UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. —  Students at Penn State will soon be able to take American Sign Language (ASL) to satisfy the bachelor of arts World Language degree requirement.

The Penn State Faculty Senate recently voted to approve CSD 428 (ASL IV) as a permanent course. With ASL IV approved as a permanent course, Penn State will now offer ASL through the 12th credit level of proficiency, making ASL eligible for students to use to fulfill their bachelor of arts World Language requirement, effective spring 2024.

The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders has offered ASL courses for many years, but up until recently only offered two courses. It was not until 2020 that development of ASL III began, and more recently ASL IV in 2022. With the approval of this new course, Penn State’s expanding program will allow students to build confidence in communicating with ASL.

“American Sign Language is the fourth most learned language in the United States and our students will have the opportunity to interact with ASL users in their professions, in the general public, and in their social and community lives,” said Sommar Chilton, associate teaching professor of communication sciences and disorders and ASL program coordinator. “The ASL IV course will provide the opportunity for high levels of ASL exposure and learning opportunities that will occur both inside and outside of the classroom including learning from Deaf professors whose natural language is ASL.”

Contrary to popular belief, ASL is not "English on the hands," said Chilton. Like any language, ASL has its own vocabulary, syntax, idioms, slang and accents. In addition to ASL, there are over 250 different signed languages used throughout the world. ASL is a complete language that some students may find challenging to learn the same way students can find auditory languages challenging, according to Chilton.

In 2016, the Modern Language Association reported there were 107,060 students enrolled in learning ASL nationwide. That number has and will continue to grow over time as more institutions build ASL into their curricula.

With the support of the College of Health and Human Development and the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Chilton and the ASL program team envisions their program continuing to grow.

“Our ASL courses have been in demand for years, but I believe that they will continue to grow as more students have the opportunity to incorporate our courses into their academic plans,” said Chilton. “Next steps for us will be to look into options such as certificates and minors, along with collaboration opportunities with others at the University to see how we can best meet the goals of learning American Sign Language and spreading knowledge about the Deaf community and Deaf culture.”

The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders currently offers four ASL courses at Penn State University Park:

• CSD 218: American Sign Language I (3 credits)

• CSD 318: American Sign Language II (3 credits)

• CSD 418: American Sign Language III (3 credits)

• CSD 428: American Sign Language IV (3 credits)

Students looking to schedule ASL course offerings at Penn State can add specific courses to their shopping carts in LionPATH during the scheduling period and work with their academic advisers to determine where ASL best fits in their degree programs. It is important to note that reaching the 12th credit level of proficiency in ASL will require a four-semester sequence for students starting in ASL I.

Learn more about American Sign Language courses offered by the Penn State Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.