Course overview
The aim of this course is to enable students to recognise and critically analyse discriminatory discourses of ageing and (dis)ability, the legal rights of redress in response to discrimination, abuse and related violence against the aged and those with disabilities. Students will develop a critical understanding of the discourses of ageing and (dis)ability, medical and social models of disability and ageing and their influence on social activism, social policy, the Disability Discrimination Act (Australia), and disability and ageing socio-economic status.
Students will evaluate the impact of ableist discourses on understandings of disability and ageing wellbeing and abuse in different national and international contexts.
Course learning outcomes
- Examine key historical and contemporary theories and concepts of ageing, disability, diversity and discrimination, particularly as they emerge from critical ageing and disability studies
- Apply knowledge of key policies and acts related to disability and ageing, discrimination and human rights
- Identify how dominant ideologies of 'normality' and 'normalcy' work to produce and maintain social regimes of ableism
- Compare the impact of non-ableist theoretical perspectives, concepts and methodologies that promote and value the well-being, inclusion and the diverse knowledges of people living with disability and/or who are ageing.