Program in American Sign Language
important information for students wishing to register for ASL classes
Why study American Sign Language?
American Sign Language (ASL) is the language of the Deaf community in
the United States and much of Canada. ASL uses a gestural-visual
modality in which manual signs, facial expressions, and body movements
and postures all convey complex linguistic information. It is a fully
developed language, with its own systems for articulation, forming
words and sentences, and meaning. ASL is separate from English, and
is also distinct from other signed languages. An excellent example of
the separateness of signed languages from each other and from the
surrounding spoken language(s) is that, although English is the shared
spoken language of the U.S. and Britain, speakers of ASL do not
understand speakers of British Sign Language.
ASL is estimated to be the fourth most commonly used language in the
U.S. Through learning the preferred language of the Deaf community,
students who study ASL gain access to the rich cultural heritage of
that community, which includes a distinguished tradition of visual
poetry, narrative, and theater. Students of ASL also learn about
other aspects of American Deaf culture, including the values and
outlooks of Deaf people, and social and educational aspects of
deafness.
Students of ASL may find that they gain a new perspective on how human
languages are structured. Through learning a language that uses a
different modality of expression than the oral-auditory modality of
spoken languages, students begin to discover properties that are
common to all languages. Linguists' research on the commonalities
between signed and spoken language provides strong evidence that all
languages are governed by the same basic properties.
Finally, study of ASL also provides practical training for students
entering a range of professions in the field of deafness, and may
strengthen students' qualifications for various non-deafness careers.
The ASL Program at Michigan
The Department of Linguistics offers a 5-course sequence in American
Sign Language. Introduction to Deaf Culture (Linguistics 140) serves
as a pre- or co-requisite to the beginning language courses. The
four-semester sequence of language courses (Linguistics 150, 151, 250,
251) may be used to fulfill the undergraduate language requirement of
the College of Literature, Science, and Arts.
If you have questions about the ASL Program, please contact Student
Services Assistant Sylvia Suttor (linguistics@umich.edu) or ASL
Lecturer Paula Berwanger (pberwang@umich.edu).
Linguistics 140: Introduction to Deaf Culture
This course introduces students to Deaf culture within the United
States, and focuses on the link between culture and language (in this
case, American Sign Language). An analysis of medical and cultural
models of perceiving deafness is investigated to familiarize students
with the range of perceptions held by members of the cultural majority
and the effect it has on the Deaf community. The influencing factors
of educational systems on deaf children are reviewed to understand the
link between language systems used in the classroom and the
development of a Deaf identity. The historical roots of American Sign
Language and the value of language preservation provide for additional
overview of attitudes in American society. Social adaptations to
deafness and individual factors of communicative and linguistic
development are analyzed for understanding the implications of family
and social systems on deaf children and adults.
Linguistics 150 and 151: Elementary American Sign Language.
These beginning courses in American Sign Language (ASL) introduce
students to basic grammatical structures and sign vocabulary through
intensive classroom conversational interactions involving everyday
topics. Emphasis is on practical communicative functions as students
learn how to communicate in a visual-gestural channel. Classroom work
is supplemented by videotaped workbook and laboratory exercises to
facilitate development of receptive language skills. These courses
are conducted exclusively in ASL and regular attendance is essential.
Linguistics 250 and 251: Intermediate American Sign Language
Students in the intermediate courses in ASL learn more advanced
communicative forms including understanding the essential role of
facial communication (non-manual behaviors) in forming expressions.
Additional vocabulary including idiomatic expressions are introduced
to expand students' abilities to understand and converse appropriately
in various settings. Through a conversational approach, students also
continue to study selected literature, history, culture, and outlooks
of Deaf people in order to develop an understanding of appropriate
standards of communicating in ASL. Students completing Linguistics
250 and 251 will have acquired a basic understanding of how to
communicate in a visual-gestural channel in order to receive and
express ASL sentences in everyday conversational interactions.
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