AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE COURSE OPENS NEW WORLD FOR BLINN COLLEGE STUDENTS
Carly Carter never has to worry about coming down with a case of the Mondays.
“Mondays are my favorite day because that’s when I have my American Sign Language class,” the second-year Blinn College student from Rhome, Texas said.
Carter fell in love with deaf culture during interactions with a family friend who worked as an interpreter for a school district. She picked up bits of the language as a child, later enrolling at Blinn to refine her skills. She will begin the final American Sign Language (ASL) course at Blinn next month.
“I just love sign language,” Carter said. “The professors have such big personalities. They are funny and caring, and just a different breed of professor.”
| Course | Semester | Learning Outcomes |
| SGNL 1401: Beginning ASL I | Spring
Summer I Fall |
Intro to ASL. Students acquire an understanding of deaf culture, history, alphabet, vocabulary, etc. |
| SGNL 1402: Beginning ASL II | Spring
Summer II Fall |
Conducted mostly without voice. Focused on sign vocabulary, numbers, finger spelling. |
| SGNL 2301: Intermediate ASL I | Summer I
Fall
|
Extensive exposure to body language, ASL. Emphasis on expressive skills and linguistic features. |
| SGNL 2302: Intermediate ASL II | Spring
Summer II Fall |
Further study in ASL vocabulary, grammar, syntax. Students develop, practice conversational skills. |
Blinn’s ASL courses equip students with an understanding of the visual and gestural language, including its history and culture, and the alphabet, vocabulary, grammatical structures and conversational behaviors. The College offers four ASL courses: Beginning American Sign Language I and II (SGNL 1401 and 1402), and Intermediate American Sign Language I and II (SGNL 2301 and 2302). Courses cover facial expressions, body language, gestures and more. The courses satisfy foreign language credits needed for transfer to four-year institutions.
ASL is the third most widely-used language in the U.S., and enhances students’ knowledge of deaf culture. In additional to personal enhancement, students who sign are prepared for an array of careers, including teaching, counseling and consulting for the deaf.
Three professors, all whom are deaf, teach courses on Blinn’s Brenham and Bryan campuses. Each instructor accelerates language mastery by exclusively using sign language in the classroom beyond the introductory course. Students sit in a U-shaped arrangement to better interact with one another and their professor while learning both the receptive and expressive aspects of the language.
Students begin to pick up the language within just two to three weeks of exposure and practice, said ASL professor Robyn Marcak, who has over 17 years of ASL teaching experience, including the last eight at Blinn.
“I am completely deaf and do not use my voice in the classroom,” Marcak said. “It can be a little scary for the students at first, but with practice—watching videos and signing to one another—they begin to sign very quickly.”
After taking her first ASL course at Blinn and connecting with the deaf community in College Station, Carter was inspired to teach deaf children and their hearing parents ASL. She plans to transfer to Texas Tech University to earn a bachelor’s degree in education and minor in ASL.
“Blinn led me to my career path,” Carter said. “The instructors are the most fantastic I’ve ever had. You can feel their passion for the language and culture in the way they teach. It has really inspired me and I hope other students will seize the amazing learning opportunity within the ASL program.”
Registration for the Spring semester is open through Jan. 18, with classes beginning Jan. 19. For enrollment information and to learn about financial aid opportunities, visit: www.blinn.edu.