ID

two people using sign language at a table outside

American Sign Language Studies

The American Sign Language (ASL) certificate allows you to develop your skills in ASL and gain a deeper understanding of language and culture within the Deaf community.

Available as

Certificate

See admission requirements See tuition info

Description

Study a Widely Used Language

Throughout the program, you’ll develop a depth of knowledge and skill in the use of ASL, apply semantic and linguistic elements of ASL in your use of the language, appreciate the distinct culture of the Deaf community, and behave according to the social norms of Deaf culture. Courses cover grammar, dialogue, and narrative, including receptive and expressive skills, as well as Deaf culture and historical influences and impacts on the Deaf community through political activism, laws, information access, educational philosophies, and communication systems.

Opening doors to more opportunities and connections, the certificate is available to all UWEC students and is an excellent complement to any major.

Degree Types

Program Details

Degree Types

Certificate

Degree Level undergraduate

Available asCertificate

College College of Health and Human Sciences

Department

Communication Sciences and Disorders Department

Campus

Eau Claire

Offered

On Campus

Requires a minor No

Authored on

Hallmarks

Woman smiles while signing using ASL in conversation with another person.

In-Demand Skills

Did you know ASL is the third most widely used language in our country? The skills you gain through learning ASL are invaluable in almost any career and can help enhance your life, both professionally and personally.

Access to the American Sign Language Honor Society

While pursuing the ASL studies certificate, you'll have the opportunity to join the UW-Eau Claire American Sign Language Honor Society (ASLHS). This is an excellent way to join other students and community members as you work on your expressive/receptive ASL skills while meeting the needs of your local community.

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Blugold Stories

Learning in Action

All signs point to opportunity for Elle Snesrud

Elle Snesrud is graduating from UW-Eau Claire in 3.5 years with a degree in psychology and a certificate in American Sign Language — and she is adding her language skills to the final act as a Blugold at commencement. Snesrud will sign the national anthem at her ceremony on Dec. 21.

Learning in Action

Blugolds Fly Together

Join the ASL Honor Society

Serve as an advocate of the Deaf community and demonstrate your commitment to scholarship, community service, and personal excellence. Through the ASL Honor Society, you'll experience volunteer and service-learning projects, raise awareness on and off campus about Deaf culture and ASL, and graduate with honors from UWEC.

Learn more about student orgs at UWEC

Blugolds Fly Together

Academic Excellence

Next step grad school, again as a Blugold, for CSD major Kyra Saylor

Kyra Saylor is looking forward to graduation, heading home for the summer, coaching softball and taking a break from school. But not for too long. She will resume her Blugold studies in the master's degree program for speech-language pathology this fall.

Academic Excellence

Flex Content

Program Placement Screening Information

American Sign Language (ASL) placement screening is used to determine the appropriate course level for students who have prior experience with ASL. The information obtained through the placement screening interview will be used to help determine which level will best meet your ASL skills and support your learning. Please keep in mind, even if you took an equivalent course at another institution, there are different course outcomes, number of credits and ASL curricula, so placement screening is necessary to determine the best course for you at UW-Eau Claire.

Students who are successful at the placement exam are those who have recently taken a formal ASL class, were taught in a voices-off environment or learned the language from a Deaf family/community member and are willing to do self-review prior to taking the next course.

If you are interested in a placement screening, please fill out the e-form below. An interviewer will then contact you to set up an interview. It will take approximately 20 minutes and will be completed either in person or via a video interface. You will be asked a series of questions in a conversational style. It will be conducted in ASL only, with no vocalizing or speaking allowed.

You will be assessed on:

Fluency in use of ASL.
Comprehension abilities of conversation in ASL.
Proper use of ASL grammar.
Use of ASL vocabulary in discourse.
Articulation (clarity of sign production, flow and cadence between signs).
Cultural norms in conversation.

Fill out the ASL placement screening e-form here.

Courses information

SampleCourses

While completing the American Sign Language studies certificate, your courses will expose you to the key grammatical features, narratives, target vocabulary and cultural norms of ASL. Your studies will focus on nearly every aspect of the language — from the specific grammar and mechanics to the cultural perspectives of the Deaf community. Through this work, you will gain sensitivity and understanding of Deaf culture and Deaf history perspectives within a global society, which will benefit you in your future career while communicating with others.

Here are a few courses in American Sign Language Studies at UW-Eau Claire.

CSD 101

American Sign Language I

In this course, students are introduced to American Sign Language (ASL), a visual-gestural language, and to Deaf culture. Students will learn frequently used phrasal signs, the basic rules of ASL grammar, introductory fingerspelling, and non-manual signals. Upon completion, students will demonstrate beginning conversational skills in ASL and introductory knowledge of Deaf cultural behaviors and history.

CSD 210

Cultural Perspectives of the Deaf

This course is an introduction to American Deaf Culture and introduces the Deaf community as a linguistic and cultural minority group. The course demonstrates the various roles of Deaf people within a larger society, including topics such as political activism, laws, access to information, educational philosophies, intersectionality, and communication systems. In addition, it focuses on historical influences in the lives of American Deaf people and in the lives of others. Course not conducted in ASL. No prior ASL experience required.

CSD 302

American Sign Language Linguistics

This course covers the major features of the linguistic structure and social uses of ASL: 1) Phonology– the study of the raw materials of signs; examination of the structure of the physical signals of ASL, the customary patterns for combining them, and the influence of signs on one another in connected discourse. 2) Morphology– building and storing words; study of the basic meaningful units of ASL, including discussion of word creation, compounding, borrowing, affixing, and numeral incorporation. 3) Syntax– building sentences and longer structures; examination of the word order of ASL sentences, non-manual syntactic signals, and discourse structures; discussion of the use of space in ASL, including an examination of verbs with subject and object agreement and of spatial-locative verbs. 4) Sociolinguistic Application– discussion of language variation and contact in the Deaf community.

Course Links

Learn more about the American Sign Language studies certificate in the UWEC course catalog

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