Deaf Studies Online Programs

This is an introductory survey to the field of Deaf Studies that highlights cutting edge concepts and theories at use in this field. The course will show how deaf people and sign languages are integral aspects of human diversity and how societies have responded to this diversity across different social, temporal, and cultural moments and movements.

This course investigates how culture shapes the way people see the world. Students will explore cultural readings and examine various texts around us to understand how culture,identity and history frame experiences. Traditional courses in cultural studies assume that the meanings in this world are central in creating us -- individually and collectively. Students will examine how culture transmits a view of the world and power through critical analysis.

This course will begin with developing an understanding of the concept of "culture" and then will focus on the complexities and varieties of Deaf cultural experiences. Students will be asked to engage course materials through multi-disciplinary approaches in order to gain a critical appreciation of Deaf lives within historical, political and global contexts.

This course examines various forms of oppression by looking across different cultures and communities, then examines possible parallels occurring within the deaf community.

The formal title of this course is "Oral Traditions in the Deaf Community." The dynamics of oral cultures and their traditions will be introduced in this course by studying the development of oral literature and literary artists in other cultures. Then using this as a background, attempts will be made to study ASL literary traditions by looking at life histories, narratives, and poetry performances.

Prerequisite: Permission of department; contact aslconnect@gallaudet.edu.

This course will introduce students to the field of Disability Studies. As an emerging interdisciplinary field of study, Disability Studies does not approach disability as a "medical condition, but as a human condition" (Charlton). Instead of studying the causes and rehabilitation of persons with disabilities, we will explore the historical, social, political, religious, philosophical, and cultural influences that "construct" the category of "disability." We will also examine how persons with disabilities construct their own meanings and identities.

This course will explore how the field of women's studies came into being by way of the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention. Issues faced by both hearing and deaf women will be investigated: career, educational opportunities, reproduction, and patriarchy, among others.

This course primarily examines black deaf people in America including the Caribbean Islands and Africa. The course is organized to focus on the history, education, community and culture, language, and psychosocial forces that influence black deaf people's experience. It will concentrate on the social, political, and cultural development of a unique group of people that is a part of the general deaf community and the black community.