Texas Language Center | College of Liberal Arts
skip to content The University of Texas at Austin

ASL

Overview

The signed language program within the Department of Linguistics has two main missions:

  • to offer language instruction in American Sign Language (ASL), and
  • to offer advanced training in research on the linguistics of signed languages.

Fulfilling the Foreign Language Requirement. Undergraduates may fulfill the College of Liberal Arts’ foreign language requirement by taking ASL courses. We encourage students to consult with their academic advisor about the requirements that are specific to their degree plan.

We offer a 3-course sequence designed to develop students’ language skill with the goal of reaching intermediate language proficiency: ASL 601D, 610D, and 311D. The titles for the courses are:

601D: ASL I Beginning, 610D: ASL II Beginning, Second Semester, 311D: ASL III Intermediate

The American Sign Language Minor is available by admission only. Students need to demonstrate an appropriate level of fluency before applying to the minor. Students may apply while they are taking ASL 610D, although such applicants will be reviewed near the end of that semester. 

Students who are accepted into the minor will be required to complete 21 semester credit hours, including the following or their equivalents:

Requirements:

  • ASL 601D & ASL 610D – 12 hours
  • ASL 311D – 3 hours
  • Six hours of upper-division American Sign Language – 6 hours

ASL

ASL serves as the predominant sign language within deaf communities in Anglophone North America, as well as parts of West Africa and Southeast Asia. It is believed that there are between 250,000 and 500,000 users of ASL. 

Course Offerings for Summer 2023

ASL f601D AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE I: BEG (First session)
This course aims to support a student's learning of American Sign Language (ASL) and is appropriate for students who have no previous knowledge of ASL.  Students work on developing perceptual, attentional, manual, and non-manual skills necessary to learn ASL, and successfully manage various uncomplicated communicative tasks in straightforward social situations.  The course introduces the student to vocabulary and grammar for introducting oneself, exchanging personal information, talking about surroundings, giving directions, and descriving various activities.  The course also includes the teaching of information about Deaf culture, history, values, social norms, communication norms, and the role that those norms play in the Deaf community.

ASL f311D AM SIGN LANG III: INTERMED-WB (First session)
This course focuses on developing Intermediate-High to Advanced-Low proficiency following ACTFL speaking guidelines. This course covers additional grammatical topics (e.g., rhetorical questions and conditionals, use of the signing space for indicating grammatical relationships, and strategies for negating propositions). Vocabulary building focuses on learning multiple signs that could correspond with single words in English. As such, comparisons between ASL and English will figure more prominently in this course, in order to emphasize differences across the two languages while also pointing out areas of English influence on ASL. Complex issues within Deaf Culture (e.g., cochlear implants and eugenics ) are dicussed.

ASL s610D AMER SIGN LANGUAGE II: BEG-WB (Second session)
This course focuses on developing Intermediate-Low to Intermediate-Mid proficiency following ACTFL speaking guidelines. The course covers more complex grammatical structures (e.g., use of classifier constructions and grammatical non-manual signals such as referential shift) and vocabulary items (e.g., the ASL numbering system including numeral incorporation and lexicalized fingerspelling). Students develop skills for engaging in conversations and discussions in ASL, and much focus is placed on interactive activities with peers on topics such as family and occupations, describing routines and activities, and making requests. Students continue to learn about Deaf Culture and the Deaf community (e.g., historical events and important figures in the community).

ASL f357 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH (First session)
Undergraduate Research. Supervised research experience. Individual instruction. May be repeated for credit. Offered on the letter-grade basis only. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing, American Sign Language 601D with a grade of at least B, and consent of instructor.

ASL s357 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH (Second session)
Undergraduate Research. Supervised research experience. Individual instruction. May be repeated for credit. Offered on the letter-grade basis only. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing, American Sign Language 601D with a grade of at least B, and consent of instructor.

Menu