A.A. in Pre-Translation Studies

This course introduces students to different types of specialized, academic discourses in American Sign Language. Students will be given opportunities to analyze and evaluate academic and creative works and to compose logical arguments infused with critical thinking skills and perspectives through synthesizing information from sources.

In this course, students will advance their critical reading and writing skills for college coursework, with a focus on academic research.

This course is designed to achieve mathematical literacy among liberal arts students. It includes the mathematics, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills needed to make informed judgments in the contexts of science, technology, and society. Topics include number sense, use of percentages, algebra, linear modeling, descriptive statistics, graphing, data analysis, and finance. This is not a traditional abstract math class; rather it focuses on using mathematics and quantitative reasoning as valuable tools for comprehending the world in which we live.

American Sign Language Level 3 (ASL 3) is an advanced course designed to further enhance the ASL skills acquired in ASL 2. This course introduces more sophisticated ASL grammatical features, an expanded vocabulary, and engages students in complex short stories, narratives, and dialogues. Students will explore discourse strategies including the description of general surroundings, appropriate sequencing, temporal aspects, and conditionals to enable nuanced communication in ASL.

 

This course deepens the understanding of the Deaf Community and Deaf Culture, emphasizing culturally appropriate behaviors and interactions, and providing insight into the history and culture of Deaf communities.

• ASL 113 will be accepted as a free elective unless the department or program accepts these courses towards the major or minor.
• Gallaudet undergraduate students who wish to register for ASL 113 will need to obtain permission from the ASL Department. These students would need to take the ASLConnect placement test for placement into these classes.
• All Gallaudet undergraduate students will take the ASL Screening to be placed into ASL 100 - 102 or ASL 125. Completion of ASL 113 does not guarantee placement into ASL 125.

American Sign Language Level 4 (ASL 4) further advances the linguistic and cultural knowledge gained in ASL 3, focusing on the expansion of ASL vocabulary and grammatical structures. This course introduces complex language functions such as role-shifting with two to three characters, detailed descriptions of settings, and discussions about everyday objects and their uses. Students will explore step-by-step processes, cause and effect, and culturally significant topics within the Deaf Community, enhancing their conversational skills and cultural understanding.

 

ASL 4 aims to solidify intermediate ASL skills, encouraging students to engage in more nuanced and detailed ASL communication. Through comprehensive lessons on vocabulary, structure, and grammar, including the manual alphabet and numbers, students will continue to refine their ability to converse and behave in culturally appropriate ways while deepening their knowledge of Deaf culture and history.

• ASL 114 will be accepted as a free elective unless the department or program accepts these courses towards the major or minor.
• Gallaudet undergraduate students who wish to register for ASL 114 will need to obtain permission from the ASL Department. These students would need to take the ASLConnect placement test for placement into these classes.
• All Gallaudet undergraduate students will take the ASL Screening to be placed into ASL 100 - 102 or ASL 125. Completion of ASL 114 does not guarantee placement into ASL 125.

American Sign Language 5 is designed to expand upon the foundational skills acquired in previous ASL courses by applying knowledge of ASL grammar and vocabulary to describe increasingly complex constructs, processes, and situations. This course marks a journey into intermediate ASL skills, emphasizing the development of production and comprehension abilities. Students will engage in medium-length storytelling, narrative construction, and discussions on hypothetical issues, incorporating multiple character role shifting. A significant component of the course is the exploration of cultural values and attitudes pertinent to the Deaf Community.

 

This course will guide students through advanced vocabulary, structure, and grammar, including the use of the manual alphabet and numbers. Participants will hone their intermediate conversational skills, learn culturally appropriate behaviors, and delve into the culture and history of Deaf communities.

• ASL 115 will be accepted as a free elective unless the department or program accepts these courses towards the major or minor.
• Gallaudet undergraduate students who wish to register for ASL 115 will need to obtain permission from the ASL Department. These students would need to take the ASLConnect placement test for placement into these classes.
• All Gallaudet undergraduate students will take the ASL Screening to be placed into ASL 100 - 102 or ASL 125. Completion of ASL 115 does not guarantee placement into ASL 125.

American Sign Language 6 is an advanced course that focuses on enhancing students' understanding and application of ASL semantics, grammar, and vocabulary in sophisticated discourse. This course aims to refine students' ability to use a wide range of ASL sentence types, including classifiers, conditionals, relative clauses, and non-manual signals, to explain complex constructs, processes, and situations. Emphasis is placed on using appropriate registers, developing a comprehensive grasp of communicative competencies such as requesting clarification, providing elaboration, and exploring cultural values and attitudes within the Deaf Community.

 

Building upon the intermediate skills developed in ASL 5, this course introduces students to advanced production and comprehension skills in ASL. Participants will further expand their ASL vocabulary, structure, and grammar knowledge, including the manual alphabet and numbers. Through ASL 6, students will refine their conversational abilities, learn culturally appropriate behaviors, and deepen their understanding of the culture and history of Deaf communities, focusing on themes such as the human body, sports and activities, and animals and terrains.

• ASL 116 will be accepted as a free elective unless the department or program accepts these courses towards the major or minor.
• Gallaudet undergraduate students who wish to register for ASL 116 will need to obtain permission from the ASL Department. These students would need to take the ASLConnect placement test for placement into these classes.
• All Gallaudet undergraduate students will take the ASL Screening to be placed into ASL 100 - 102 or ASL 125. Completion of ASL 116 does not guarantee placement into ASL 125.

This course examines various forms of oppression by looking across different cultures and communities, then examines possible parallels occurring within the deaf community.

This course provides an overview of the interpreting profession: roles, responsibilities, and ethics of interpreting; basic principles and practices of translating and interpreting; environment and audience; guidelines for interpreting in a variety of settings; professional associations; and international perspectives.

This course focuses on the analysis of discourse in dialogic genres of English and American Sign Language (ASL) so that interpreting students become explicitly aware of the features of language use in everyday life. Students transcribe and analyze interaction discourse features of conversations, explanations, interviews, discussions, and other types of dialogue genres while reading and discussing theoretical notions underlying language use.

An introduction to the major features of languages and to the structure, use, and variation in the sign languages and sign systems commonly used in the United States. The course will cover four major topics: (1) Language: The nature and definition of languages, the uniqueness of language, and contrasts between language and other forms of communication; (2) Language and Culture: The role of language in human society, with special focus on language acquisition, language identity, and bilingualism; (3) American Sign Language Structure: A survey of the major features of the linguistic structure of ASL. Topics are: Phonology: the structure of the physical signals; Morphology: the basic structure and composition of meaningful units of ASL; Syntax: word order and nonmanual syntactic signals in ASL sentences; (4) Language Variation: Language variation and language contact in the deaf community, including discussions of contact varieties of signing and systems for representing English.

This course addresses human biology through the lens of evaluating scientific claims. Students will learn about select organ systems (reproductive, skeletal and muscular, immune and nervous systems) and about human genetics in a way that helps them make decisions relevant to their daily lives. The course focuses on developing skills that scientists use: basic experimental design, research methods, and scientific writing. It also teaches the language of biology and especially how to critique arguments related to human biology that we encounter in the media. Three hours of lecture and two hours of laboratory per week.

Study of important and representative works of literature written by D/deaf authors. When offered for 4 credits, this course will be dual listed with GSR 210, 220, 230, or 240 and will address the Student Learning Outcomes of these courses.

Memoir is one of the hot genres right now. Real stories affect us in ways that fictional stories don’t. There is power in knowing that the stories we are reading really happened to the person who wrote it--or at least they claim the stories happened! People aren’t always truthful, and memories are not always reliable; we will talk about this too as we read, discuss, and analyze memoirs by deaf and hard of hearing writers from a variety of backgrounds. We will read memoirs from members of the Deaf community, and from those outside of it--and of many different intersectional identities.