LMC 3206, Communication & Culture: Examines ways in which forms and media of communication create and are created by other cultural constructs.
CRN 31550, Spring Semester 2026, Section AS, "Disability, Accessibility, and Culture:" What does it mean to have a disability? How is this shaped by cultural, historical, technological, biomedical, educational, political, legal, and economic forces? What is the history of disability rights and how can we design a more accessible world? This course will examine both historic and contemporary theories and representations of disability in scholarship, criticism, film, art, social media, and pop culture.
By the end of LMC 3206, students will be able to…
- Define “disability,” “accessibility,” “culture” and “communication” and articulate features and examples of their interplay
- Critically trace historical and theoretical perspectives on disability and apply them to contemporary issues
- Apply theories of inclusive and universal design to foreground disability and accessibility to communication
- Compose in a variety of media for different audiences.
You do not need to purchase any books for this course. All required reading and viewing for this course will be made available on Canvas or through the Georgia Tech Library resources.
Note that these are just brief descriptions. Each project has multiple required components (e.g., brainstorming activities, outlines, reflections, etc.) and full assignments will be provided on Canvas. See the course calendar for due dates.
Discussion Lead (10% of final grade) Once during the semester, you and a partner will prepare a brief presentation (5–10 minutes) that introduces one of the readings for a class period, before leading the class in discussion and/or an activity on that reading.
Reading Quizzes (10% of final grade) To ensure that students complete the assigned reading, there will be eight individual quizzes over the course of the semester. These quizzes will be unannounced, and make-up assignments will only be given if arrangements are made with the professor prior to the missed class. Your lowest quiz score will be dropped, thus only seven will count toward your grade. If 85% or more of the class completes the CIOS at the end of the semester, then the lowest two quiz scores will be dropped for each student.
Campus Tour and Evaluation (15% of final grade) Explore a campus space or city neighborhood to assess its accessibility. Make a note of anything you find that’s inaccessible, then determine how these issues get fixed. Write a brief report on your findings, analyzing them to make conclusions on disability, accessibility, and the design of the built environment.
Accessibility Audit (20% of final grade) Using principles and heuristics like the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, develop a protocol to audit the accessibility of a website or mobile application. After conducting the audit using your protocol, you will write a brief report detailing your findings and recommendations for improving the site or app’s accessibility. This project may be completed individually or in pairs.
Resource Build (30% of final grade) You’ll develop some kind of resource to educate others and/or guide their work around disability and accessibility. This could be a website, a video, a quick-start guide, an educational game, a photo illustration, a pamphlet, a zine, a lesson plan, or some other kind of resource(s).
Reflection and Assessment (5% of final grade) By assessing your learning during this semester, you will consider your own work and take stock of your growth.
Short Assignments, Classroom Participation, and Professional Ethos (10% of final grade) Participating in classroom activities, writing short assignments, peer reviewing classmates’ drafts, and engaging in other work will form this component of your course grade.
FINAL GRADE POLICY:
I do not curve/round up grades or offer extra credit at the end of the semester. The grading scale for this course follows the standard Georgia Tech grading system:
A: 100%–90%, 4.0
B: 89%–80%, 3.0
C: 79%–70%, 2.0
D: 69%–60%, 1.0
F: 59% or below, 0.0
Participation is essential in this course. Come to class prepared to discuss the readings. Plan on expressing your ideas, frustrations, questions, confusions, etc., even if you’re not able to articulate them without some hesitation—sometimes, ambivalent or ambiguous remarks spark the liveliest discussions! Although your participation will not be explicitly graded, you will be evaluated on your preparedness for class. I will use my assessment of your participation to manage borderline grades; thus, it will help you to attend class, share your views on readings, and participate in activities. If you repeatedly arrive late to class, expect that your grade will also be lowered. If you are concerned about this assessment at any time, you can contact me to request a “snapshot” of your current grade or discuss ways to improve your participation.
You have six (6) permitted absences regardless of documentation or excuse; for each absence after six (6), your final course grade will go down 5% (or half a letter grade). Absences will be recorded through the Attendance function on Canvas; it is your responsibility to keep up with your absence count in the class. It is also important to come to class on time. Therefore, if you are more than 20 minutes late to class, you will be marked absent for that class period. If you are absent, you miss valuable class time with your colleagues, as well as instructions for assignments and projects that will help you complete quality work. If you miss class, you are still responsible for obtaining class notes and completing work you missed.
Students are expected to maintain the highest standards of academic integrity. All work submitted must be original and properly cited. Plagiarism, cheating, or any form of academic dishonesty will result in immediate consequences as outlined in the university's academic integrity policy.
This is a Core IMPACTS course that is part of the Humanities area (see https://undergradcurriculum.gatech.edu/general-education/ for more information).
Core IMPACTS refers to the core curriculum, which provides students with essential knowledge in foundational academic areas. This course will help master course content, and support students’ broad academic and career goals. This course thus directs students toward a broad Orienting Question: How do I interpret the human experience through creative, linguistic, and philosophical works?
Completion of this course should enable students to meet the following Learning Outcome: Students will effectively analyze and interpret the meaning, cultural significance, and ethical implications of literary/philosophical texts or of works in the visual/performing arts.
Content, activities and exercises in this course should help students develop the following Career-Ready Competencies: 1) Ethical Reasoning, 2) Information Literacy, 3) Intercultural Competence.