Emergency BU Alert BU ALERT: There is a large emergency response in the area of 710 Albany St on the BU Medical Campus. There is no danger to the community at this time. Expect traffic delays in this area. 610 Albany St garage can be accessed via East Newton St Ext.

Skip to Main Content
Boston University
  • Bostonia
  • BU Today
  • The Brink
  • University Publications

    • Bostonia
    • BU Today
    • The Brink
  • School & College Publications

    • The Record
Other Publications
BU Today
  • Sections
News, Opinion, Community

ASL Growth a Sign of the Times

American Sign Language classes now meet CAS foreign language requirement

December 7, 2006
  • Peter Reuell
Twitter Facebook
Charles Glenn, interim dean of the School of Education. Photo by Vernon Doucette

Students looking for an alternative to traditional choices such as French, German, or Spanish have a new option when it comes to fulfilling their foreign language requirement — one they can learn without opening their mouths.

The College of Arts and Sciences began offering American Sign Language as part of its foreign language requirement last spring, and despite a slow start, classes have grown steadily.

“It’s been quite a while in coming,” says Charles Glenn, interim dean of the School of Education, which oversees the ASL classes. “There’s a real interest. It’s very interesting to me to see it. I know my own kids have been interested in ASL.”

That interest, Glenn says, is paying off in enrollment.

The classes cover four sections, ASL 1 through ASL 4, and as of this week, 61 students have registered for the spring ASL 1 class and 46 for ASL 2. Another 20 students have registered for ASL 4.

Although the classes are in American Sign Language, which differs from sign languages used in other countries, knowledge of English doesn’t equate to automatic fluency in ASL.

“When they take the course, they are in for a rude awakening,” says Marlon Kuntze, an SED associate professor and codirector of the SED Program in Deaf Studies, who teaches ASL. Many students who sign up expecting an easy class get a shock when they learn the language is distinct from English, with its own grammar, vocabulary, and syntax just like any other foreign language.

“In my experience, when students walk into the classroom, they are forced to use their eyes, versus using their ears,” ASL coordinator Dana Schlang says. “Many expect to learn a language in an auditory way, but they learn this language manually. The ears become irrelevant, because it’s a different mode of learning.”

Convincing University administrators that the difference represented an entirely new language, however, proved an uphill battle. Although ASL classes had been offered in one form or another since 1981, it took until last spring for CAS to include ASL as part of the foreign language requirement.

The resistance stemmed in part from the misunderstanding that ASL is simply “signed” English — it is, in fact, a fully formed, distinct language, with its own history, evolution, and culture. Like any other language, Kuntze says, sign language emerges and evolves naturally if enough deaf people are born and live in a fixed location. “Any time you have enough people in any location, if there are deaf people, sign language will emerge,” he says.

The push to recognize ASL as a valid, unique language came in part because the few students taking the classes were often forced to drop them to meet other requirements, according to Schlang. “They were very enthusiastic about taking more courses,” she says, “but realized they would have to satisfy the foreign language course requirement.”

She hopes that the addition of ASL as a choice for the University’s foreign language requirement will help raise the language’s profile on campus. “What I’ve seen is the student population is very motivated about the classwork,” says Schlang, who regularly spots students using ASL on campus.

“The majority of students really do show motivation and energy,” she says, “and I also see that as promoting the awareness of ASL.”

 

Explore Related Topics:

  • Classes
  • Students
  • Share this story

Share

ASL Growth a Sign of the Times

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Reddit
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
  • Peter Reuell

    Peter Reuell Profile

Latest from BU Today

  • Things-to-do

    To Do Today: The Light in the Piazza

  • Jobs

    Job-Hunting as a New Graduate: What You Need to Know

  • Education

    What’s Behind the Rise in Violence Against Teachers?

  • Fine Arts

    How I Made This: Jacob Whitchurch (CFA’26)

  • Things-to-do

    To Do Today: Seaport Sweat

  • Film & TV

    Did You Win Free Tickets to See Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning Tonight?

  • COMMENCEMENT 2025

    Experience BU’s 2025 Commencement from a Terrier Point of View

  • Obituaries

    Remembering Leslie Epstein, Pillar of BU’s Creative Writing Program

  • Voices & Opinion

    POV: This Memorial Day, Remember BU’s Fallen Heroes by Visiting the New Online Honor Wall

  • University News

    23 Charles River Campus Faculty Promoted to Full Professor

  • Commencement 2025

    Photos: A Look Back at BU’s Commencement

  • Theatre

    It’s “Prom Season” at Wheelock Family Theatre

  • Things-to-do

    Six Spots to Check Out This Memorial Day in Boston

  • Commencement 2025

    Video: Class of 2025: What We’ll Take with Us as We Begin a New Chapter

  • Health & Medicine

    What Does Biden’s Cancer Diagnosis Mean?

  • Watch Now

    BU’s Class of 2025: What Are Your Plans After Graduating?

  • Fitness

    BU Sports Rehab Therapists on Jayson Tatum’s Achilles Injury and Recovery Ahead

  • Commencement 2025

    Sights and Sounds from Boston University’s Class of 2025 Commencement

  • Commencement 2025

    Video: 2025 Graduate Jayde Best: “I Ended Up Exactly Where I Wanted to Be”

  • Commencement 2025

    “Empathy Is Essential,” BU Commencement Speaker Emily Deschanel Tells 2025 Graduates

Section navigation

  • Sections
  • Must Reads
  • Videos
  • Series
  • Close-ups
  • Archives
  • About + Contact
Get Our Email

Explore Our Publications

Bostonia

Boston University’s Alumni Magazine

BU Today

News, Opinion, Community

The Brink

Pioneering Research from Boston University

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • Weibo
  • TikTok
© Boston University. All rights reserved. www.bu.edu
© 2025 Trustees of Boston UniversityPrivacy StatementAccessibility
Boston University
Notice of Non-Discrimination: Boston University prohibits discrimination and harassment on the basis of race, color, natural or protective hairstyle, religion, sex or gender, age, national origin, ethnicity, shared ancestry and ethnic characteristics, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, military service, marital, parental, veteran status, or any other legally protected status in any and all educational programs or activities operated by Boston University. Retaliation is also prohibited. Please refer questions or concerns about Title IX, discrimination based on any other status protected by law or BU policy, or retaliation to Boston University’s Executive Director of Equal Opportunity/Title IX Coordinator, at titleix@bu.edu or (617) 358-1796. Read Boston University’s full Notice of Nondiscrimination.
Search
Boston University Masterplate
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
ASL Growth a Sign of the Times
0
share this