ASL 3310 (LUOA), ASLI 310 (LUO): Deaf Studies

07/01/2018 to 12/31/2199 • Modified 08/12/2026

Course Description

This course will address the history and current trends within the American Deaf community. Topics will include cultural, educational, and political aspects. There will be an element of Deaf literature and also sociolinguistics. 

Prerequisite: 

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

Rationale

Deaf culture encompasses a rich history, literature, and language. Understanding Deafness as a cultural identity aligns with Liberty University’s mission to foster appreciation and understanding of other cultures. 

Course Assignment

Discussions (8)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to create a 200-word thread in response to the provided prompts for the discussion. The student will also respond to at least 2 classmates’ threads to foster an engaging discourse relating to the topic. Replies should be 100 words each. The student will use MLA format to provide in-text citations and a citation list at the end of his/her post. 

Discussion: PowerPoint Project: Part 3: Video Presentation

The student will record a video presenting his/her PowerPoint Project: Part 2: Final Draft Assignment and post it to the discussion. The student will review classmates’ presentations and respond to at least 2 of them within the discussion.

Double Bubble Mind Map Assignment

Graphic organizers are useful to brainstorm about various topics and group ideas together to make sense of a complex topic. The student will use a graphic organizer, the Double Bubble Mind Map, to gather his/her ideas and document research findings regarding ASL topics. This exercise will inform the weekly discussion.

Educational Flyer Assignment

The student will create a 1-page educational flyer that will provide information gathered from readings and study materials with the result to bring educational awareness and information to both the deaf and hearing world.

Deaf Report Assignment

The student will write a 2-page report on a topic of your choice directly relating to a Deaf or hard of hearing individual, Deaf culture, Deaf advocacy/law, or other interest. The topic selected should be different than a topic selected in a previous course.

Poem Analysis Assignment

The student will compose 200–300-word content analysis of a poem written by a Deaf author. In the analysis, the student will focus on the following components of the poem: themes (such as “Deaf Can”), speaker’s (signer’s) perspective, mood, and message of the poem.

PowerPoint Project: Part 1: Rough Draft Assignment

The student will choose an aspect of Deaf culture to research for this project. This should not be a previously researched topic in this course or any other ASLI courses. Then, using the research, the student will create a PowerPoint preliminary layout of the subtopics to address in a presentation about the research topic.

PowerPoint Project: Part 2: Final Draft Assignment

Taking all of the feedback from the professor and implementing any necessary improvements or changes, the student will revise his/her PowerPoint Project: Part 1: Rough Draft Assignment and create a Final Draft of the presentation which the student will later present in the Discussion: PowerPoint Project: Part 3: Video Presentation.

Quiz: Mid-Term Exam

The student will answer multiple choice, true/false, fill-in-the-blank, and essay questions in response to the material he/she studies in the first 4 modules of the course.