Autism Through the Lens of the Social Sciences
April 3 & 4, 2008
This conference aims to generate conversations among the speakers and the audience about social science perspectives on the public and medical construction of autism in relation to the challenges of treatment and service provision in the United States. While recognizing the complexity of the topic, the conference has been formatted to maximize deliberation on a variety of critical issues facing researchers and practitioners today.
Conference Schedule & Program
Directions and Details
Conference Registration
Schedule & Program
Thursday, April 3, 2008
5:00 PM-6:30 PM
Welcome Address
John MacAloon, Director of MAPSS
University of Chicago
Keynote Address
What in the World is Autism? How Culture Shaped an Illness
Richard Grinker, George Washington University
Friday, April 4, 2008
8:45 AM-9:00 AM
Introduction
Morrie Fred, University of Chicago
9:00 AM-10:00 AM
Life On and Slightly to the Right of the Autism Spectrum: An Inside View Towards Success
Stephen Shore, EdD, Boston University
Read Abstract
10:00 AM-11:00 AM
Who ARE Those Autism Doctors? And What do They Actually Do?
Peter J. Smith, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine
Read Abstract
11:00 AM-12:00 PM
The Biopolitics and Bioeconomics of Autism
Majia Nadesan, Arizona State University
Read Abstract
12:00 PM-1:30 PM: Lunch Break
1:30 PM-2:30 PM
Strange Harbors, Magic Rivers and Contested Twilights: Role-Play, Culture and Transformation in an Asperger Summer Camp
Elizabeth Nickrenz, University of Chicago
Read Abstract
2:30 PM-3:30 PM
Bending the School Typology to Meet an Emerging Need
Bradley Keith, Solomon Cordwell Buenz Architecture
3:45 PM-4:15 PM
Summing Up: Shaping a Future for People Living with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Patricia Wright, Easter Seals, Inc.
4:15 PM-5:00 PM
Wrap-Up Panel on Future Research: What is to be Done?
Directions and Details
All sessions of the conference will take place in Swift Hall, 1025 E. 58th Street in the Third Floor Conference Hall.
Download a Campus Map [PDF].
Parking can be available along the nearby Midway Plaisance, though spots are difficult to find between 8:30 AM and 4:00 PM. The East Parking Lots and West Parking Lots are also available for your use for a fee; please consult the University Parking site for more information.
Any patron with special needs or requirements can contact the MAPSS Program Officer, Emily Easton at eweaston@uchicago.edu or via phone at 773-834-1621. For more information about specific program sessions and conference details, you may contact Morrie Fred at mfred@uchicago.edu.
Registration
There are no registration or conference fees. Registration is requested, but not required. You may register online.
This conference is sponsored by the Earl S. and Esther Johnson Fund for MAPSS in collaboration with Easter Seals, Inc.
"MAPSS
was a valuable credential in all of the jobs I've taken since college.
It seems the higher I've moved on the career ladder, the more important
my MAPSS degree has become." 
"MAPSS
embraced my interdisciplinary interests and in doing so cultivated a
lifelong skill---the ability to see things from different perspectives.
MAPSS also gave me an accelerated glimpse into the benefits and
drawbacks of an education and career in the social sciences. It wasn't
long after completing the program that I strengthened my resolve to
pursue graduate education to its fullest. " 
"When
I completed MAPSS, I was more resolutely committed to
interdisciplinarity than ever before. One has to make a choice where
one can pursue this approach to research and thought, and where one can
establish the institutional foundation from which to launch a career.
MAPSS helped me settle on that (sociology); and more than that, helped
me secure a support package that allowed me to focus entirely on my
intellectual development throughout the years of my Ph.D. program.
These days I regularly find myself recommending MAPSS (or some program
like it) to bright, energetic undergraduates still not quite ready to
make those disciplinary decisions that, for better or worse, stay with
us for our entire intellectual lives."
