Undergraduate and Graduate Courses
The Sonoran Center offers interdisciplinary coursework to equip University of Arizona students with a foundational knowledge of disability and the tools needed to be advocates and leaders in supporting people with disabilities in their future work.
3 Units | In Person
This course will provide an introduction to how the lives of people with disabilities are framed by society through research, policy, and practice. Areas of focus include: 1) How disability is conceptualized by society historically and in policy and practice today; 2) Current research on specific disabilities aimed at maximizing opportunities and abilities; 3) Health care access and disparities; and 4) Use of evidence based practices in providing services and supports. Course instructors offer perspectives from a variety of professions and leadership positions (i.e., medicine, law, public health, social work, family studies, disability studies, education, psychology, administration, advocacy). Students will bring perspectives from their respective fields of study. Students will also have an opportunity to work with a Sonoran Center faculty or staff on a project in the disability field and to be part of the Center sponsored interdisciplinary trainee program.
3 Units | In Person
This course will give an overview of the world of disability and the many factors impacting social determinants of health and quality of life outcomes. Students will gain an experiential exposure to a wide variety of disabilities spanning from early childhood to aging including those developed at birth and acquired at other times in one’s life. Discussion will focus on changing perceptions of disability throughout society and across different cultures emphasizing influences that change how treatment and attitudes towards disability have changed in some societies and not others. Students will engage in group discussions and practical assignments related to readings and current events regarding health and disability. The course will highlight a strengths-based perspective within the context of disability and public health.
1 Unit Each (3 Units Total) | Online
These co-taught courses provide an overview of how creative arts practices have been implemented to promote community health and wellness. Interdisciplinary in nature, the course draws on existing theoretical frameworks, practices, and research methods from both the arts and health sciences and seeks to promote inter-professional dialogue about how to expand the contributions of creative arts in promoting healthy communities. Students will bring perspectives from their respective fields of study and will have opportunities to explore innovative ways to integrate creative arts practices into their fields of practice and research. This is a three part, 1-credit course series.
- 424/524a Part I – Foundation
- 424/524b Part II – Focus on Disabilities and Client-Centered Practices
- 424/524c Part III – Focus on Arts and Aging, Dementia & Brain Health
3 Units | In Person
Over 15% of the US and world populations are disabled/have disabilities. How do their bodily and mental conditions affect their health, social relations, and daily lives? What role do clinical and social treatments play in them? This course will use social theory and methodology to help students develop an understanding of the meanings that disabilities and bodily impairments hold in contemporary society and how society, politics, and medicine in turn impact the lives of the disabled.
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