This is an introductory course designed for students with little or no knowledge of American Sign Language (ASL). Students will learn basic skills to communicate with Deaf people, and some of the rules of ASL grammar and syntax.
Students will acquire the fundamental elements of ASL. Emphasis is placed on the progressive development of basic expressive and receptive skills through a variety of activities.
Students are introduced to the culture of Deaf people and their community. Students will examine Deaf culture and make comparisons and contrasts with other cultures. The language, values, norms, traditions and identity that make up the world view of Deaf people will be discussed along with the understanding of how ASL influences their culture.
This course provides information on the history of Deaf people and their community, from the era of Egyptian civilization to present. The main focus of the course will center on the history of Deaf people in Canada. Discussion will surround important events and persons in the history of the Deaf community.
Visual Vernacular refers to telling a story using your hands and body but without using ASL or fingerspelling. This course provides students with the opportunity to develop non-verbal skills to increase their comfort when communicating in a visual medium. Students will use techniques such as facial expressions, gestures, pantomime, and body language to communicate. Emphasis will be placed on elements of ASL that include the use of eye gaze, classifiers, role shifting, and utilization of space.
This course provides an overview of the field of ASL-English interpreting, including its history, social perspectives, roles, responsibilities, ethical and professional practices, along with past and current theories of Interpretation.
This course focuses on English and is designed to develop competencies that are necessary for both the consecutive and simultaneous Interpreter. Through classroom lectures and lab work, students will develop competencies in text analysis and cognitive multi-tasking. Topics covered include Understanding Meaning, Abstracting, Paraphrasing, Phonemic Shadowing, Clozing, and Phrase Shadowing.
This course is designed to increase fluency in ASL through exposure to naturally occurring language, culturally appropriate behaviours, dialogue, and practice drills. It is also designed to develop skills in visualization and spatial organization, with particular attention given to the conventional use of ASL classifiers and the use of space.
In this course, students continue to acquire the fundamental elements of ASL. Emphasis is placed on the progressive development of basic expressive and receptive skills through a variety of activities.
Interacting in culturally diverse settings often presents challenges for uninitiated participants. This course will prepare students for cross-cultural encounters with the primary focus being between Deaf and non-Deaf people. Topics include cross-cultural theory, the enculturation process, oppression, feedback and conflict resolution.
This course provides an introduction of literature in ASL. Students will have the opportunity to watch ASL literature and engage in discussions about various works. The literature includes poetry, narratives, Deaf humour, Deaf folklore and other genres that have been passed from one generation to another by culturally Deaf people.
Everyone communicates, but are they doing it well? Communicative competence takes practice and self-awareness. By developing their communication skills, the student will improve their interpersonal ability, intercultural competence, and digital fluency to prepare the student for success in the workplace. In Communication Strategies, the student will learn through discovery and project-based activities to practice approaching situations critically and collaboratively. The strategies the student will gain in this course will be useful throughout their program and in their chosen industry.
This is a practical course in English that develops the student’s ability to efficiently think about, organize and express concepts. Throughout the course, students will participate in a variety of individual and group activities that provide practice in processing, organizing and conceptualizing information. In subsequent courses, these skills will be further developed and utilized during the process of interpretation. The English source language materials provided will increase in length and complexity as the course progresses in order to better prepare students for the eventual task of consecutive and simultaneous ASL-English interpretation.