Major Highlight: ASL Studies

I came to William Woods University because I wanted to be an interpreter. WWU has one of the top programs for interpreters in the country and it was close to home (around an hour) both plus’. What I did not realize was the interpreting major was separate from the ASL major, so now I am a double major in ASL studies and ASL-English Interpreting. I just started classes for my interpreting major last fall and will talk about that major when I have more experience than just the intro classes. Today I will be talking about the ASL studies major and what you need to know. 

Disclaimer: when I came to WWU I had taken ASL in HS and was part of a Deaf group back home. Because of these experiences I tested out of ASL 1 & 2 and started in ASL 3. That means that if you come into WWU with little to no ASL knowledge, your experience will be different than mine.

The classes:

For an ASL Studies major you take (some are required some aren’t, I suggest taking as many as possible)

·         ASL 1-6

o   Again, I only took 3-6 however in the past two years I have learned soo much vocabulary and grammar and my skills have improved dramatically.

o   Along with normal class time you also have a lab time. At the beginning of the semester you sign up for the top three times in your schedule you can do lab. Lab is two 20-30 min sessions twice weekly (either MW, or TR) which you sit down with a Deaf mentor who helps you improve your ASL skills. This can be in groups from 2-6 depending on class sizes and schedule compatibility. This year has been hard because we are down to only two mentors and one is a full-time student here at WWU.

o   The last thing you must do as an ASL student are community hours. Depending on the level, they might be volunteer hours or just involvement hours. Only two are required each semester which makes it easy to do especially with the Missouri School for the Deaf so close. 

·         Deaf culture

o   This class is a lot of fun. I took it over the summer during Freshman Advantage so I did not have the normal Deaf professor. However, this class covers everything related to Deaf Culture, including how to become a part of it, the language used, Deaf Club, the History of Deaf in America, the difference between  deaf and Deaf, and so much more. Sometimes I wish I had waited to take this class during the normal semester because I would have absorbed a lot more of the information during the normal 16 weeks than the 3 weeks I had. Also, a fun project they have you do during this class is to wear earplugs and go out for a few hours to experience the world like the Deaf do.

·         Career Seminar

o   This was the second most boring class I took with only fundamental Biology above it. Most of us in the class did not see the point of the class and I don’t think I learned anything useful. Do not let the name fool you, it teaches about careers about the same about as we talk about woods (as in trees) here at Friends at the Woods.

·         





Ethics and Decision Making

o   I am taking this class right now, and while I do not agree with most of what is being taught (ethical egoism, determinism, and evolution as examples) it has opened my eyes to just how many viewpoints are out there and how many ethical decisions we make on a daily basis without even thinking about it (blog post on this soon, promise!)

·         Fingerspelling & numbers

o   While this class seemed very boring and redundant at the time, that’s because there are only so many ways you can practice your receptive (watching) and production (signing) skills for fingerspeling. I have seen an improvement in my skills to pick up and produce fingerspelling in conversation though so i know the class did its job.

·         Non-manual markers

o   Haven’t taken this class yet.

·         Linguistics

o   Haven’t taken this class yet.

·         ASL Literature

o   Haven’t taken this class yet.

The Professors:

The ASL department has two Deaf professors and two interpreter professors (they mostly teach the interpreting classes but there is some overlap). One of the professors is leaving after this semester and we will be evaluating and hiring a new professor over the course of the rest of the semester. They all really seem to love what they do and want the best for the students and the program. They are very lenient on late work when life happens, they also don’t allow it to happen all the time. These same people are our advisors and help us with schedules and knowing when to take what classes.

The Location:

WWU has devoted the entire basement of one of the buildings to the ASL/interpreting department. There are two classrooms for classes, LEAD events, and workshops, a MAC lab for recording homework videos, a Lab room for lab sessions, and all but one of the professors have offices right there in the basement (the other professor is too important for us and her office is all the way across campus) (JK we all LOVE Carrie and she has other jobs on campus requiring her office to be in another building).

Last Comments:

While this is a very fun major (or in Megan’s case, minor) and there are many ways to use this which do not involve interpreting (Deaf ED, counseling, etc), it is not an easy major. You are learning another language, culture, and way of life. With this major it becomes your responsibility to help bridge the gap between the hearing and Deaf worlds, to make your part of the world more accessible to the Deaf, and to be involved. It is not easy and you have to want to do it. At the same time, this can be very rewarding. I have met most of my mentors (Esther, Lynette, I’m talking to you guys), my best friends (Bex, Corey, Liz that’s you), and other friends (almost anyone in the ASL department) through ASL and/or the program here at WWU. My professors and fellow students are some of my biggest supporters and advocates and from watching upperclassmen I know they will become family in the next two years. The Deaf community, while not for the shy (they are very open and blunt about everything including sex, periods, and any other subject imaginable) can influence, and shape you in a way you never thought possible. I cannot imagine my life without the Deaf and ASL and can hardly remember what it was like when I couldn’t communicate without sound. Every deaf person I have met has remembered my name and will ask how I am doing every time I see them (even if I saw them only a few hours beforehand), they genuinely care about others and just want to see their culture and language survive and not be destroyed. While I know this is not all the Deaf and there are bound to be rude or inconsiderate Deaf out there (there are people like that in every culture) I know that no Deaf person would ever do anything they think would hurt their culture or language because they find it so dear to them, they do not want to lose it. 

I know I have been rambling so I will leave it at that, but if you have any questions, comments, or anything else, about Deaf culture, the community, or the Major (duh), please feel free to strike up a conversation in the comments and I will be happy to talk to you. 

Until next time, 

Love God, Love Others, Love Disney,

~Lacey