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How to Apply – Declaring the Minor
Notice: The Registrar’s office has updated their Minor Declaration and Change form. Please use this updated guidance on how to apply for a Minor in Critical Disability Studies:
- Students and/or Academic Advisors: Fill in Section I of the new Student Academic Declaration & Change Form here (requires WWU login):
- Select the “yes” radio button next to “Add and/or Drop a Minor”
- Select “yes” from the drop-down menu for “Declare a Minor (Do not replace existing Minor)”
- Fill in Critical Disability Studies Minor (code XY01) in the blank.
- After completing Section I of the form, route it to GIM (ICDS co-director) at mcgrewg2@wwu.edu by pasting the email address into the “Email to:” field at the end of the form and then clicking the “Submit” button
- ICDS co-directors will review the information and approve it to the Registrar’s Office.
Contact icds@wwu.edu with questions.
FAQ
Can my previous coursework count for elective credit toward the Minor?
The minor in Critical Disability Studies requires 3 electives, separate from the core courses of DISA 330, 350, and 450. Taking DISA 350 for a second time – and many other courses – already count for elective credit! Check out a short list of pre-approved courses here.
There are also many courses that could count for elective credit that are not on that list, but we do need to approve them first. To have your prior coursework reviewed to be approved for Minor elective credit, please email the co-directors at icds@wwu.edu and tell us about the course. Important information to include are basic course details, such as the title, course number, and where and when the course was conducted, as well as course instructor. We also request that you include the official syllabus for that particular offering of the course, as well as any other relevant course information you have, such as the official description in the course catalogue.
The more information about your course in your message, the more effectively ICDS can properly evaluate the offering as an elective that could be used toward the Minor.
When will DISA coursework on [my favorite topic] be available?
Developing new curriculum and coursework is a gradual process. Over the next several years, expect a number of new courses to be added to a growing list of classes in critical disability studies. Many new classes begin as experimental courses (numbered X97 in the course catalogue), which are eventually transitioned to formally numbered DISA courses and elective courses under other designations as our program in Critical Disability Studies grows.
Students: If you would like certain classes to be developed, reach out to the co-directors at icds@wwu.edu and start a conversation!
Faculty: If you are interested in teaching or developing a course in disability studies either exclusively as a DISA course or crosslisted with a course that you teach in your home department, please contact the co-directors at icds@wwu.edu.
I took both ASLC 101 and ASLC 102 as electives, but was only one elective counted?
While our Minor counts any of the American Sign Language and Culture sequence ASLC 101, 102, or 103 as Electives in the Critical Disability Studies Minor, only one of these course may count as an elective for the Minor at one time.
That means if you took ASLC 101 and it counted for an elective, and then took 102, it would not increase the number of electives you have completed for our Minor.
How to apply a previous course for elective credit
If you’ve taken a disability-relevant course at Western or at another college, it might already be eligible to count for elective credit for our Minor! But we do need to approve it first. To have your prior coursework reviewed to be approved for Minor elective credit, please email the co-directors at icds@wwu.edu and tell us about the course. Important information to include are:
- Basic course details: Where and when the course was conducted, as well as course number (and CRN if at Western)
- The course instructor – Who taught the course matters, since approvals are instructor-specific!
- Any relevant course information you have, such as the official description in the course catalogue
- The official syllabus for that offering of the course
The more information about your course in your message, the more effectively ICDS can properly evaluate the offering as an elective that could be used toward the Minor.
Students: If you would like certain classes to be developed, reach out to the co-directors at icds@wwu.edu and start a conversation!
Faculty: If you are interested in teaching or developing a course in disability studies either exclusively as a DISA course or crosslisted with a course that you teach in your home department, please contact the co-directors at icds@wwu.edu.
2023 Archives – the Minor in Critical Disability Studies, introductory video as it was in development
The Institute for Critical Disability Studies proposed a new minor to launch in Fall 2023. We created this video so that you could learn more about it before it was launched.
After visitors finished the video, they were invited to give ICDS feedback using the form at the bottom of the page.
Download the PowerPoint slides of this presentation, which includes the script, through this link.
If you want to find out more about the minor or the Institute for Critical Disability Studies, contact icds@wwu.edu