Individualized Studies at the University of Washington - College of Arts and Sciences
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Degree Requirements

In addition to the major requirements (below), students must also complete the General Education Requirements for the College of Arts and Sciences, including foreign language through 103 or equivalent. Total credits for the Disability Studies major: 55, 35 of which must be upper division.

The degree information below is also available as a handout.

A. Disability Studies core courses (15 credits)

ALL of the following:

  • LSJ/CHID 332 (5): Disability and Society: Introduction to Disability Studies
  • LSJ/CHID 433 (5): Disability, Law, and the Community
  • LSJ/CHID 434 (5): Civil and Human Rights Law for Disabled People

B. Courses Directly Related to Disability Studies (6-10 credits)

TWO of the following:

  • ANTH 302 (5): Anthropology of the Body
  • ANTH 322 (5): Comparative Study of Death
  • ANTH 374 (5): Narrative, Literature, and Medical Anthropology
  • ANTH 474 (5): Social Difference and Medical Knowledge
  • ANTH 475 (5): Perspectives in Medical Anthropology
  • ANTH 476 (5): Culture, Medicine, and the Body
  • ANTH 478 (5): Introduction to the Anthropology of Institutions
  • CHID 260 (5): Re-Thinking Diversity
  • DANCE 235 (3, max. 9): Integrated Dance: Training and Composition
  • DANCE 336 (3, max. 9): Integrated Dance: History, Methodology, and Praxis
  • LSJ 420 (5): Politics of Rights
  • PHIL 242 (5): Introduction to Medical Ethics
  • PHIL 409 (3): Philosophy of Disability

Note: A handful of special topics courses, such as "The History of Eugenics", may be considered for use in the Directly Related category. Please see the Disability Studies adviser for permission to use a course not on this list.

C. Courses Broadly Related to Disability Studies (16-20 credits)

Choose ONE from EACH subset below:

  • Identity Theory (3-5 credits)
    • AES 151 (5): Introduction to the Cultures of American Ethnic Groups
    • ANTH 207 (5): Class and Culture in America
    • ANTH 228 (5): Identities: Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality in Anthropology
    • ANTH/SISEA 444 (5): Politics of Representation in Modern China
    • C LIT 211 (5): Literature and Culture
    • PHIL 206 (5): Philosophy of Feminism
    • SPHSC 308 (3): Social-Cultural Aspects of Communication
    • WOMEN 200 (5): Introduction to Women Studies
  • Value Theory (5 credits)
    • PHIL 102 (5): Contemporary Moral Problems
    • PHIL 240 (5): Introduction to Ethics
    • PHIL 338 (5): Philosophy of Human Rights
    • PHIL 345 (5): Moral Issues of Life and Death
    • PHIL 346 (3): Personal Values and Human Good
    • PHIL 411/MHE 474 (5): Justice in Health Care
    • PHIL 408 (5): Philosophy of Diversity
  • Science Studies (3-5 credits)
    • ANTH 308 (5): Anthropology of Women's Helath and Reproduction
    • ANTH 473 (5): Anthropology of Science and Technology
    • ANTH 477 (3): Medicine in America: Conflicts and Contradictions
    • BIO A 101 (5): Human Biological Diversity
    • BIO A 201 (5): Principles of Biological Anthropology
    • BIO A 372 (5): Uses and Abuses of Evolutionary Views of Human Behavior
    • ENGL 264 (5): Literature and Science
    • ENGL 364 (5): Literature and Medicine
    • GEOG 380 (4): Geographical Patterns of Health and Disease
    • GEOG 480 (5): Environmental Geography, Climate, and Health
    • HSTAA 316 (5): History of American Science
    • PHIL 459 (5): Philosophy of Medicine
  • Civil and Human Rights (5 credits)
    • AES/LSJ 330 (5): Beyond Civil Rights: Law, Culture, and Change
    • ANTH 323/LSJ 321 (5): Human Rights Law in Culture and Practice
    • ANTH/SIS/WOMEN 345 (5): Women and International Economic Development
    • EDUC 305 (5): The Purpose of Public Schools in Democracy
    • GEOG 445 (5): Geography of Housing
    • HSTAS/SISA 245 (5): Human Rights in Asia
    • LSJ 320/POL S 368 (5): The Politics and Law of International Human Rights
    • SOC 360 (5): Introduction to Social Stratification
    • SOC 364 (5): Women in the Social Structure
    • SOC WF 404 (5): Cultural Diversity and Justice

D. Enough Additional Credits from any of the Approved Disability Studies Class Lists to Reach the Minimum 55 Credits (5-13 credits)

Any course not on the approved lists must be approved by the Disability Studies adviser.

E. INDIV 493: Senior Study (5 credits)

A final independent study project/paper on a topic of interest to you within the field of disability studies. This represents the culmination of your studies in disability studies. (This course will also count as 5 credits toward your "Additional Writing" requirement.)