Program Overview

Welcome to American Sign Language Linguistics and Deaf Cultures (ASLD).  We offer a B.A. in ASL Linguistics and Deaf Cultures and for those interested in becoming an ASL-English interpreter, we offer an Option in Interpreting under our BA.  The Option requires acceptance to the ASLD BA through submission of a portfolio, an invitation for an in-person interview, and a written offer of admission to our Fall-only Option cohorts.  We also off a MINOR in ASL and Deaf Cultures.  A student from any major may take our ASLD BA or minor. Graduates of our BA program may choose to enter any profession aided by competencies in American Sign Language with a knowledge of American and global Deaf cultures (e.g. law, law enforcement, nursing, teaching, social work, and other service professions).  Students may also choose to pursue graduate studies in such fields as linguistics, interpreting, social work, teaching, law, business and other fields.  We expect our students graduating with the B.A. Option to eventually go on to become nationally certified interpreters who have a comprehensive background in linguistics, giving them an edge in their future professional practice.

We recognize and honor the diversity that exists within the American and global Deaf communities. We strive to offer our students opportunities to learn about local, national, and international variations within signed languages, and deaf communities. One goal of CSULB ASLD is to empower our future alumni to employ their ASL skills and understandings about human and linguistic diversity in whatever field they choose to pursue professionally.  Our hope is that our alumni will meet all people with professional discretion, interpersonal intelligence, and respect.

Student Learning Outcomes

Graduates of American Sign Language Linguistics and Deaf Cultures program should be able to demonstrate the following:

For the B.A. in ASL Linguistics and Deaf Cultures:

• To understand how to use American Sign Language in culturally appropriate ways;
• To be able to interpret language variations in terms of their cultural contexts;
• To be able to apply linguistic science to compare, identify parts and relationships of all languages, spoken and signed;
• To be able to critically judge and assess the quality of current ways of thinking about language and culture on local and global scales;
• To create new local and global understandings of deaf languages and cultures through assessments of current knowledge and own research.