Explore the most common definitions of culture, the difference between culture and community, language acquisition, and the relationship of language to culture. Learn basic cultural concepts, including language, identity, values, norms, rules of social interaction, and traditions within various Deaf and Hard of Hearing communities, and apply those concepts towards an understanding of their effect on the individual. You will also examine current linguistic, political, social, philosophical, and future directions within Deaf and Hard of Hearing communities. Pre-requisites: competency screening and acceptance into the Program. Sessions: 10 (3 hours each). 

Topics concerning the role, function, and skills required of an interpreter are covered in this introduction course. You will examine cross-cultural issues affecting interpreters, current trends in research and the advancement of the field, and the various arenas in which interpreters work. Pre-requisites: competency screening and acceptance into the Program. Sessions: 12 (3 hours each). 

Practice requisite skills and process tasks needed for interpretation. You will focus primarily on intralingual language exercises, including shadowing, prediction and anticipation, memory enhancement, text analysis for goal and main points, and paraphrasing. Process models and descriptions, such as CIT, Colonomos, Isham and Selekovitch, will also be covered, and you will begin to apply these to observed interpretations. Exercises will be conducted in both English and American Sign Language. Pre-requisites: competency screening and acceptance into the Program. Sessions: 12 (3 hours each). 

Gain field experience by providing 15 to 20 hours of service in community-based organizations that require the use of American Sign Language (ASL). You will have opportunities to acquire knowledge and develop skills while being of assistance to the Deaf Community. Seminar sessions foster reflective, critical and creative thinking in relation to your field experience. Pre-requisites: competency screening and acceptance into the Program. 

Receive an introduction to theories of interpreting and translation through readings, class discussion, journals writing and hands-on translation practice. Apply these theories to your own translated works in both target languages, American Sign Language and English. Through readings and source materials that are multi-culturally generated, Investigate how culture, power relations and context can influence translations. Learn about text analysis and intra-and inter-lingual paraphrasing as a foundation for interpreting, and translate increasingly expanding and complex units of material. Begin to apply the Gish model of interpreting as a platform for your translation work. Pre-requisites: Interpreting I and Introduction to the Field of Interpreting. Sessions: 12 (3 hours each). 

Examine the role of language in a variety of settings and situations—its impact on our daily lives, from the basic mechanics to the subtle and integral effects it has on our most personal beliefs, values, and attitudes—and the implications for interpreting. Explore a variety of language issues, both at the individual level and at the societal level. Emphasis will be placed on American Sign Language and English. Pre-requisite: Introduction to the Field of Interpreting. Sessions: 12 (3 hours each). 

Gain additional field experience by providing 15 to 20 hours of service in community-based organizations that require the use of American Sign Language (ASL). You will have new opportunities to acquire knowledge and develop skills while being of assistance to the Deaf Community. Seminar sessions foster reflective, critical and creative thinking in relation to your field experience. Pre-requisite: Service Learning I. 

Examine further theories of interpreting and translation through readings, class discussion, journals writing and hands-on translation practice. Apply these theories to your own translated works in both target languages, American Sign Language and English. Through readings and source materials that are multi-culturally generated, investigate how culture, power relations and context can influence translations. Learn about text analysis and intra-and inter-lingual paraphrasing as a foundation for interpreting and translate increasingly expanding and complex units of material. Begin to apply the Gish model of interpreting as a platform for your translation work. Pre-requisites: Interpreting II and Language in Use. Sessions: 12 (3 hours each). 

Gain an understanding of discourse; recognize features of discourse used in American Sign Language, such as register, spatial mapping, prosody, discourse structures, rhetorical analysis, involvement and interaction strategies, coherence and cohesion, and framing; and enhance your use of ASL through incorporation of these features. Compare discourse features in English with those of ASL. Sample multicultural discourse styles and analyze how knowledge of discourse affects your work as an interpreter. Pre-requisite: Language in Use. Sessions: 12 (3 hours each). 

Gain additional field experience by providing 15 to 20 hours of service in community-based organizations that require the use of American Sign Language (ASL). You will have new opportunities to acquire knowledge and develop skills while being of assistance to the Deaf Community. Seminar sessions foster reflective, critical and creative thinking in relation to your field experience. Pre-requisite: Service Learning II. 

Study and practice ASL/English interpretation through the understanding and use of the consecutive mode of interpreting and transitioning to the simultaneous mode. Further your skills and knowledge through continued study and practice of text analysis, visualization, process management skills and tools for self-analysis and peer feedback. Pre-requisite: Interpreting III. Co-requisite: Interpreting IV Internship. Sessions: 12 (3 hours each). 

Observe certified interpreters or (with permission) other appropriately skilled professional interpreters in various interpreting settings. You will spend 25 hours in an on-going field placement and the remaining 25 hours in other settings. Focusing on different aspects of interpretation at each session and discussing your observations and questions with the professional interpreters, you will compare field experiences with your classroom learning and consider various interpreter settings, with a view towards your own career choices. Field supervisors complete student evaluations. Co-requisite: Interpreting IV. Sessions: 4 (2 hours each). 

Explore personal ethics and values that influence an interpreter’s decision-making process as well as cultural and socio-political implications. Examine moral considerations and ethical systems, address power relationships between the hearing interpreter and the Deaf community, and more. Pre-requisites: Interpreting III and ASL Discourse. Sessions: 12 (3 hours each). 

Receive further in-depth study and practice of ASL/English interpretation through the understanding and use of the simultaneous mode of interpreting. Focus on both individual and team interpreting; compare transliteration and interpretation; practice transliteration; and review the business of interpretation and work settings, as you prepare to begin working in the field. Deaf individuals will be invited to class to participate as your “audience.” Pre-requisites: Interpreting IV and Interpreting IV Internship. Sessions: 12 (3 hours each). 

Explore interpreting in the educational setting in order to address service provision for mainstream students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Topics include history and laws that affect educational interpreting, cognitive and linguistic development (both first and second language acquisition), language in education, roles and skills of educational specialist, and the impact of classroom variables on accessibility and interpretability. You will have the opportunity to analyze a variety of real classroom environments, and guest speakers will be incorporated. Pre-requisites: Interpreting IV and Ethics and Decision-Making for Interpreters, or permission of instructor. Sessions: 12 (3 hours each). 

Interpreting VI is the capstone class in the ASL Interpreting program sequence, allowing you to refine your skills in conveying meaning across the ASL-English continuum. Completion of this course demonstrates your ability to work at the entry-level in the field of ASL Interpreting. Pre-requisite: Interpreting V. Co-requisite: Interpreting VI Internship. Sessions: 12 (3 hours each). 

Seminar sessions provide an arena for discussing your experiences in analyzing and evaluating interpreting strategies, examining theoretical and practical issues in interpretation, grappling with ethical considerations, and incorporating learning into your work. Field supervisors will complete student evaluations. Co-requisite: Interpreting VI. 100 Hours.