American Sign Language
Students minoring in ASL gain intermediate proficiency in vocabulary and grammar, with opportunities to advance their understanding of grammar, sociolinguistics, and language variation. Coursework also emphasizes culturally appropriate interaction within the Deaf community and critical exploration of topics such as Deaf culture, history, education, sociology, law, art, and literature from a Deaf cultural perspective. This minor is especially relevant for students pursuing careers in speech and hearing sciences, education, social work, and nursing.
Program Overview
Degree availability: Minor in American Sign Language
Years offered: 3 years
Contact: Department of Linguistics
"ASL is actually doing a really interesting thing, where, for an hour each week, we go to the hub, and there's like three different sections, and we play games and sign in ASL. And I think that's like, I just got back from that the first one, but I think that's going to be really nice for also practicing language skills, but feeling like, Oh, these are people. These are my peers. And like, we're together." - UW ASL Student
Course Information
Course Catalog
- ASL 101 Elementary American Sign Language
- ASL 102 Elementary American Sign Language II
- ASL 103 Elementary American Sign Language III
- ASL 134 Intensive First Year ASL
- ASL 201 Intermediate American Sign Language I
- ASL 202 Intermediate American Sign Language II
- ASL 203 Intermediate American Sign Language III
- ASL 234 Intensive Intermediate American Sign Language
- ASL 301 Advanced American Sign Language I
- ASL 302 Advanced ASL II
- ASL 303 Advanced ASL III
- ASL 305 Introduction to American Deaf Culture
- ASL 306 Deaf History
- ASL 334 Intensive Advanced American Sign Language
- ASL 480 Special Topics in American Sign Language
- ASL 495 Literature and Poetry
- ASL 499 Independent Study or Research
Faculty Research
Student Success Stories
More About ASL
Global
- Total users in all countries: 989,605 (as L1: 858,605; as L2: 131,000)
- Used in 25 countries.
Learning
- ASL is a very popular college subject, often ranking third after Spanish and French in enrollment, showing strong interest in learning it.
Culture & Diplomacy
- Sign languages are recognized by the United Nations as part of linguistic human rights.
- Utilized in professional environment, healthcare and government.
Travel & Career
- Primarily used in U.S. and English speaking Canada, serving as the main language in Deaf communities.
- Opens doors to career in education, communication, technology and other services working with Deaf population.
