Catalog of Courses for American Sign Language
Introduces receptive and expressive American Sign Language skills, including basic vocabulary, sentence structure, classifiers, use of space, non-manual type indicators, and fingerspelling. Examines signing deaf people as a linguistic/cultural minority.
Introduces receptive and expressive American Sign Language skills, including basic vocabulary, sentence structure, classifiers, use of space, non-manual type indicators, and fingerspelling. Examines signing deaf people as a linguistic/cultural minority. Prerequisite: ASL 1010 or successful completion of placement exam.
Continues training in American Sign Language, with focus on more complex sentence types, signs, and idioms. Considers ASL literary forms such as poetry, theater, and storytelling, as well as deaf history and other related topics. Prerequisite: ASL 1020 or successful completion of placement exam.
Continues training in American Sign Language, with focus on more complex sentence types, signs, and idioms. Considers ASL literary forms such as poetry, theater, and storytelling, as well as deaf history and other related topics. Prerequisite: ASL 2010 or successful completion of placement exam.
Examines the roles of deaf women inside and outside of the signing Deaf community. Using an interdisciplinary approach, considers such topics as language and cultural barriers, violence against women, sexuality, race, class, education, and work. Investigates disparities between deaf and hearing women and the choices available to d/Deaf women, individually and collectively, in contemporary culture. No prior knowledge of ASL is required.
Continues language and cultural instruction with emphasis on everyday conversation. Topics include common idioms and slang, explaining rules, discussing finances and major decisions, and storytelling techniques such as role-shifting and narrative structure. Students will be required to interact with deaf signers. Prerequisite: ASL 2020 or successful completion of placement interview.
The ASL language course related to residency in the Shea Language House at UVA for students who have applied to and been accepted into the ASL Language Pod in the Shea House dormitory. Student residents will further develop their ASL language skills and understanding of Deaf culture through conversations among their peers in their dorm setting, weekly dinner meetings, and other arranged activities.
In many ways, this course is intended to serve as a way to continue to develop and refine ASL language awareness and effectiveness. It is both a continuation of ASL 1010 through 2020, and (as its title implies) emphasizes on the development and inclusion of extended and/or complex narratives and their elements with a focus on improving communication fluency through the incorporation and refinement of ASL depiction. This is course also serves as an elective for the Minor in ASL and Deaf Culture.
This new course will examine the history of deaf people in the United States over the last three centuries, with particular attention to the emergence and evolution of a community of Deaf people who share a distinct sign language and culture. We will read both primary texts from specific periods and secondary sources. We will also view a few historical films. Prerequisite: none (thought a previous class in History or ASL is recommended)
In Deaf culture, "coda" means the hearing child or children of Deaf adults. This course will examine the body of coda literature or "coda stories" (written memoir, movies, social media, etc.) and examine the issues and commonalities among them. Through discussion, writing, and other activities we'll discover more about ourselves, cultures, and the human experience.
This course will study the contradictory and telling ways that deaf people have been depicted over the last three centuries in addressing the question: What does deafness signify, especially in a western society that is centered upon speech? Our approach will be contrapuntal, juxtaposing canonical texts and mainstream films with relatively unknown works by deaf artists.
This seminar offers an interdisciplinary approach to disability in the social, cultural, political, artistic, ethical, and medical spheres and their intersections. It also introduces students to critical theory concerned with the rights of the disabled.
Describes spoken English and ASL (American Sign Language) on five levels: phonological, morphological, lexical, syntactic, and discourse and compares/contrasts them using real-world examples. Describes major linguistic components and processes of English and ASL. Introduces basic theories regarding ASL structure. Emphasizes ASL's status as a natural language by comparing/contrasting similarities and unique differences between the two languages.
The majority of deaf people live in the so-called "Global South"; regions like South America, Asia, Africa and India, which have experienced colonialism or and/or have limited access to resources and power. However, historically deaf studies focused on the experiences of deaf people in the "Global North." The course will consider how deaf people's experiences in the Global South have been shaped by local and international contexts, and re-imagine deaf studies from these perspectives.
New course in the subject of American Sign Language.
This course will consider the psychological development and psychosocial issues of deaf people. Topics covered will include cognition, education, hearing and speech perception, impact of family interaction and communication approaches, influence of etiology/genetics, language development, literacy, mental health, social and personality development, interpersonal behavior, and current trends.
Explores cultural influences on identity development, family systems, linguistics, engagement with educational and community agencies, and resilience within the Deaf community. The interaction of culture, identity and language will be highlighted and applied to future trends for groups within the Deaf community, such as children of Deaf adults, GLTB community members, ethnic minority groups, women, and persons with disabilities.
Students will collaborate fully in American Sign Language to develop a class project based upon that of students in course offerings from previous semesters. Students will follow the Scientific Method and negotiate all aspects of the project. Students will naturally develop ASL presentation skills, increase range of sign vocabulary, and increase understanding and fluency in ASL and Deaf culture. This course is an elective for the Minor in ASL and Deaf Culture.
New course in the subject of American Sign Language.
Examines such topics as American deaf history; ASL linguistics; deaf education; cultural versus pathological views of deaf people; controversies over efforts to eliminate sign language and cure deafness; ASL poetry and storytelling; deafness in mainstream literature, film, and drama; deafness and other minority identities; and the international deaf community.
Independent Study in American Sign Language. Prerequisite: Instructor Permission