FAQs about ASL courses

If I'm not planning to be a teacher of the deaf, can I still take ASL?

Yes.  We save about half of the slots in the ASL courses for non-Deaf Education students. In order to enroll you must see your adviser to obtain a "Substitution Form" to make sure that you can substitute ASL for a foreign language. If you have already completed your foreign language requirement with another language, we may not be able to accommodate you in our ASL courses.  Please see enrolling in SLPA 101 (ASL)

How can I get the call number for SLPA 101, the first ASL course?

College of Education and Human Sciences students and other students who are not from the College of Arts and Sciences must get the number (or be placed on a waiting list) from Carol Grell, in College of Education and Human Sciences Student Services, Henzlik 105, 472-8643
Arts and Sciences student must complete a substitution form (See above.)  Then they can present the completed and signed form at Anne Kopera's office (472-4190) to get the number.

When can I start taking ASL?

The 4-course series begins in either Summer Session or Fall Semester. You cannot begin the series Spring Semester.

How many students take ASL?

There is a cohort of about 40 students in First Year ASL and another cohort of about 40 students in Second Year ASL.

Why do we have to read books about Deaf people, their community and culture in the ASL courses?

We include readings about the Deaf community because learning a language involves learning about the culture of the community who uses that language.  It is especially important for hearing people who study ASL to learn about Deaf people, their heritage and culture since ASL is a minority language in the U.S.

The ASL courses fill up so fast. Why don't you offer more sections of ASL?

We have limited human resources for teaching ASL and we are only able to offer two sections of ASL each semester. The courses fill up quickly with students from the Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders who are required to take ASL and with students from other colleges who have requested permission to take ASL as their foreign language.  As much as we would like to encourage people to become signers, we don't have enough spaces to admit all of the students who want to enroll.

I want to take ASL to satisfy the College of Arts and Sciences, but I can't take the courses and labs at the times they are offered. What can I do?

When students from outside College of Education and Human Sciences commit to taking ASL as their foreign language,  it's important to remember that we have very limited ASL offerings. During the four semesters of ASL, you need to make sure your semester schedule is flexible enough to take the courses and labs when they are offered, since we don't offer other sections.

Isn't taking ASL just an easy way to get foreign language credit?

No. ASL is a complicated language with its own grammar and vocabulary. It does not resemble English.

I'm not good at languages and flunked out of (Spanish, German, French, Russian, English).  Will ASL be easier?

No. The same skills you would use to learn other languages are necessary to learn ASL.