarter of the junior year. For application forms and more information, contact the departmental counselor in A316 Murphy Hall.

Requirements: To receive honors at graduation, students must have at least a 3.5 GPA in courses applied toward the major (including 198A and 198B) and an overall GPA of 3.0.

General Catalog 2023-24