Part-time Study
Deaf Studies
Program Overview
The deaf studies certificate is intended primarily to achieve two purposes:
* to permit employees and volunteers to prepare themselves to communicate more effectively with deaf persons in their surrounding communities
* to provide a stimulating foundation for those who wish to pursue further education in the fields of interpreting for the deaf or deaf education
The deaf studies certificate is intended for people in the public and/or private sector who are interested in communicating effectively with deaf people in their communities. Classes in the certificate program provide a stimulating basic foundation in communicative and cultural competence in American Sign Language. It is ideally suited as an introduction to ASL and Deaf Culture for people who might be interested in subsequent course-work in the fields of interpreting for the deaf or deaf education. Rochester has the highest per capita population of deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals in the United States. There are numerous educational and social resources for this community here, making NTID the ideal place to begin your study of sign language.Curriculum Review
The 16-credit curriculum is composed of the seven courses listed below. Although a primary emphasis in the curriculum is learning basic American Sign Language, students also deepen their understanding of deafness through courses related to the physical, psychological, social, and linguistic aspects of deafness.
Courses include:
0876-211 American Sign Language I
0876-212 American Sign Language II
0876-213 American Sign Language III
0876-311 American Sign Language IV
0876-312 American Sign Language V
0876-241 Aspects and Issues of Deafness I
0876-242 Aspects and Issues of Deafness II
Substitution of one course for another is generally not permitted. Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 for courses in the program in order to receive the certificate.