Autism Studies.

Autism Culture – TZ600 – Assignment One:

Title: Critically discuss how autism has been portrayed in the media.

5000 word essay – APA referencing.
• The 5000 word essay requires students to examine autism culture from political and sociological perspectives.
• These assessment methods will ensure that students both have an understanding of autism culture as it might apply to an individual and an understanding of the ways in which autism culture has emerged as a growing concept. Students will be encouraged to look at the development of autism culture in different societies.

Key text:
Milton, D. (2017). A Mismatch of Salience: Explorations of the nature of autism from theory to practice. Hove: Pavilion.
Chapters from this book are also available from the KAR system and specific chapters will be made available on Moodle.

Core reading / viewing:
Grinker, R. (2016). The Cultural Origins and Futures of Autism Spectrum Disorder, Autism Europe (YouTube clip): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wlp2w1ZMsRc
Milton, D. (2012). So what exactly is autism? http://www.aettraininghubs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/1_So-what-exactly-is-autism.pdf . Chapter one in: Milton, D. (2017). A Mismatch of Salience: Explorations of the nature of autism from theory to practice. Hove: Pavilion.
Milton, D. (2013). Why psychiatrists do and do not define ‘me’: the dropping of Asperger syndrome from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Talk About Autism, London, UK. https://kar.kent.ac.uk/62697/
Silberman, S. (2015). The Forgotten History of Autism (TED talk), https://www.ted.com/talks/steve_silberman_the_forgotten_history_of_autism

To consider how autism is depicted in the media.
Core reading / viewing:
Arnold, L. (2013). The Social Construction of the Savant. Autonomy: The Critical Journal of Interdisciplinary Autism Studies, Vol. 1(3): http://www.larry-arnold.net/Autonomy/index.php/autonomy/article/view/OP2/html_1
Waltz, M. (2008). Metaphors of Autism, and Autism as Metaphor: An Exploration of Representation. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/254277398_Metaphors_of_Autism_and_Autism_as_Metaphor_An_Exploration_of_Representation
Miller, B. (2014). An Introduction to Sociology and Mass Media (YouTube clip), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eHeoER_arM
Media Clips:
Rainman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RN0DczbPznY
Being There: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOOghKacg40
The Motorcycle Boy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtp7qgsEAVg
Mercury Rising: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lodj3ZT4tOU
My Autism and Me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejpWWP1HNGQ
Challenging Behaviour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8j3LsHcnNc
The A word: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXJvWVl2KKM
Chris Packham: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_tn0GFlwwI
Something about us: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-014P0hQ6w

Additional Reading:
Ebben, H. (2015). In constant encounter with one’s environment: Presenting counter-metaphors in the study of the discourse of autism and negotiations of space in literature and visual culture. Radboud University. http://theses.ubn.ru.nl/bitstream/handle/123456789/624/18-08-31%20Ebben%20Thesis.pdf?sequence=1
McGrath, J. (2017). The Naming of Adult Autism: Identity, Ambiguity and Culture. Maryland: Rowman and Littlefield.
Murray, S. (2008). Representing Autism: Culture, Narrative, Fascination. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press.

For further things that can help that I cannot copy and paste in this, I will give the step by step guide as to how to find them. (If you would like my log in info to access these then please let me know).
Moodle kent uni  log in  TZ600 Autism Culture  Autism in an Historical and Social Context – Toggle  click on the blue highlighted words ‘autism in an historical and social context’ and watch the video.
Moodle kent uni  log in  TZ600 Autism Culture  Media representation of autism  click on the blue highlighted words ‘media representations of autism’ and watch the video.

FEEL FREE TO WATCH/READ ANYTHING ON MOODLE TZ600 THAT WILL HELP.