American Sign Language Minor
From the Department of Communication Sciences and Special Education, a minor in American Sign Language (ASL) is for students who want to develop advanced language knowledge and skills in ASL, competence in the linguistic structure of ASL, and understanding of the status of ASL as the language of the Deaf culture in the United States.
Competency in ASL is a natural complement for students interested in education, human services, speech/audiology, as well as a variety of therapeutic and other professional careers. ASL and spoken languages have many similarities and differences that enable the appreciation of the diversity of human language.
Curriculum
Required Courses: 9 hours
- AMSL 2010 or AMSL 2010E: American Sign Language III (3 hours, required)
- AMSL 2020 or AMSL 2020E: American Sign Language IV (3 hours, required)
- AMSL 3000: Deaf Studies (3 hours, required, Spring Semester Only)
Elective Courses: 6 Hours
Students choose two courses from the list below.
- AMSL 3010: Deaf Culture and History of American Sign Language in France. Summer Study Away (3 hours, elective)
- AMSL 3020: Visual-Gesture Communication (3 hours, elective, Fall Semester Only)
- AMSL 3030: American Sign Language Literature (3 hours, elective, Fall Semester Only; course is delivered fully using AMSL; students should have completed AMSL 2010 prior to enrolling)
- AMSL 4010: Peer Learning Assistants in American Sign Language (3 hours, elective, permission of department required)
- CMSD/LING 3120: Study of Language Development (3 hours, elective)
- LING 3150 or LING 3150W*: Generative Syntax (3 hours, elective)
- LING 3350*: Language, Mind, and Brain (3 hours, elective)
- LING 4175/6175*: Second Language Acquisition (3 hours, elective)
*LING 2100 is a prerequisite for this course.
COMM 4800 (Intercultural Communication) and SOCI 3010 (Sociology of Culture) can be used as electives effective Fall 2025.