DIS/CEP 300 – Disabilities Studies: Discovering Abilities, Narratives, and Identities (Community Engagement Practicum)
Discipline(s): Disability Studies, Sociology
Credits: 3
Available: fall semester 2025, spring semester 2026
Instructor: Francesca Passeri, Ph.D.
Course Type: Seminar & Practicums
Taught in: English
Course Fee: -
Formerly CEP 201 – Practicum Critical Disabilities Studies – Discovering Abilities: Narratives, Disabilities, and Identities
General Practicum Description
Field Experience/Practicum – 4 hours/week; 40 hours of practical experience in addition to the seminar. In this practicum, students work with intellectual disabilities within local social enterprise institutions, such as restaurants, shops, and art labs. These associations help individuals with sensorial and/or intellectual disabilities integrate into a real work environment. While these are inclusive institutions aimed at people with disabilities, they are real businesses that have to turn a profit in order to survive. Students volunteering for this practicum will be helping staff in a practical way, but also learn how to relate to people with disabilities and observe how people with disabilities deal with the challenges of a real enterprise.
Students will actively interact with and support these individuals, offering assistance in daily tasks and fostering meaningful interactions. Rather than just observing, students will gain hands-on experience, applying their knowledge, skills, and interests in a practical, real-world environment.
IMPORTANT: This is a hands-on, pre-professional experience, meaning students will actively participate rather than just observe.
- Location: Some field sites may require travel by bus, tram, or train
Seminar Description
Weekly Seminar – 1 and a half hours/week; 18 hours total taught by an ISI faculty. The seminar meets once a week and is based on students’ reports about their work, readings, and discussions. The seminar will focus on the ways in which people with intellectual disabilities can integrate and be included in the social and work world through an empowering environment. We will also study the stereotypes surrounding disabilities in Italy, and how they spread through specific narratives in the media.
Course Objectives and Learning Outcomes
By the end of the practicum, the successful student is expected to
- have a detailed understanding of how disabilities are negatively stereotyped and the attitudes towards disabilities in Italy.
- become interculturally aware of the needs and skills of people with disabilities.
- understand how to talk about people with disabilities, acting as a cultural mediator.
Course descriptions may be subject to occasional minor modifications at the discretion of the instructor.