ASL Literary and Visual Arts

Catalog description

Builds on the introduction of the tradition of the rich poetic, dramatic, visual vernacular and literature found in the American DEAF Community found in the American Sign Language courses. This tradition, provided through video, film, and live performances provides students with a basis for documenting this work through the building of the skills of interpreting it. Study important works of ASL poetry, storytelling performance genres of the past and present, by building a deeper understanding using translation techniques. As we work using original performances as touchstones to the DEAF Community, students also spend a great deal of time considering the emerging body of scholarship about this work. Students also seek out relationships with some of these DEAF artists themselves. In response, students provide four interpretative performances that they, in ASL, will present in a campus-wide public performance and lecture on the interpretation and importance of their chosen work and the artist who first performed it.