OSU Led the Way to Learn American Sign Language With its ASL Bachelor’s Degree

 

If your desire was to learn American Sign Language (ASL) in the 1800’s fewer educational organizations could offer more value than Oklahoma State University. Oklahoma State University (OSU), founded on December 25, 1890 as Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College in Stillwater, OK, has evolved into one of the foremost land-grant universities in the United States, thanks to its rich traditions and progressive academic culture.

In the fall of 2021, OSU made its American Sign Language (ASL) major into a bachelor’s degree program, a crucial development for students who want to study signing and possibly teach ASL in the US or around the world. The move was also a great leap forward for the D/HoH community, which has long been under-resourced by both the public and private sectors. Previously, ASL was only offered as a minor at OSU. Dr. Woodall-Greene, who was then an adjunct professor close to receiving her doctorate, applied for the position. Dr. Woodall-Greene was selected as the program’s tenure track professor.

Once accepted, students are required to take classes such as American Sign Language I, II, and III that develop students' receptive and expressive skills in real-world situations and introduce various aspects of Deaf Culture, such as finger spelling, numbers, classifiers, and facial expressions. The various accents and idiomatic features of sign language are also taught. Following courses in the program include Interpreting Concepts in American Sign Language, Linguistics of American Sign Language, and American Sign Language Poetry, all of which help students learn more about ASL grammar, idioms, linguistics, and other topics.

Students who major in ASL at Oklahoma State University can pursue a variety of academic and career paths after gaining a broad background in ASL through these courses. They can double major and work toward a job in a different field, such as electronic media, or they can become interpreters in the business world, military, government, or other areas.

A Bachelor’s in Interpretation May be the Next Step for ASL at OSU

Dr. Woodall-Greene hopes that OSU will be able to start a bachelor's degree program for ASL interpreters to support its current ASL bachelor's program. Because there are so few certified ASL interpreters available, she says a bachelor's degree in ASL interpreting would benefit any type of profession. She adds, "If you have those [ASL] skills, the Deaf community is going to go to you because you can communicate with them in their first language. And they don’t have to try to figure it out via their second language.”