The American Sign Language Program offers an undergraduate minor. It also offers a number of courses open to all students. They include a four-semester course sequence in American Sign Language (ASL), and courses on fingerspelling, Deaf culture, ASL literature, ASL interpreting, and other topics. The four-course ASL sequence satisfies one of the ways to meet the World Languages requirement of the GE CLAS Core (see "Language for GE CLAS Core" below). Classroom instruction is supplemented by video materials and interactive software.
The American Sign Language Program is administered by the Division of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures.
Language for GE CLAS Core
The following four-course sequence satisfies one of the ways to meet the World Languages requirement of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences GE CLAS Core. For more information regarding pathways to fulfill the World Language GE CLAS Core requirement, including options to take four levels of one world language, two levels each of two different languages, or three levels of a world language plus a World Language and Cultural Exploration course, see GE CLAS Core in the catalog.
Students must demonstrate proficiency in the expressive and receptive elements of each course in order to register for the next course in the sequence.
Course List
| Course # |
Title |
Hours |
| ASL:1001 | American Sign Language I | 4 |
| ASL:1002 | American Sign Language II | 4 |
| ASL:2001 | American Sign Language III | 4 |
| ASL:2002 | American Sign Language IV | 4 |
Students taking more than one calendar year off from the American Sign Language (ASL) sequence are required to contact the ASL Program to schedule a placement test which will determine their placement in an American Sign Language I–IV course. Students are strongly advised to complete the ASL sequence without such a gap whenever possible. Students taking the placement test and not placing into the next course in the sequence may be retested before the class begins if they have undertaken a significant experience since the last placement test that might warrant retesting. All retesting is at the discretion of the ASL Program.
The Center for Language and Culture Learning provides a wide variety of facilities and services to the Division of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures (DWLLC), including a 24-computer Instructional Technology Center (ITC), five All-in-One Studios/small group study rooms equipped with video production and editing software, a Computer Assisted Language Learning Lab with 25 computers integrated with Sanako software for language practice, and virtual reality hardware and development space.
The center provides spaces for quiet study as well as for group meetings. Departments, programs, and student organizations are welcome to host conversation hours, film nights, study groups, workshops, and more. Peer education services include peer tutoring programs in many of the languages taught in DWLLC, with both in-person and online availability, as well as the Directed Independent Language Study, through which faculty, staff, or students can be paired with a tutor to learn a language not taught in DWLLC. Tutors are trained to use the Three Ms for Effective Learning, which include developing a growth mindset, using memory strategies to retain knowledge, and reflecting on learning gains.
American Sign Language Courses
ASL:1000 First-Year Seminar 1 s.h.
Small discussion class taught by a faculty member; topics chosen by instructor; may include outside activities (e.g., films, lectures, performances, readings) and visits to Deaf Awareness Week events. Requirements: first or second semester standing.
ASL:1001 American Sign Language I 4 s.h.
Introductory conversational skills and basic American Sign Language grammar; introduction to the ASL cultural community through readings and videos. Taught in American Sign Language. GE: World Languages First Level Proficiency.
ASL:1002 American Sign Language II 4 s.h.
Continuation of ASL:1001; emphasis on ASL grammar and syntax; exploration of Deaf culture through readings and videos. Taught in American Sign Language. Prerequisites: ASL:1001. GE: World Languages Second Level Proficiency.
ASL:1101 Fingerspelling and Numbers I 2 s.h.
Development of expressive and receptive American Sign Language fingerspelling, lexicalized fingerspelling, and number skills based on word, phrase, and number recognition. Taught in American Sign Language. Prerequisites: ASL:1002.
ASL:1500 Exploring the Deaf World 3 s.h.
Exploration of an overlooked American minority—the Deaf community; students learn to challenge the medical model for deafness with discussions of Deaf experiences, American Sign Language, and Deaf culture. Taught in English. GE: World Language and Cultural Exploration.
ASL:2001 American Sign Language III 4 s.h.
Continuation of ASL:1002; emphasis on ASL grammar and the signer's perspective; exploration of Deaf culture through readings and videos. Taught in American Sign Language. Prerequisites: ASL:1002. GE: World Languages Third Level Proficiency.
ASL:2002 American Sign Language IV 4 s.h.
Continuation of ASL:2001; emphasis on spatial and depicting verb vocabulary; improvement of conversational fluency and familiarity with American Deaf culture. Taught in American Sign Language. Prerequisites: ASL:2001. GE: World Languages Fourth Level Proficiency.
ASL:3001 American Sign Language V 3 s.h.
Continuation of ASL:2002; introduction to advanced grammatical constructions and vocabulary; improvement of conversational fluency as well as familiarity with American Deaf culture. Taught in American Sign Language. Prerequisites: ASL:2002 with a minimum grade of C.
ASL:3100 American Sign Language Conversation 3 s.h.
Continuation of ASL:2002; emphasis on receptive and expressive conversational ASL skills through small group discussion and class presentations. Taught in American Sign Language. Prerequisites: ASL:2002 with a minimum grade of C. Requirements: concurrent enrollment in ASL:2002 if not taken as a prerequisite.
ASL:3200 Topics in Deaf Studies 3 s.h.
Current topics in Deaf studies; skill development in communicative fluency in ASL. Taught in American Sign Language. Prerequisites: ASL:2002 with a minimum grade of C. Requirements: students who have not completed ASL:2002, but plan to take ASL:2002 concurrent to this course may enroll with consent of the instructor; please contact the ASL program for more information.
ASL:3300 American Deaf Culture 3 s.h.
Cultural practices, beliefs, and values of the American Deaf community. Taught in American Sign Language. Prerequisites: ASL:2002 with a minimum grade of C. Requirements: students who have not completed ASL:2002, but plan to take ASL:2002 concurrent to this course may enroll with consent of the instructor; please contact the ASL program for more information.
ASL:3400 Issues in ASL and Deaf Studies 3 s.h.
Current issues in American Sign Language and the American Deaf community, such as linguistics, culture, and literacy. Prerequisites: ASL:2002 with a minimum grade of C. Requirements: students who have not completed ASL:2002, but plan to take ASL:2002 concurrent to this course may enroll with consent of the instructor; please contact the ASL program for more information.
ASL:3500 Deafness in the Media 3 s.h.
Exploration of various ways Deaf people are constructed and presented for hearing audiences from the silent film era to current mainstream productions (e.g., commercial television, movies, advertisements). Taught in American Sign Language. Prerequisites: ASL:2002 with a minimum grade of C. Requirements: students who have not completed ASL:2002, but plan to take ASL:2002 concurrent to this course may enroll with consent of the instructor; please contact the ASL program for more information.
ASL:3600 American Sign Language Literature 3 s.h.
Introduction to the world of ASL literature, as recorded on videotape or film and in live performance; traditional folklore, storytelling, poetry, drama, oratory, jokes, and nonfiction narrative; analysis of genres in their social and cultural contexts as expressions of Deaf experience; how historical and current issues in Deaf culture are represented in literary form. Taught in American Sign Language. Prerequisites: ASL:2002 with a minimum grade of C. Requirements: students who have not completed ASL:2002, but plan to take ASL:2002 concurrent to this course may enroll with consent of the instructor; please contact the ASL program for more information.
ASL:3700 Deaf Gain: Reframing Deaf People, Cultures, and Languages 3 s.h.
With advances in genetic research and medical technologies, there may come a point in time when we are asked, "Why should Deaf people and signed languages continue to exist? Introduction to Deaf studies' response to this question—Deaf Gain; students explore the cognitive, cultural, and creative aspects of Deaf Gain to develop an argument for the continued existence of Deaf communities and their signed languages. Taught in American Sign Language. Prerequisites: ASL:2002 with a minimum grade of C. Requirements: students who have not completed ASL:2002, but plan to take ASL:2002 concurrent to this course may enroll with consent of the instructor; please contact the ASL program for more information.
ASL:3800 Independent Study arr.
American Sign Language/Deaf studies topic; individual study.
ASL:4201 History of the American Deaf Community 3-4 s.h.
Students discuss the roots of American Deaf community, exploring the development of a distinct language known today as ASL and the culture of Deaf people in America during 19th and 20th centuries. Taught in American Sign Language. Prerequisites: ASL:2002 with a minimum grade of C. Requirements: students who have not completed ASL:2002, but plan to take ASL:2002 concurrent to this course may enroll with consent of the instructor; please contact the ASL program for more information. Same as HIST:4201.
American Sign Language in English Courses
The courses listed below are taught in English.
ASLE:2500 Introduction to Interpreting 3-4 s.h.
Introduction to interpreting; history and current nature of the field, available opportunities, certification, training, ethics. Taught in spoken English. Requirements: students should have some familiarity with a language not their own (spoken or signed); ASL:2002 is prerequisite for the ASL discussion section.
ASLE:3905 Teaching Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students 3-4 s.h.
Issues in d/Deaf education; management techniques, communication strategies, teaching strategies, instructional materials, hands-on activities, assessments, parent involvement; use of technology, ethnic and cultural diversity, classroom management, pre-reading techniques, literacy development, educational program options. Taught in English and/or American Sign Language. Requirements: for 4 s.h. option—concurrent enrollment in ASL:2002, if not taken as a prerequisite. Same as EDTL:3905.
