American Sign Language (ASL) is a natural human language, one of many human languages that use the visual and gestural system as a basis for communication, rather than the auditory and vocal systems used in spoken languages. ASL is based on the idea that sight is the most practical tool a deaf person has to communicate and collect messages. Handshapes, gestures, facial expressions, hand and body movements, position, and other visual cues are utilized to form words in ASL. ASL is not related to English, and has its own unique grammar and vocabulary.
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WHERE TO START
Department:
Language Sciences
Advisor:
Becky Shields, rashields@wisc.edu
Intro Class:
LING 351: American Sign Language I
LING 351 (ASL 1) and LING 352 (ASL 2) count toward the L&S language requirement; however, at this time, UW-Madison does not offer ASL coursework beyond these levels. If you are looking to use ASL coursework to fulfill 3 or 4 units of a language for your L&S language requirement, consider taking additional coursework through the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee American Sign Language Studies Program or another institution.
Additional ASL Option:
American Sign Language is also taught through the Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders as CS&D 424: Sign Language I, which covers basic ASL and manually coded English. This course is oriented toward service professionals, and does not count toward the L&S language requirement.
PROGRAMS OUTSIDE OF UW-MADISON
American Sign Language Studies Major at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Madison College
ASL Courses (Non-Credit)
ASL Interpreter Program
Wisconsin Association of the Deaf
ASL Beginner Courses
LANGUAGE TABLE
Badgers Sign is an ASL student organization that uses ASL in their meetings. Follow their Instagram page for updates.