Program: Disability Studies Minor - University of Southern Mississippi

Jul 12, 2025

2025-2026 Undergraduate Bulletin

The disability studies minor is earned through an interdisciplinary series of courses whose goal is to introduce students to the social, cultural, and institutional systems that shape—or “construct”—ideas of disability, and how these systems in turn impact the lives of disabled people. This minor also provides students with the skills to understand disability as one dimension of social diversity.

Academic Policies and Requirements for Minors:

Fifty percent of the minor courses must be taken at The University of Southern Mississippi.
See University Academic Policies for Minors

Hours to Minor: 18 hours

Required courses (6 hours):

IDS 151 - Disability and Society 3 hrs. and/or
IDS 251 - Disability and Culture 3 hrs. and/or
IDS 352 - Topics in Disability Studies 3 hrs. and/or
IDS 452 - Seminar in Disability Studies 3 hrs.
IDS 251 , IDS 352 , and IDS 452 are all repeatable; any may be taken twice with different topics to fulfill this requirement. If more than 6 hours are earned, the additional hours will count towards elective hours.

Elective courses (12 hours):

at least two courses must be from the “Core Disability Studies Courses” list, and no more than two elective classes may be from any one prefix category

Core Disability Studies courses:

CMS 440 - Health Communication 3 hrs.
HIS 422 - History of Medicine 3 hrs.
IDS 151 - Disability and Society 3 hrs.
IDS 251 - Disability and Culture 3 hrs.
IDS 352 - Topics in Disability Studies 3 hrs.
IDS 370 - Introduction to Health & Medical Humanities 3 hrs.
IDS 371 - Topics in Health & Medical Humanities 3 hrs.
IDS 452 - Seminar in Disability Studies 3 hrs.
PHI 452 - Health Care Ethics 3 hrs.
PHI 454 - Disability, Ethics, and Justice 3 hrs.
SHS 323 - Basic American Sign Language 3 hrs.
SHS 329 - Intermediate American Sign Language 3 hrs.
SHS 340 - Advanced American Sign Language 3 hrs.
SOC 202 - Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 3 hrs.
SOC 312 - Sociology of Mental Health and Illness 3 hrs.
SOC 423 - Sociology of Health 3 hrs.

Disability Studies Electives

ANT 221 - Introduction to Cultural & Linguistic Anthropology 3 hrs.
IDS 110 - Citizenship Seminar in Service Learning 3 hrs.
PHI 316 - Philosophy of Science 3 hrs.
PHI 435 - Research Ethics 1 hr.
PS 459 - Human Rights 3 hrs.
PSY 275 - Developmental Psychology 3 hrs.
PSY 330 - Principles and Processes of Case Management 3 hrs.
PSY 331 - Medical Aspects of Rehabilitation 3 hrs.
PSY 400 - Health Psychology 3 hrs.
PSY 413 - Multicultural Counseling 3 hrs.
PSY 432 - Behavioral Interventions 3 hrs.
PSY 436 - Psychological Perspectives in Adult Mental Health 3 hrs.
PSY 446 - Psychological Perspectives in Child and Adolescent Mental Health 3 hrs.
SHS 211 - Introduction to Communication Disorders 3 hrs.
SOC 301 - Wealth, Status and Power 3 hrs.
SOC 340 - Deviant Behavior 3 hrs.
SOC 350 - Race and Ethnicity 3 hrs.
SOC 405 - Nonprofits and Social Change 3 hrs.
SOC 415 - Sociology of Gender 3 hrs.
SOC 450 - Social Psychology 3 hrs.
SWK 300 - Social Service Systems 3 hrs.
SWK 315 - Human Diversity in a Changing World 3 hrs.
WGS 301 - Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies 3 hrs.

Note:

IDS 151 , IDS 251 , IDS 352 , and IDS 452 can only count as electives if they are not used above as “Required Courses.” Several upper-level survey and special topics courses may also count towards the minor if their content in the given semester is based on topics related to disability. These courses may be cross-listed with IDS 352 or IDS 452 . Please consult the Disability Studies program director to see about anticipated future course offerings. IDS 110 , when taught with a disability focus, may be substituted for IDS 151 .