American Sign Language: Understanding Deaf Culture

Provides students a comprehensive orientation to Deaf communities as linguistic and cultural minorities. Students will explore various aspects of American Deaf culture.

This course will have interpreters to facilitate lecture/ discussion for all students at each class meeting; Open to Degree and PACE students

This course is designed to engage students into the ‘Deaf World’ by exploring various aspects of American Deaf Culture including values, beliefs, norms, identities, traditions, arts, communities, and language. Students will also examine internal and external factors that affect Deaf communities through social, cultural, and political lenses. This course contains lectures, interactive class discussions, community engagement, and critical analyses. This course will be conducted in Spoken English. Course Learning Objectives At the end of this course, the students will be able to: 1. Explain and apply key concepts – Deafhood, Deaf Gain, Audism, Dysconscious Audism, Linguicism, Phonocentrism, Epistemology, and hearing privileges. 2. Identify and describe the experiences of Deaf people through the lens of such theories. 3. Identify and explain important aspects of Deaf culture. 4. Explain the ways in which the Deaf community is complex and multicultural. 5. Identify and explain historical events that shape today’s Deaf communities. 6. Critique the impact of external and internal factors on deaf people through the framework of social justice.

I expect all students to read all course materials (refer to the schedule of readings and assignments) prior to class. I also expect all students to prepare for their active and quality engagement in class and yellowdig discussions.

Grading Categories Weight Yellowdig 25% Recaps 30% Case Study Analysis 25% Material Review and Discussion 15% In-Class Discussion 5% 1. Yellowdig: In contrast to traditional Brightspace discussions, Yellowdig empowers you to discover and share real-world content (articles, videos, etc.) that you find pertinent to lectures and readings. Your active participation, through creating Pins and Comments, and engaging with others through up-votes or comments, will contribute to your participation points. It's important to note that using Yellowdig is a mandatory aspect of the course, and the points accumulated account for 25% of your overall grade. 2. Recaps: Each group of five will collaboratively craft a 3-page document summarizing their collective understanding of the class material. The document will encompass a concept map, a brief overview of the learning materials, and a concise set of "test" questions. 3. Material Review and Discussion: Each group of 5-6 will engage with an article or video, conduct a review session, and lead a discussion with the class. 4. Case Study Study: Each group of five will critically analyze the film "CODA" using various frameworks and compose a 2500-word paper. 5. In-Class Discussion: Collaborate with your partners to respond to questions posed during the class. All in-class discussions will be assessed as either complete or incomplete.