BLS 424/Topics in American Studies: Disability and the Body

Prof. Michael Goldberg
Sarah Leadley, Research Librarian
BLS 424: Topics in American Studies: Disability and the Body
Autumn 2001

Source Assessment Assignment:
Simi Linton's Claiming Disability: Knowledge and Identity

Introduction:

In this assignment, you will be comparing three reviews from a range of academic journals with your own critical assessment of Simi Linton's Claiming Disability.

The purpose of this assignment is threefold: to improve your critical reading skills, to hone your source assessment skills, and most importantly, to create a context for your research within the field of Disability Studies and the fields of disciplinary and interdisciplinary inquiry from which it draws (psychology, women's and ethnic studies, public policy, etc.) This list moves from the general to the specific, with the first being most widely applicable to your undergraduate work. You will be required to comprehend and analyze Linton's book on your own, comprehend and analyze the book reviews in conjunction with knowledge gained regarding the journals in which they appear, and then synthesize and evaluate all of the information and analysis in order to create a broader understanding of the book's scholarly and social context. You will do this in two parts: first, as an individual learning experience, and then based on your findings, in a small group learning environment. The group work builds on the knowledge and understanding you have gained on your own, and has been designed to leverage what you learned on your own with the advantages that group dynamics and multiple perspectives bring. The group work also serves as a brief exercise to help build group skills and assessment within the specific environment of this class, with its particular subject area, instructors, and students. It will thus serve as a "warm up" to the more extensive group work required for the research project, although the makeup of the groups will probably be different.

Scholarly book reviews are intended to inform the specialized audience who read the journals of the strengths and weaknesses of the book under review within the context of the scholarly arena defined by the journal's intended audience. By critically assessing these reviews and integrating knowledge of their audience, we can learn a lot about the position of a newly emergent interdisciplinary field like Disability Studies within more established fields—in this case, psychology, women's studies, and rehabilitation services. A book review is no different from any other source that we read critically—just as we are using them to help us assess the usefulness, credibility and importance of Claiming Disability, we are also using our critical reading of the book to assess the usefulness and credibility of the reviews.

After completing this assignment, you will take part in a group workshop to compare your findings and generate some collective conclusions. Your grade on the entire project (and your learning outcomes) will depend in part on how well-prepared you are for the group presentation. At a minimum, you bring a completed assignment to class, with copies for each member of your group (five additional copies). Because of the need to coordinate the individual and group work, late individual projects will have get reduced grades of 50% reflecting the reduced ability to participate in the group workshop. Absence from the workshop will also result in a 50% reduction. The only exceptions are cases of personal emergency or DSS-certified accommodation, in which case let me know as soon as possible so that we can institute some kind of equivalency group interaction in an online environment. You will receive separate instructions in class on Oct. 19 regarding how the workshop will proceed. Please follow the instructions below carefully, and answer the questions as completely and specifically as possible. The instructions have been designed to maximize your potential to achieve the stated learning outcomes—please do not deviate from them because you have found another way that seems "easier" or more convenient. (For a more thorough explanation of the rationale behind the instructions, click here.) For your convenience, you can download the instructions and questions from the course web site as a Word 98 document and type your responses directly into the document.

Instructions:

1. Complete the reading assignment for Claiming Disability for weeks two and three, taking notes as instructed in the syllabus. Pay particular attention to what you see as the chief strengths and weaknesses of the text.

2. AFTER YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE READING, access the assignment by reading it or downloading it (as a Word 98 document) from the course web site. (If you do not have access to either Mac- or PC-version Word 98 or later, download the document on a campus computer.) Read over the assignment carefully, noting the questions you will be asked to answer.

3. Access the reviews and journal information via the course web page. They will only be available online. Read each document in the order they are posted. (First the background, then the journal, etc.) Take notes on the reviews and background as you read (you may use a copy of the downloaded questions as your note sheet if you like).

4. After reading all of them, answer the questions on the assignment.

5. Make 5 copies for group members, and submit your file to me via ESubmit, which can be reached via the web site under the Communication heading, by 10am Oct. 19.

6. Before you come to class on Friday, Oct. 19, briefly review "Guidelines and Criteria for Small Group/Cooperative Learning Projects," available by clicking here or via the course web site.

7. After class on Friday, Oct. 19, download, read the instructions carefully, and then complete the Group Members Evaluation Form for each group member. Return it to me via ESubmit, which can be reached via the web site under the Communication heading, by Monday, Oct. 22, at 11pm.

Questions:

1. Based on review by Carol Goldin in the Contemporary Psychology: APA Review of Books:

a. What does the review author see as the particular strengths of the book?

b. What does the review author see as the particular weaknesses of the book?

c. What is the purpose and general audience of the journal and how are they represented in the style and content of the review? Are there particular issues that the intended audience would be especially concerned with? Do you think the author's scholarly perspective has shaped any of the strengths and/or weaknesses she has identified?

d. How has this reviewed contributed to, reaffirmed, or challenged your assessment of the book?

2. Based on review by Rachel Adams in the Signs:

a. What does the review author see as the particular strengths of the book?

b. What does the review author see as the particular weaknesses of the book?

c. What is the purpose and general audience of the journal and how are they represented in the style and content of the review? Are there particular issues that the intended audience would be especially concerned with? Do you think the author's scholarly perspective has shaped any of the strengths and/or weaknesses she has identified?

d. How has this reviewed contributed to, reaffirmed, or challenged your assessment of the book?

3. Based on review by Paul E. Ponchillia in the Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness:

a. What does the review author see as the particular strengths of the book?

b. What does the review author see as the particular weaknesses of the book?

c. What is the purpose and general audience of the journal and how are they represented in the style and content of the review? Are there particular issues that the intended audience would be especially concerned with? Do you think the author's scholarly perspective has shaped any of the strengths and/or weaknesses she has identified?

d. How has this reviewed contributed to, reaffirmed, or challenged your assessment of the book?