Exploring Autism

Assignments: week 1 | week 2

Week 1: January 22 – 26

Assignment #1

Watch the video tape of Dr. Gernsbacher, in which she shares with the class her background and her motivation for teaching this course. Because the video ended slightly prematurely, read the continuation of this introduction in the 2-page document titled “Course Goals.”

Complete this assignment by Wednesday, January 24.

Assignment #2

Post a one-paragraph introduction in the “Introductions” topic, using the DISCUSSION feature of the course website. In your one-paragraph introduction, tell other members of your section about yourself, what you already know about autism, and what you would like to learn. Also include your UW email address. You may, if you like, “attach” a picture of yourself to your introduction (for information about how to attach files, consult the “How To” link of the Course Information page).

Complete this assignment by Wednesday, January 24.

Assignment #3

Post a one-paragraph introduction in the “Introductions” topic, using the DISCUSSION feature of the course website. In your one-paragraph introduction, tell other members of your section about yourself, what you already know about autism, and what you would like to learn. Also include your UW email address. You may, if you like, “attach” a picture of yourself to your introduction.

Complete this assignment by Friday, January 26.

Assignment #4

We will be spending considerable time this semester discussing information electronically. We will use a discussion board, as you used for your Introductory posts, onto which each student enters a post, and other students read and often respond to those posts. We will use electronic “chats,” such as one has using AIM or yahoo. While we are all familiar with in-person communication, we often don’t get a chance to think about how rules change when using electronic communication. What rules or protocols do you think we should have for the type of electronic communication we will have in this course? Post at least one original idea or response to another student’s post under the “Netiquette” topic.

Complete this assignment by Friday, January 26.

Assignment #5

Search online and find, then post, one thing about Dr. Gernsbacher about which (a) she did not mention in her videotaped introduction and (b) no other section-mate has already posted under the “Dr. Gernsbacher” topic.

Complete this assignment by Sunday, January 28.

Assignment #6

Read Chapters 1 through 9 and Chapter 13 in the book, Through the Eyes of Aliens: A Book about Autistic People, by Jasmine O’Neill.

Complete this assignment by Sunday, January 28.

Week 2: January 29 – February 2

Assignment #1

Post in the “Through the Eyes of Aliens” topic three quotes from the book that affected you the most (or that you found most interesting) and why they affected you/you found them interesting. Please include the page number of each quote.

Complete this assignment by Monday, January 29.

Assignment #2

Post in the “Best UW Experience” topic a one-paragraph description of the most memorable experience you’ve had while at the University of Wisconsin.

Complete this assignment by Tuesday, January 30.

Assignment #3

Listen to these four speakers’ presentations from a symposium titled “That was Then; This is Now,” which was presented at the 2002 Autism Society of America Conference: Ruth Elaine Hane, Jean Paul Bovee, Liane Wiley, and Stephen Shore.

Complete this assignment by Wednesday, January 31.

Assignment #4

Watch Dr. Gernsbacher’s video taped comments to the class.

Complete this assignment by Thursday, February 1.

Assignment #5

Read all your section-mates’ posts in the “Through the Eyes of Aliens” topic and post a response to one post to which no one else has replied yet. As always, you may also respond to more posts; however, please post a response to a second (or third) section-mate only if the original post has already received one (or more) responses.

Complete this assignment by Thursday, February 1.

Assignment #6

Read all your section-mates’ posts in the “Best UW Experience” topic and post a response to one post to which no one else has replied yet. As always, you may also respond to more posts; however, please post a response to a second (or third) section-mate only if the original post has already received one (or more) responses.

Complete this assignment by Thursday, February 1.

Assignment #7

Search online and find an essay written by a person with autism not yet found by any of your section-mates. Post a one-half page summary (and/or reflection) of that essay. Please provide the essayist’s name, the URL, and the title of the essay.

HINT: You can find many web pages authored by persons with autism, containing essays written by persons with autism, by doing a Google search for the term “autistics” (note the plural ‘s’) because autistics is the term many adults with autism like to use to refer to themselves. READ Jim Sinclair’s online essay titled “Why I dislike person first language” to find out why. While you are on Jim Sinclair’s web site, you should probably also read his “A note about abbreviations and language used on this site,” because the abbreviations that he defines might appear in the essays you are reading.

Complete this assignment by Friday, February 2.

Assignment #8

Read the Foreword, Chapters 1-5, 8, 10, 12, and 15 of the book, Freaks, geeks, & Asperger’s syndrome: A user’s guide to adolescence, by Luke Jackson (written at age 13).

Complete this assignment by Sunday, February 4.

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