Add a Minor in American Sign Language
The undergraduate Minor in American Sign Language (ASL) requires 16 semester hours of ASL coursework, including 12 semester hours of which must be in advanced courses numbered 2500 or above taken at the University of Iowa. Students must maintain a grade-point average (GPA) of at least 2.00 in all courses for the minor and in all UI courses for the minor. Coursework in the minor may not be taken pass/nonpass.
Students with previous knowledge of American Sign Language, should take the World Languages Placement Test (WLPT) to determine the best level for your first enrollment in a language course.
The minor must include ASL:2002 - American Sign Language IV or demonstrated equivalent proficiency. Only one American Sign Language in English course (prefix ASLE) may be applied to the minor in ASL; if students choose to apply an ASLE course toward the minor, it must be taken for 4 semester hours. All ASLE courses are taught in English.
| Title | Hours |
|---|---|
| Core American Sign Language course or demonstrated proficiency | 4 |
| Advanced ASL courses numbered 2500 or above | 12 |
| Total hours | 16 |
No Voice in the Classroom Policy
The ASL program has a stringent no voice in the classroom policy. From the moment you enter the classroom, all conversation should be in ASL. From the first day, your classroom is a speech-free zone, before and after as well as during class.
Reasons for the policy
- You will learn ASL more quickly and effectively. Good language learning requires active learning. You will find that struggling to put all of your thoughts into ASL for these fifty minutes a day will have a marked effect on your communicative fluency.
- In addition to learning the language of the Deaf community, you are also learning Deaf culture. This is an issue of respect for both the language and the culture of the Deaf community.
- Speaking in class may leave you open to suspicion of cheating. Even if you are not attempting to cheat, your professors cannot always tell the difference between an innocent comment whispered to a classmate and cheating. We may have to assume it is the latter and act accordingly.
- It distracts and annoys other students in the class. Concentrating on putting yourself in a visual-only mode will make it easier for you to process the tremendous amount of visual information that you will encounter in ASL classes. Every time you talk, it makes it harder for other students to maintain this visual concentration.
Remember that when you enter an ASL class, leave your voice at the door. It is really not as scary as it sounds!
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