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American Sign Language

Why Study American Sign Language (ASL)?

Studying ASL promotes better awareness of and sensitivity to the Deaf and hard of hearing community. Students will develop a strong appreciation for Deaf culture, and can promote understanding and acceptance of the language among others. This awareness will serve all in both their professional and personal lives. According to Newsweek (2019), there are over one million ASL users in North America. Furthermore, the Modern Language Association reports that ASL is the third most-studied second language (after Spanish and French). ASL is used by:

  • hearing children of Deaf parents,
  • hearing siblings and relatives of the Deaf,
  • hearing adults who are becoming deaf and are learning ASL from other Deaf individuals, and
  • a growing population of hearing, second-language students learning ASL in elementary, secondary, and post-secondary classrooms. 

Course Descriptions

101 Elementary American Sign Language I
An introduction to American Sign Language with emphasis on comprehension and production of basic language functions, grammatical structures and level-appropriate vocabulary. Presents information about the Deaf community and culturally appropriate behaviors. Designed for students with no previous experience in American Sign Language. Offered every third semester.

102 Elementary American Sign Language II
A continuation of American Sign Language vocabulary, language functions and grammatical structures presented in ASL 101. Further develops language comprehension and production skills at increasing levels of complexity. Applies increasingly complex grammatical structures to language functions. Presents and integrates additional information about Deaf culture into language usage. Prerequisite: ASL 101 or consent of department chair. Offered every third semester.

201 Intermediate American Sign Language I (LA)
This course continues the proficiency-oriented approach of elementary ASL. It is designed to strengthen vocabulary, language functions, and grammatical structures presented in ASL 102 and focuses on grammatical and lexical expansion with emphasis on idiomatic usage and socio-cultural communicative functions. Prerequisite: ASL 102 or consent of department chair. Offered every third semester.

 

Interested in joining the ASL club?

IWU ASL is a group of students who aims to learn and teach American Sign Language while learning about the Deaf community. We introduce and practice signs together in a repeat-after-me teaching style, with multiple modes of instruction including physical demonstrations, images, videos, and slideshows with written text. Learn more about ASL club.