Department of American Sign Language & Interpreter Education
Chair
Dr. Daniel Roush
(859) 622-4966
Wallace 216
Faculty
N. Hill, R. Kreutzer, E. Jones, H. Lewis, K. Moore, E. Rhoden, D. Roush, and T. Stevens.
American Sign Language (ASL) is the indigenous language of culturally-Deaf people used throughout most of North America. Over the last 50 years, linguists have established that ASL is a complete, natural language that has a grammar, lexicon, and semantics that are fundamentally different than spoken English or other signed languages used in other areas of the world. ASL’s indigenous roots stem from the intermixing of Martha’s Vineyard Sign Language, Indian Sign Language, and Parisian French Sign Language when Deaf people came together to form the first school for the Deaf in America, established over 200 years ago. ASL signers from the Deaf community consider themselves to be members of a linguistic minority and their shared visual language is the heart of their unique visual culture.
Developing fluency in ASL as a second language is a considerable challenge and takes years of language immersion and education. To support students in this effort, we offer a full B.S. degree in ASL & English Interpretation and a minor in ASL Studies.
ASL & English Interpretation B.S.
The goal of the Interpretation B.S. program is to prepare students to become professional interpreters who are language mediators between people who do not share the same language (between ASL signers and English speakers). Interpreters must remain neutral and do not advocate for the ASL community nor express their own thoughts while performing their duties. This program is nationally accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Interpreter Education.
ASL Studies minor
The goal of the ASL Studies minor is to prepare students to communicate directly in ASL in their area of focused service and advocacy. They are not interpreters, but are highly bilingual and can communicate their own spontaneous thoughts in ASL. Examples of careers where bilingual skills are invaluable include: child development, education, vocational rehabilitation, social work, legal, mental health, medical, recreation, non-profit organizations, tourism, and hospitality, etc.
All students who are accepted by EKU’s Admissions Office and declare their major as ASL and English Interpretation are admitted as “pre- ASL and English Interpretation” majors. However, admission to the University as a “pre-ASL and English Interpretation” major does not guarantee admission to the ASL and English Interpretation program (ITP). Specific admission criteria for the full ITP program is explained below.
Transfers from Other Colleges and Universities
Only the freshman and sophomore-level core courses [i.e. courses in ASL (ASL 101 American Sign Language I, ASL 102 American Sign Language II, ASL 201 American Sign Language III, and ASL 202 American Sign Language IV, ASL 225 Introduction to Deaf Studies), and interpreting (ITP 215 Prof. Issues in Interpreting, ITP 220 Processing Skills for Interpreters) with the exception of ASL 205 ASL Discourse & Depiction III] may be transferred from other colleges to satisfy requirements for the ITP major or ASL minor within the Department of ASL and Interpreter Education. Courses for which credit is to be transferred must be essentially equivalent to the courses offered at Eastern Kentucky University. For transfer students seeking full admission to the ASL and English Interpretation program ITP, requests to waive ASL 105 ASL Discourse & Depiction I and ASL 106 ASL Discourse & Depiction II may be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Courses
ASL 101. American Sign Language I. (3 Credits)
I, II. A functional notional approach to learning beginning American Sign Language (ASL). Development of basic knowledge of and understanding of conversational ASL and cultural features of the language and community. 3 Lec/ 1 Lab. Gen Ed. VIII.
ASL 102. American Sign Language II. (3 Credits)
I, II. Prerequisite: ASL 101 with a minimum grade of "C" or departmental permission. Continued development of basic knowledge of and understanding of conversational ASL and cultural features of the language and community. 3 Lec/ 1 Lab. Gen Ed. VIII.
ASL 105. ASL Discourse & Depiction I. (1 Credit)
I, II. Co- or prerequisite: ASL 101 and declaration of the Pre-Interpretation majors. Development of ASL conversational behavior, comprehension, depiction, discourse, and fingerspelling. Cultural engagement with members of the ASL linguistic minority. 1 Lec/1 Lab.
ASL 106. ASL Discourse & Depiction II. (3 Credits)
I, II. Prerequisite: ASL 105 with a grade of “Satisfactory”. Pre- or co-requisite of ASL 102 and declaration of the Pre-Interpretation majors. Continued development of ASL conversational behavior, comprehension, depiction, discourse, and fingerspelling. Cultural engagement with members of the ASL linguistic minority. 3 Lec/1 Lab.
ASL 201. American Sign Language III. (3 Credits)
I, II. Prerequisite: ASL 102 with a minimum grade of ¿C¿ or departmental permission. Development of intermediate expressive and receptive ASL skills and cultural features of the language and community. 3 Lec/1 Lab.
ASL 202. American Sign Language IV. (3 Credits)
I, II. Prerequisites: ASL 201 with a minimum grade of ¿C¿ or departmental permission. Continued development of intermediate expressive and receptive ASL skills and cultural features of the language and community. 3 Lec/1 Lab.
ASL 205. ASL Discourse & Depiction III. (2 Credits)
I, II. Prerequisite: ASL 106 with a grade of “Satisfactory”. Pre- or co-requisite of ASL 201 and declaration of the Pre-Interpretation majors. Continued development of ASL conversational behavior, comprehension, depiction, discourse, sign production, and fingerspelling. Cultural engagement with members of the ASL linguistic minority. 2 Lec/1 Lab.
ASL 210. ASL Fingerspelling & Numbers. (3 Credits)
I, II. Prerequisite: ASL 201 with a minimum grade of "C" or departmental permission. The cours will focus on aspects of receptive and expressive fingerspelling usage, including lexicalized fingerspelling and various numbering systems within ASL.
ASL 225. Introduction to Deaf Studies. (3 Credits)
Introduces students to the historical, sociological, cultural and political experiences of Deaf people. Provides overview of Deaf people's experiences, images, and issues from a wide variety of disciplinary perspectives. ITP Majors and ASL Minors may not audit this course. GEN ED. E-6 [GE].
ASL 301. American Sign Language V. (3 Credits)
I, II. Prerequisite: ASL 202 with a minimum grade of "C" or departmental permission. Development of advanced expressive and receptive ASL skills and cultural features of the language and community. 3 Lec/1 Lab.
ASL 302. American Sign Language VI. (3 Credits)
II. Prerequisite: ASL 301 with a minimum grade of "C" or departmental permission. Continued development of advanced expressive and receptive ASL skills and cultural features of the language and community. 3 Lec/1 Lab.
ASL 305. ASL Comprehension and Fluency I. (3 Credits)
I. Prerequisite: ASL 202 with a grade of “C” or higher. Students will increase their ASL comprehension and fluency through skill-building activities. Emphasis on identifying how native ASL signers construct meaning through depictive and discursive devices.
ASL 306. ASL Comprehension and Fluency II. (3 Credits)
II. Prerequisites: ASL 305 with a grade of “C” or higher and admission to the interpreting program, Deaf Studies Major, or departmental approval. Students will continue to increase their ASL comprehension, flexibility, and fluency through skill-building activities. Emphasis on spontaneous expression of the depictive and discursive devices that native ASL signers use to construct meaning.
ASL 310. Application of Fingerspelling & Number Systems. (3 Credits)
II. Prerequisites: ASL 301 with a grade of “C” or better or departmental approval. The course will focus on aspects of receptive and expressive fingerspelling usage, including lexicalized fingerspelling and various numbering systems within ASL.
ASL 325. Historical & Current Perspectives of Deaf Ways of Being. (3 Credits)
I. Prerequisites: ASL 202 and 225 with a grade of “C” or higher. Historical overview of Deaf people and their contributions to society. Comparative analysis of Deaf individuals and their diverse communities from internal and external perspectives. Emphasis of practical solutions to promote social justice.
ASL 380. Special Topics in Deaf Studies:___. (1-3 Credits)
A. Prerequisite: ASL 225 (C). For special workshops or topics related to the field of Deaf Studies beyond the scope of regularly offered courses. May be taken to a maximum of 9 hours provided subtitle/topics vary.
ASL 385. Independent Work in Deaf Studies. (1-3 Credits)
A. Prerequisite: ASL 225 (C) and departmental permission. For independent work related to the field of Deaf Studies beyond the scope of regularly offered courses. May be taken to a maximum of 6 hours provided subtitle/topics vary. Student must have the independent study proposal form approved by faculty supervisor and department chair prior to enrollment.
ASL 390. Contrastive Analysis: ASL and English. (3 Credits)
II. Prerequisites: ASL 301 and 305 with a grade of “C” or higher and admission to the interpreting program, Deaf Studies program, or departmental approval. The linguistic properties of ASL and English are compared and contrasted. Areas explored include phonology, prosody, morphology, syntax, discourse, and semantics. Sociolinguistic and modality differences are also examined.
ASL 400. ASL Skills for Majors. (1 Credit)
I. Prerequisites: Admission to the interpreting program, ASL 202, with a minimum grade of "C" and admission to the ASL and English Interpretation program, or Deaf Studies program, or departmental approval. In this course students will continue to develop skills in American Sign Language, specifically focusing on vocabulary development and language usage beneficial for interpreters. Clinical hours required.
ASL 401. American Sign Language VII. (3 Credits)
I,II. Prerequisite: ASL 302 with a minimum grade of “C” or departmental permission. Continued development of advanced-high language performance level in interpretive, presentational, and interpersonal communication areas. Continued cultural engagement with members of the ASL linguistic minority.
ASL 425. Deaf Literature. (3 Credits)
A. Prerequisite: ASL 225 (C), 202(C). Cultural and literary analysis of ASL and Deaf-related literature (major works in text, cinema, and Video) in contemporary society. Literary sytle, register, grammatical features, and linguistic expression will be explored in a cultural context.
ASL 485S. Deaf Studies Capstone. (3 Credits)
II. Prerequisites: ASL 225, 301, 325, and ITP 215W with a grade of “C” or higher and admission to the Deaf Studies program or departmental approval. Capstone course with critical analysis of a service learning field experience. Continued development of cultural and linguistic competency as a reflective practitioner. Clinical hours required.
ITP 215. Prof. Issues in Interpreting. (3 Credits)
A. Prerequisites: ASL 201 and ITP 115 or ASL 225 with a minimum grade of C or departmental permission. Relevant professional terminology, procedures and ethical considerations explored. Topics include historical developments and current trends in professional organizations, ethical standards, and settings. Credit will not be awarded for bothe ITP 215 and ITP 215W.
ITP 220. Processing Skills for Interpreters. (3 Credits)
II. Prerequisite: ASL 201 with a minimum grade of ¿C¿ or departmental permission. Practice of cognitive skills used in the process of interpreting. Skills include visualization, prediction, listening, memory, abstracting, closure, dual tasking, and processing time.
ITP 310. Professional Decision Making. (3 Credits)
I. Prerequisite: Admission to the interpreting program or departmental permission. This course provides students with the theoretical foundation for professional and ethical decision making. It explores multiple perspectives on the role and function of interpreter. Clinical hours required.
ITP 320. English-to-ASL Interpreting I. (3 Credits)
A. Prerequisites: admission to the interpreting program, ASL 202, ITP 215 or 215W, and 220 with a minimum grades of "C" or departmental permission. Development of English-to-ASL interpreting skills using consecutive and simultaneous modes with a variety of source materials. Clinical hours required.
ITP 325. ASL-to-English Interpreting I. (3 Credits)
I. Prerequisites: admission to the interpreter training program, ASL 202, ITP 215, or 215W, and ITP 220 with a minimum grade of "C" or departmental permission. Development of interpreting skills progressing from written translation to consecutive interpreting/ transliterating in a variety of settings. Clinical hours required.
ITP 330. Ethics and Special Settings I. (3 Credits)
(3) II. Prerequisite: ASL 202 (C) and Admission to the ASL and English Interpreting program or departmental approval. Critical analysis of interpreting in various settings. Development of communication and ethical decision-making skills. Clinical hours required.
ITP 340. Interactive Interpreting I. (3 Credits)
II. Prerequisites: ASL 301, ITP 220, and 325 with a grade of “C” or higher and admission to the interpreting program or departmental approval. Exploration of meaning creation in interaction both theoretically and practically through observation and engagement in monolingual and bilingual interactions. Consideration of the impact of the presence of an interpreter on the creation of meaning in interactions.
ITP 380. Special Topics in Interpreting:___. (1-3 Credits)
A. Prerequisite: departmental approval. For independent work, special workshops, or special topics related to the field of interpreting beyond the scope of regularly offered courses. May be taken to a maximum of 9 hours provided subtitle/topics vary.
ITP 385. Independent Work Interpretation. (1-3 Credits)
A. Prerequisite: Departmental approval. For independent work related to the field of interpretation beyond the scope of regularly offered courses. May be taken to a maximum of 6 hours provided subtitle/topics vary. Student must have the independent study proposal form approved by faculty supervisor and department chair prior to enrollment.
ITP 390. Linguistics and ASL I. (3 Credits)
II. Prerequisites: admission in the Interpreter Training program, ASL 301 with a minimum grade of ¿C¿ or departmental permission. Overview of linguistics; phonology, morphology and language change in a variety of languages and American Sign Language. Analysis of ASL and spoken languages. Clinical hours required.
ITP 420. English-to-ASL Interpreting II. (3 Credits)
I. Prerequisites: admission in the interpreter training program, ASL 302, ITP 320, 325 with a minimum grade of "C" or departmental permission. Continued development of English-to-ASL interpreting skills with added focus on registers, settings, and audience preferences. Clinical hours required.
ITP 425. ASL-to- English interpreting II. (3 Credits)
I, II. Prerequisites: ITP 325 with a minimum grade of C and admission to the ASL and English Interpretation program or departmental approval. Continued development of ASL-to-English interpreting skills in a variety of settings. Clinical hours required.
ITP 430. Ethics & Special Settings II. (3 Credits)
I. Prerequisites: ASL 302, ITP 320 and 325 with minimum of "C" and admission to the interpreting program or departmental permission. Continued critical analysis of interpreting in various multicultural and specialized settings. Continued development of ethical and culturally competent decision-making skills. Clinical hours required.
ITP 440. Interactive Interpreting II. (3 Credits)
I. Prerequisites: Admission to the interpreting program, ASL 302, ITP 340, 325 with a grade of "C" or higher, and admission to the interpreting program, or departmental approval. Students will integrate, broaden, and apply skills and knowledge developed in interpreting courses by experiential practice in interactive interpreting. Students will develop skills in interpreting conversations, discussions, explanations, interviews, and other types of dialogue genres.
ITP 470. Practicum in Interpreting I. (3 Credits)
I. Prerequisites: ASL 302, ITP 325, 340, 425 with a grade of "C" or better and admission to the interpreting program or departmental approval. Observation and interpreting experience under the supervision of a mentor(s) in a variety of settings. Clinical hours required.
ITP 490. Linguistics and ASL II. (3 Credits)
Prerequisites: admission in the Interpreter Training program, ITP 390 with a minimum grade of ¿C¿ or departmental permission. Overview of syntax, discourse, and sociolinguistics. Analysis of American Sign Language and spoken languages. Clinical hours required.
ITP 495. Practicum in Interpreting II. (12 Credits)
I, II. Prerequisites: admission in the Interpreter Training program, ITP faculty approval, completion of all other ASL/ITP classes with minimum grades of ¿C¿. A structured full time practicum interpreting experience under the direct supervision of a mentor(s) in an educational, public or private setting. Students will interpret, participate in professional growth activities, keep professional journals and adhere to all guidelines and requirements in the ITP 495 student practicum handbook. Potential practicum sites may be local, state wide, regional or national.