Undergraduate Minor in American Sign Language and Deaf Studies

This page describes the the Minor American Sign Language and Deaf Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Specific questions should be addressed to Jami Fisher.

Overview

American Sign Language and Deaf Studies offers an interdisciplinary course sequence founded in language, content, and theory-based courses from a variety of fields and disciplines. The ASL program aims to establish and maintain a meaningful partnership with Pennsylvania School for the Deaf (www.psd.org) in the Germantown section of Philadelphia. This collaborative relationship ultimately manifests in a research-based capstone course, Academically Based Community Service (ABCS) in ASL and Deaf Studies, providing opportunities for research and practice in a deaf community setting.

Requirements

To receive a minor, a student must complete six course units, as specified below.

• Advanced ASL Content and Theory Courses (2):
  • Ling 075: ASL V, OR
  • Ling 076: Deaf Literature, Performance, Art, and Film, AND
  • Ling 078: Topics in Deaf Culture
• Linguistics Courses (2):
  • Ling 001 Introduction to Linguistics
  • Ling 001 Introduction to Sociolinguistics
• Capstone ABCS Course (1):
  • Ling 077: ABCS in ASL and Deaf Studies
• Cross-Disciplinary Electives (1)
  • Ling 054: Bilingualism in History
  • Ling 255: Formal Semantics and Cognitive Science
  • Ling 270: Language Acquisition
  • Ling 450: Languages in Contact
  • Engl 105.401: Disability Narratives
  • Psyc 435-301: Seminar: Psycholinguistics
  • Nurs 315: Sociocultural Influences on Health (Nursing)
  • Be 225: Biomedical Engineering (SEAS)
  • Outside Penn: Siena School Study Abroad (Summer or Fall, 1CU)
  • Outside Penn: Gallaudet Study (1CU)
  • Other relevant courses may be eligible pending departmental pre-approval