American Sign Language Pedagogy at Kent State |

Welcome to the web site for

Kent State University's

Bachelor of Arts Program

American Sign Language!

WINTER WEATHER

JUST AN FYI/REMINDER - WITH WINTER MONTHS COMES THE CHANCE OF SNOW. IF THE UNIVERSITY DECIDES TO CLOSE A CAMPUS (DUE TO WEATHER OR ANY OTHER REASON), THEN ANY ASL LAB ON THAT CAMPUS WILL ALSO CLOSE AT THE SAME TIME AS THE CLASSES.

NAD Supports NVRC in Monitoring Super Bowl Commercials

The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) supports the efforts of the Northern Virginia Resource Center (NVRC) to monitor and count the number of Super Bowl commercials that are captioned. The deaf and hard of hearing community has engaged in an annual ritual of counting the number of captioned advertisements during the Super Bowl.

For information on how to participate, please go to Join NVRC to Monitor Captioning of Super Bowl Commercials (http://www.nad.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=243&qid=604378).

The NAD has worked for the past two years to increase the number of captioned commercials during the Super Bowl. For more information on this effort, go to NAD, NFL, and CBS Collaborate to Increase Captioned Super Bowl Commercials (http://www.nad.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=242&qid=604378).

The Diverseness of Diversity

Issues of diversity with faculty and the workplace

Join us in a series of engagements as we explore this important subject matter.

Upcoming events:

Speaker: Dr. Alfreda Brown

Dr. Alfreda Brown is Kent State University’s Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

February 11, 2010 – 7:00 PM

Governance Chambers, KSU

(Refreshments will be served)

Dr. Brown joined Kent State after serving 22 years in various positions at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) including three years as interim chief diversity officer. She served as a senior staff member to the institution’s president, chairing the Commission for Promoting Pluralism that implemented and coordinated efforts that let toward a multicultural campus.

Her experience ranges from grassroots mentoring of individuals and underrepresented groups to teaching classes abroad, leading university-wide diversity initiatives and serving as a senior

staff member in the president’s cabinet. She is a strong advocate for strategic planning and outcomes-based assessments to facilitate fact-based decision-making and the constant improvement of diversity initiatives.

Brown holds a bachelor’s degree from Roberts Wesleyan College, a master’s from RIT and a doctoral degree from Nova Southeastern University.

FEBRUARY 2010!

We're now back in FULL-SWING!

Mallory looks THRILLED!

FIRST....we want to CELEBRATE that the ASL program at Kent State University has achieved

NATIONAL RECOGNITION!

The National Council for Accreditation for Teacher Education, along with the SPA (State Partnership Association) American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages, recently reviewed the B.A. in ASL program at Kent State (in the College of Arts and Sciences, department of Modern and Classical Languages). Their evaluation of our ASL at KSU program stated:

"This program has redefined itself in several ways. Its new identity aligns with the culture and connections of the world of ASL. Candidates have been transformed into active and reflective practioners....The program regularly provides check points to ensure candidate success and program completion, with support systems in place.....standards are clearly defined and have rubrics that are appropriate to ASL....Several support systems have been put in place to provide candidates with opportunities to meet the high proficiency level required....Candidates spend a great deal of time during the program examining deaf culture and the connections between it and the speaking world that surrounds it....The Capstone Project (Advanced Proficiency's project) is a well articulated program that allows candidates to provide a great deal of connection between the hearing and deaf cultures. Course requirements have been updated to reflect the literary and literacy components of deaf culture. International connections have been made to expose candidates to the variety of language forms worldwide....There is more than adequate information provided to support that candidates obtain the content area background...candidates have multiple opportunities to apply the content in meaningful and purposeful experiences....With the reformatting of the program, candidates are immersed in active learning experiences throughout all their years of study....In addition, there has been a deliberate effort to apply the ACTFL/NCATE standards to change the framework of the program to reflect a more authentic representation of the culture and for candidates to acquire competence in reflecting the skills of the culture....The program will be listed as nationally recognized on websites and/or other publications of the SPA and NCATE. The institution may designate its program as nationally recognized by NCATE."

Be proud of yourselves and your program!

Now for some scenes from the beginning of the spring semester!

The Department of Modern and Classical Languages is also undergoing a regular review this year, through the university. Instructors and students have a chance to give feedback and comments to a university panel.

Bethany S going in to participate with the university panel's review of the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, which also occurred this year. Thank you to all the students who helped and gave feedback for the review!

From ASL 19202, with Steve Vickery, as students learn to use verbs and discuss occupations:

Meanwhile, Deaf Community and Culture has begun their research into the Deaf community. They're currently questioning how to differentiate between stereotype, myth, and data; investigating Paddy Ladd, Deafhood, and Deaf community artifacts; and gathering data from samples for their first of three mini research projects. It's been a big jump from just memorizing, and they tell me that all this thinking makes their heads hurt!

Deaf Culture and Community students - future ethnologists!

Looking for patterns in Deaf Folktales to see how they might fill different functions in the community.

Deaf Community and Culture students find out that thinking about culture or community or history as "Deaf" or "Hearing" is not accurate - it's too simplified. Things get a LOT more complicated when you consider all of the multicultural memberships of people, see them as individuals, not stereotypes, and start thinking about how cultures and communities interact. Here Culture and Community students debate how to place a young Navajo Deaf woman on the traditional Hearing/Deaf Venn sociogram.

Students in Linguistics II have also been working hard. They've been exploring and discussing the concepts of deep structure, transformations, surface structure, spatial maps, story maps, and discourse markers, as they get ready to take their SLPI interviews.

They've been making a LOT of use of technology to dissect and analyze their own ASL productions:

Regional campuses have been hard at work too! Nancy Resh shared these pictures of her ASL classes and lab at Kent State at Trumbull:

Speaking of ASL labs, the main campus ASL lab has hired two new ASL mentors:

Stefanie Bodenmiller and Moses McIntosh!

CONGRATULATIONS!! We're glad to have you on our team!

Christina and Louis will continue working in the main campus ASL lab, and Stefanie, Bethany, Jessica, and Melissa will also be available as ASC tutors.

You can come in, in person, or contact them for help via vp.

By the way, Christina wanted me to remind students that the alert student who finds the mistake she's purposely posted somewhere in the lab....can get 3 extra credit points from their instructor, once they confirm their "find" with Christina! So, if you're in the main campus lab, make sure you pay attention and read the info that is around the room! And you might be interested in knowing that the main campus lab served 1,088 students during fall 2010! Trumbull lab was also busy, serving 108 students!

ASL at KSU people have also found time to get out and around....

Amy M. made a find related to Ohio Deaf history, obtaining this postcard from the early 1900's, showing the reception room of the State School for the Deaf:

Amy's find made my day! Thank you for sharing it! The school originally was intended for Tallmadge, Ohio, where it opened for a short time. The building in Columbus has been since torn down, with a topiary garden planted on the site.

Mian and Christina also found time to get away from studies, and attend an Anime convention in Columbus! Christina has also begun her student teaching in Trumbull county, and we wish her a GREAT semester!

So it's been a busy start to the new semester, with lots of hard-working students and instructors, great news regarding our program's national recognition, and...some time for fun! But there's still more to come....

Students, especially in ASL 39202, are busy preparing for the ASL Academic Challenge in March! They've made a BEAUTIFUL poster to advertise it, and are starting to go from class to class to explain the event.

Students are also busy preparing to compete at the state-wide ASL Idol contest in Columbus this March. Ashley O. and Amber F. are considering what to present. WE WISH ALL THE ASL KSU CONTESTANTS GOOD LUCK!

GOOD LUCK ALSO to all the ASL 39202 students going to OSD or WPSD to take their Sign Language Proficiency Interviews in Febuary and March, and to the ASL 29202 students who are beginning to prepare their portfolio presentations for March and April!

Eleven ASL students from 39202 and 29202 are also busy planning a trip to NTID/RIT in April, with Steve Vickery and Nancy Resh. We're hoping the snow melts by then!

It sounds like they'll have a GREAT trip, with a tour of the campus, and breakfast and lunch provided by NTID/RIT. It seems students from David Stewart's ASL classes at Cleveland Heights/University Heights High School may be joining with the KSU students at Rochester - fantastic!

Students are moving around and even technology is moving! The on-line lab and ASL video news sites are currently being worked on and improved. They will both be changing site addresses, and the on-line lab will now be more user-friendly for Mac users. Thank you Landon Kearns and Dr. Koby for your work on these sites!

Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf will be coming to Kent State main campus for the Spring Job and Internship Fair, on Wednesday, April 7, 2010. It's ALWAYS a great idea to go to the fair, network and meet people, and get some practice interviewing with future employers. And by the way, if you go over to the Career Center on main campus, say hello to Jody B. who just graduated from KSU with a minor in ASL! If you go to the library on main campus, also say hi to Jasmine J. who graduated in December as an ASL major and is now in graduate school!

BVR will be holding a Town Hall meeting at Kent State at Trumbull March 20th, so make sure you look on the page listing events and activities. And unless there is a snow cancellation, South West Deaf Catholic will be holding a Chinese New Year Dingo party on February 19th.

Stark Campus's Silent Weekend is also on the calendar for this month - for more info click here: http://thorykksu.webs.com/ksuatstarksilentwknd.htm

New student applicants are also starting to make appointments to come and sit in on classes, visit in the ASL lab, and tour the campus. Please help make them feel welcome when you see them in Satterfield!

There might be snow on the ground but ASL at KSU is out and about and busy!

ASL AT KSU STUDENTS AND INSTRUCTORS ARE THE BEST!!!

NEW ASL COMMUNITY SERVICE OPPORTUNITY...

1. Stratford Commons, an assisted living residence in Solon (North of Stow, North and West of Kent) has a 56 year old, male, Deaf resident who enjoys sports, puzzles, movies, religious activities. Staff at Stratford does not sign and would appreciate a group of students (possibly especially a group interested in sports?) who could meet with him several times during the semester. You'd need to get your instructor's approval, but the contact person is

Kierstyn Maxwell (kierstynm@stratfordcommons.com )

2. Deaf Mentor Volunteer Needed

A Deaf Mentor volunteer at Coleman is needed to provide socialization assistance to an individual with a hearing impairment and communication barriers. This would be an amazing opportunity for an individual studying speech pathology or American Sign Language to utilize the knowledge they are gaining at KSU (or perfect for a student who maybe grew up with hearing impaired parents/family members).

Jennifer Wallace
Volunteer Coordinator

I believe the volunteer position is in the Kent area. If you're interested, AND UR ASL 39202 instructor agrees, contact info is jennifer.wallace@coleman-professional.com.

3. Youngstown Hearing and Speech's Deaf Youth Group would like to have student volunteers. Contact Steve Vickery (svickery@kent.edu) or Nancy Resh (nresh@kent.edu) for information.

For more ideas, see the index of pages on the right. For help regarding social interaction visits within the Deaf community, also see the page titled "Info for Students."

SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

1. If you are a female, full-time, sophmore, junior, or senior student at KSU with an interest in women's issues, good academic standing, an appreciation of diversity, and a history of community service:

Each year the Women's Resource Center awards two $500 scholarships to Kent State women students and the application deadline for the 2010-2011 academic year awards is February 15th. Interested students need to have all application materials to us no later than the 2/15/10 deadline. You will need to complete the application form, attach a resume, collect two references and write a personal statement. More information and the application materials can be obtained from

Heather E. Adams, Director
Women's Resource Center
Alumni Carriage House
Kent State University
Kent, OH 44242
330-672-9230
Fax 330-672-9232

2. If you are LGBT:

Point Foundation Opens 2010 LGBT Scholarship Application Season

The Point Foundation <http://www.pointfoundation.org/> , the nation's largest scholarship-granting organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students of merit, has announced the opening of its 2010 application season. Students who will be enrolled in undergraduate or graduate programs for the 2010-11 school year are eligible to apply for the prestigious multiyear scholarships.

Point Foundation's rigorous selection process requires of its candidates demonstrated academic excellence, leadership skills, community involvement, and financial need. Particular attention is paid to students who have lost the financial and social support of their families and/or communities as a result of revealing their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.

The average amount of annual support devoted to each scholar is between $25,000 and $33,000. A Point Scholarship award includes financial support as well as programmatic support in leadership training, community service, and mentoring.

Individuals selected as Point Scholars agree to maintain a high level of academic performance, attend Point's various leadership forums, participate in press interviews, and give back to the LGBT community through the completion of an individual community service project each year. To better prepare its scholars for success in school and in society, they are matched with mentors from the professional world through Point's Mentoring Program; mentors lend their professional expertise and career guidance and become important role models to scholars.

For information on how to apply for a Point Scholarship, visit the Point Foundation Web site.

Contact:
Link to Complete RFP <http://www.pointfoundation.org/apply.html>