Department of American Sign Language & Interpreter Education
Chair
Dr. Daniel Roush
(859) 622-4966
Wallace 216
Faculty
S. Champlin, S. Evans, N. Hill, R. Kreutzer, H. Lewis, K. Moore, 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 215W Professional 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 majors or ASL minors 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.