Prior Attempt to Have ASL Classified as a Foreign Language by the College

1. Materials provided to all members of the Academic Policy Committee, December 8, 1993

2. Materials provided to the Chair of the Academic Policy Committee

3. Reply from the Academic Policy Committee

See also Request for Consideration by CLA

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Letter from Prof. David Wagenknecht

Studies in Romanticism
Boston University

236 Bay State Rd., Boston, MA 02215

Dear Carol:

You asked for a note speaking to the issue of literature (specifically the importance of oral literature) that might be useful in the ASL debate. Of course, oral literature and cultural traditions are terribly important, for obvious reasons and for some not so obvious. Those interested in high and central culture ought not, in my view, overlook the diversity inherent in their object of interest; I read Homer and Virgil in high school, which was a pretty high-cultural affair for a tenth grader, and suspect that much of my interest in literature was founded entirely on the labor of daily translation of these poets with a great teacher. But what was laid down permanently in my imagination by this hard yet surprisingly musical practice was not limited to the culture of the printed words before me, for what made reading Homer the relatively greater experience had everything, I believe, to do with the fact that his poem, like the Bible and Greek tragedies and Plato's dialogues, brought speech and writing together, and with the proportion of its oral element. I suspect that even today most great poetry that survives into writing must pass the test of oral composition and memorization. The more important point, however, especially since ASL is anyway not "oral," is that the relationship of oral composition to writing is much more than a matter of recording. The writing gives us access to a relationship (between oral and written discourse) of which it is not the whole meaning. It would be sad indeed if those anxious to sustain the literary aspect of the language requirement should choose to turn their backs upon a different tradition of non-written discourse to which student of ASL, with a little ingenuity (and a VCR), can have access, which opens doors upon the expressivity of language even more exciting than the relationship to which I refer. Indeed, it is my view that ASL as a language is so astonishingly rich that exposure to perfectly ordinary discourse with a native speaker is to encounter the poetic capacities of all language with renewed understanding.

But anyone who has seen a great ASL performer of poetry (e.g., Clayton Valli) or ASL story-tellers--or even a fine signer's account of his or her day--will understand that my recourse to the "oral" tradition behind our system of writing is in certain respects misleading, for ASL's linguistic implication is even richer and more suggestive than its analogue, "oral," can convey. My sense of this richness may depart, Carol, from your more sophisticated professional understanding of ASL--for which forgive me--but I can't resist trying to express my understanding of it.

Freud's theory of drama construction introduces us to a strange discipline of the mind where a compression of ideas that originally depends on all the symbolic and poetic resources of language is expressed in visual terms. Awareness of this, and of the fact that most literary protocols have their correspondents in the mechanisms whereby the psyche assembles its dreams and expresses its suffering, opens the door to understanding that while we think of the greatest works of the literary imagination as expressing themselves in words, the experience of this language is much more than merely verbal, or oral plus verbal. There is a marriage to visual experience, obvious in dramatic enactment, inherent in all great literature, which quite transcends imagery and psopopoeia, which connects to the unspoken and the sublime and the mystery of dreams. By this I don't mean at all that there is language and there is visual expression (miming, etc.), although this is also true, but rather that there is an element of visuality inherent in all expressive language which our approach to things through writing and print tends to dull awareness of. For me the discovery and exploration of the language of the Deaf is especially moving--from a literary point of view--because the language uniquely, this is my guess, engages this visual element of all languages, and because it suggests the possibility of an analytic access to this element. Not only is the language, and the discourse in it, not a repetition of anything written or oral, it engages the deepest sources of expression from a vantage point which is unique among languages (this would be as true of other sign languages of course). My point, I am sorry it has taken so many words to express, is that the language of Deaf literary expression, because its means are simultaneously visual and linguistic, has more to teach us about what is really happening within the literary intelligence and the expressive resources of languages than we probably are yet capable of understanding. To exclude this resource from our curriculum on some imagined high-cultural pretext is not only inimical to Deaf people socially and culturally (for how can our very different cultures communicate if we do not admit them to equal status with other language-bearers?), it is inimical to ourselves intellectually as well.

David Wagenknecht

11/16/93

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Letter from Prof. Robert Hoffmeister

Boston University
School of Education

Center for the Study of Communication and Deafness
605 Commonwealth Avenue

Carol Neidle
Program in Applied Linguistics
718 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA 02215

November 30, 1993

Dear Carol,

This letter is in support of your efforts toward approval of American Sign Language (ASL) as a "foreign" or second language. As you are aware, we offer four courses in ASL and as second language in the School of Education. This sequence is supported by SED and a grant from Education and Rehabilitative Services. We are in the first year of a five year funding cycle.

There are four courses that are concentrated on teaching ASL and two additional courses on cultural and historical aspects of the community that uses the language. We have one course on Deaf literature, which includes works written about the Deaf and those written by the Deaf. These courses are all regular offerings within SED. As such, they are open to all students within the university community. We encourage students outside of SED, especially CLA students, to enroll in these courses so that we may interest them in future graduate programs, such as the new Master's in Applied Linguistics and the Master's in Deaf Studies.

Approval of ASL has long been an issue with our program here at SED. We have attempted to ensure that the teaching of these courses is conducted with high standards and challenging requirements. I believe we have met these goals. We are very proud of the program and the teachers who have expended a great deal of effort to ensure the high quality of offerings. We fully support the ASL as second or "foreign" language at Boston University.

Sincerely,

Robert J. Hoffmeister,
Director, Programs in Deaf Studies

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Letter from Profs. John Hutchison and Karl Reynolds

Boston University

African Studies Center
270 Bay State Rd.

December 10, 1993

To whom it may concern:

Language is the principal medium through which socialization and cultural transmission occur; languages exist and develop within their social and cultural context. ASL has only recently begun to be recognized as the full-fledged language that it is. This process of legitimization involves recognition of this rich language and its culture by people and institutions outside of the deaf community. Since the CLA language requirement is conceived in part for the purpose of broadening our undergraduates' horizons and cultural sensitivities, what better opportunity to move in this direction than acknowledging ASL as a language that can fulfill the CLA language requirement?

Because of the history of linguistic and cultural discrimination against African peoples resulting from colonialism, many African languages have suffered from ostracism and oppression in much the same way that ASL has been treated in this country. ASL has been misunderstood as a substandard form of English, as a translation of English, rather than recognized as the complete and autonomous language that it is. In Africa, even the Swahili language has been mistakenly qualified as a substandard "dialect" of Arabic; in New English and the Cape Verde Islands, the Capeverdean language (Kriolu) has also been the victim of this kind of prejudice, being judged as a poor attempt to speak Portuguese.

A number of universities in this area have already recognized ASL as a language for all purposes. Boston University is in a unique position, with its long established and distinguished Program in Deaf Studies, to be a leader in enabling a new generation of students to learn about American Sign Language and its associated culture while also satisfying the College language requirement.

It is up to us as members of the CLA Faculty to eliminate the exclusion of American Sign Language from the list of languages accepted for this purpose, and to offer this opportunity to our students.

Sincerely yours,

John Hutchison, Associate Professor, African Languages and Linguistics (MFLL)

Karl Reynolds, Assistant Professor, African languages and Linguistics (MFLL)

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Student request to Dean Berkey

Dean Dennis Berkey
College of Liberal Arts
Boston University

December 14, 1992

Dear Dean Berkey,

We are writing to request that ASL count for the CLA Language Requirement. Many major universities have accepted ASL for their language requirements, including UCLA, UCSD, New York University, University of Michigan, University of Minnesota, University of New Mexico, University of Arizona, University of Washington, University of Rochester, and many others. The state of Massachusetts also recognizes ASL as a foreign language in the high schools and public universities (see enclosure).

American Sign Language is a true language, even though it is produced in a different mode. ASL has its own syntax, which is very different from that of English, but similar to the syntax of spoken languages generally. There has been a lot of recent research on the structure, processing, and acquisition of ASL that shows it to be completely comparable to spoken languages. Despite the myth that there is one sign language, deaf communities in different parts of the world have different signed languages; the American Sign Language is not a universal language. Many deaf people in other countries learn American Sign Language as their second signed language because of its importance in facilitating communication internationally. As to the issue of whether it is a foreign language, Sherman Wilcox points out:

"ASL is indigenous to the United States and parts of Canada. This should not, however, exclude it from study as a foreign language. A language's place of origin has little to do with its status as a foreign language. Many universities accept languages indigenous to North America in fulfillment of foreign language requirements. ... many language scholars now speak of second-language instead of foreign language requirements."

Although ASL does not have a written form, CLA accepts other languages (such as African languages) that are essentially oral but not written languages.

While ASL has no written form, it does have a strong tradition of stories, folktales, poetry, drama, and epics, passed on from generation to generation. These tales preserve the values and belief systems across the generations, and are central to the cultural life of the deaf community. Because of advances in technology (from the still camera to the video camera), these tales have been preserved for members of the community. Gallaudet Archives contain an enormous list of these tales; many of those captured on film date from as early as the late 1890's. The easy access to videotape in recent years has resulted in a rich body of texts; these tapes are commonly viewed by deaf members of the community, and are available to students at BU who are studying ASL and its literature and culture. The US Government supports the National Theater for the Deaf, and thus recognizes ASL theater as legitimate. The National Theater of the Deaf has evolved from presenting plays by hearing authors to presenting plays by deaf playwrights. In fact, there is a deaf director in charge of the theater now. Because the deaf community is inaccessible to the hearing community, most hearing people know very little about it. In the past decade, the proliferation of ASL classes within universities has spawned an awareness of this community and its rich culture. The recognition of American Sign Language and its literature and culture by scholars has brought about increased integration of deaf and hearing people, creating better mutual understanding. As a result of this, universities are seeing an influx of deaf students, who are interested in examining their own community and culture. Now that deaf students are on campus, there is a direct contact between hearing and deaf students at Boston University, creating an exciting exchange of ideas. The acceptance of ASL for the CLA language requirement will further this extremely positive interchange.

We currently have ASL classes and language labs at Boston University; they are modelled after the Modern Foreign Languages offerings in CLA, and cover the same basic curriculum. In the basic language courses, only ASL is used in the classroom; students not only gain an understanding of the grammatical structure of the language, but also develop communicative competence: students learn about the culture and the literature of the community (through videotape).

We hereby request that ASL courses be accepted in fulfillment of the CLA Language REquirement. Thank you for your consideration of this request.

 

Sincerely,

signed by 4 undergraduates

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Faculty in support of the proposal that American Sign language should count toward fulfillment of the CLA language requirement:

CLA/GRS Faculty

  1. Gerald Abegg, Clinical Professor, Curriculum and Teaching, SED and GRS; Associate Director, Science and Mathematics Education Center
  2. Duilio Ayalamacedo, Preceptor, MFLL
  3. Helen Barbas, Associate Professor, Health Sciences, SAR and GRS
  4. Thomas J. Barfield, Professor and Chairman, Anthropology
  5. Ema Barker, Preceptor, MFLL
  6. Paul Beaudry, Assistant Professor, Economics
  7. Deborah Belle, Associate Professor, Psychology
  8. Eli Berman, Assistant Professor, Economics
  9. Larry Breiner, Associate Professor, English
  10. Maria Brisk, Associate Professor, Developmental Studies and Counseling, SED; Applied Linguistics, CLA
  11. Leslie R. Brody, Associate Professor, Psychology; Director, Clinical Psychology Program
  12. Edward Bustin, Professor, Political Science
  13. Kazue Campbell, Preceptor, MFLL
  14. William Carroll, Professor of English (former Director, Boston University Humanities Foundation)
  15. Joyce Cooper, Visiting Assistant Professor, Economics
  16. Russell Cooper, Professor and Associate Chairman, Economics
  17. Jeffrey Coulter, Professor, Sociology (former Chairman)
  18. Emily Dalgarno, Professor, English
  19. Robert Dekle, Assistant Professor, International Relations
  20. John Dittmer, Associate Professor, Anatomy/Neurobiology, MED and GRS
  21. Peter B. Doeringer, Professor of Economics
  22. Daria Donnelly, Assistant Professor of English
  23. Susan Dorff, Preceptor, MFLL
  24. Randall P. Ellis, Associate Professor, Economics
  25. Gerald Fitzgerald, University Professor, Professor of English and MFLL (former Chairman of English and of MFLL)
  26. Bruce Fraser, Professor of Developmental Studies and Counseling, SED; Applied Linguistics, CLA
  27. David Fried, Professor of Mathematics
  28. Gladys Friedler, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, MED and GRS
  29. Jacob Glazer, Assistant Professor of Economics
  30. Jean Berko Gleason, Professor, Psychology (former Chairman)
  31. Elizabeth Goldsmith, Associate Professor, MFLL
  32. Harold Goodglass, Professor of Neurology; Director, Aphasia Research Center
  33. Eugene Green, Professor of English
  34. Ingeborg Harms, Assistant Professor, MFLL
  35. John R. Harris, Professor, Economics
  36. Nancy Harrowitz, Assistant Professor, MFLL
  37. Abdelsalam Heddaya, Assistant Professor, Computer Science
  38. William Henneman, Adjunct Associate Professor, Computer Science
  39. Paula Hennessey, Preceptor, MFLL
  40. Patricia Hills, Professor, Art History
  41. Allan Hoben, Professor, Anthropology (Former Director, African Studies)
  42. George Hoffmann, Assistant Professor, MFLL
  43. Robert Hoffmeister, Associate Professor, Developmental Studies and Counseling, SED; Applied Linguistics, CLA
  44. Charlotte Hsieh, Preceptor, MFLL
  45. Nicholas Huckle, Preceptor, MFLL
  46. John P. Hutchison, Associate Professor, MFLL
  47. James Iffland, Associate Professor, MFLL
  48. Dorothy Kelly, Associate Professor, MFLL
  49. John Klancher, Associate Professor, English
  50. T. Jefferson Kline, Professor, MFLL (Former Chairman)
  51. Nicholas Kostis, Associate Professor, MFLL
  52. Kate Lajtha, Associate Professor, Biology
  53. Pedro Lasarte, Associate Professor, MFLL
  54. Murray Levin, Professor emeritus, Political Science
  55. Robert Levine, Professor, English
  56. Christine Li, Assistant Professor, Biology
  57. Jacqueline Liederman, Associate Professor, Psychology
  58. Ching-To Alber Ma, Assistant Professor, Economics
  59. Michael Manove, Professor, Economics (Former Chairman)
  60. John Matthews, Associate Professor, English
  61. James McCann, Associate Professor, History; Directory, African Studies Center
  62. Thomas McGuire, Professor of Economics
  63. Michelle Mentis, Assistant Professor, Communication Disorders, SAR; Applied Linguistics, CLA
  64. Paula Menyuk, Professor, Developmental Studies and Counseling, SED; Applied Linguistics, CLA
  65. David Mostofsky, Professor, Psychology
  66. Carol Neidle, Associate Professor, MFLL; Director, Program in Applied Linguistics
  67. Mary Catherine O'Connor, Assistant Professor, Developmental Studies and Counseling, SED; Applied Linguistics, CLA
  68. Sutti Ortiz, Associate Professor, Anthropology (Former Chairman)
  69. James A. Pritchett, Assistant Professor, Anthropology
  70. George Psathas, Professor, Sociology
  71. Laura Raffo, Preceptor, MFLL
  72. Freda Rebelsky, Professor, Psychology
  73. Karl Reynolds, Assistant Professor, MFLL
  74. William Riggs, Associate Professor and Associate Chairman, English
  75. Michael Riordan, Professor, Economics
  76. Charles Rzepka, Associate Professor, English
  77. Robert Saitz, Professor, English
  78. Valeria Secchi-Short, Preceptor, MFLL
  79. Victor Shtern, Associate Professor, Computer Science, MET and GRS
  80. Mark Silverstein, Associate Professor, Political Science
  81. Mildred Basker Siegel, Preceptor, MFLL
  82. James Siemon, Associate Professor, English
  83. Brittain Smith, Assistant Professor, MFLL
  84. Deborah Swedberg, Managing editor, Studies in Romanticism, and Lecturer, English
  85. Pankaj Tandon, Associate Professor, Economics
  86. R. Loren Trigo, Assistant Professor, MFLL
  87. Sandra Tropp, Assistant Professor, English
  88. Tino Villanueva, Preceptor, MFLL
  89. Ingo Vogelsang, Professor, Economics
  90. David Wagenknecht, Professor, English
  91. Patricia Wagenknecht, Preceptor, English
  92. Merry White, Associate Professor, Sociology
  93. Betty Zisk, Professor, Political Science

Supporting faculty from other schools and colleges at Boston University

  1. Elsa Abele, Clinical Assistant Professor, Communication Disorders, SAR
  2. Benjamin Bahan, Instructor, Curriculum and Teaching, SED
  3. Nicholas Bankson, Professor and Chair, Communication Disorders, SAR
  4. Anna Bissonnette, Associate Professor, Socio-Medical Sciences, MED
  5. Karen Boatman, Assistant Clinical Professor, Education, SED
  6. Sara Brown, Assistant Professor, Physical Therapy, SAR
  7. Robert F. Burkard, Associate Professor, Communication Disorders, SAR
  8. Catherine Certo, Associate Professor and Chairman, Physical Therapy, SAR
  9. Janis Cole, Lecturer, Developmental Studies and Counseling, SED
  10. Richard Cornell, Assistant Professor, Music, SFA
  11. Wendy Coster, Assistant Professor, Occupational Therapy, SAR
  12. Linda Duncombe, Clinical Associate Professor, SAR
  13. Stephen Ellenwood, Associate Professor and Chairman, Curriculum and Teaching, SED
  14. Linda Fetters, Associate Professor, Physical Therapy, SAR
  15. Phillip Freeman, Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and Undergrad. Psy. Ed. Associate Director, MED
  16. Elizabeth Garrett, Clinical Associate Professor, Communication Disorders, SAR
  17. Joan Hargrave, Communication Disorders, SAR
  18. Roselmina Indrisano, Professor and Chairman, Developmental Studies and Counseling, SED
  19. Suzanne Irujo, Associate Professor, Developmental Studies and Counseling, SED
  20. Karen Jacobs, Clinical Assistant Professor, Occupational Therapy, SAR
  21. Carol Jenkins, Associate Professor, Curriculum and Teaching, SED
  22. Susan Kandarian, Assistant Professor, Health Sciences, SAR
  23. Gerald Kidd, Associate Professor, Communication Disorders, SAR
  24. Aimee Klein, Clinical Assistant Professor, Physical Therapy, SAR
  25. Donna Lehr, Associate Professor, Special Education, SED
  26. Pamela Levangie, Assistant Professor, Physical Therapy, SAR
  27. Susan McNamara, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Rehab Counseling, SAR
  28. Donald Maietta, Associate Professor, Special Education, SED
  29. Christine R. Mason, Adjunct Clinical Instructor, Communication Disorders, SAR
  30. Deane B. McCraith, Clinical Assistant Professor, SAR
  31. Steven Molinsky, Professor, Developmental Studies and Counseling, SED
  32. Elizabeth Murray, Adjunct Assistant Professor, SAR
  33. Patricia Nemec, Clinical Associate Professor, SAR
  34. Jeanne R. Paratore, Associate Professor, Developmental Studies and Counseling, SED
  35. Diane Parris, Clinical Assistant Professor, Communication Disorders, SAR
  36. Ellen Price, Clinical Associate Professor, Physical Therapy, SAR
  37. James Shanahan, Assistant Professor, Com Public Rel and Mass Comm, SAR
  38. Mary Shann, Professor, Developmental Studies and Counseling, SED
  39. Philip Tate, Associate Professor, Curriculum and Teaching, SED
  40. Linda Tickle-Degnen, Assistant Professor, Occupational Therapy, SAR
  41. Catherine Trombly, Professor, Occupational Therapy, SAR
  42. Jame Wurzel, Assistant Professor, Developmental Studies and Counseling, SED

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Cover letter to the APC

Boston University
College of Liberal Arts
718 Commonwealth Avenue

Department of Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures

Professor Gary Jacobson
Chair, Academic Policy Committee
College of Liberal Arts

December 8, 1993

Dear Professor Jacobson,

We are writing to urge the Academic Policy Committee to bring before the faculty of the College of Liberal Arts for their consideration the proposal that American Sign Language should be allowed to count for fulfillment of the College language requirement for CLA undergraduates.

We have enclosed a variety of materials, including the request that was forwarded to Dean Berkey following a vote of the Student Senate on December 14, 1992. The proposal was also approved by an overwhelming majority in a University-wide student referendum last spring. In addition, we have enclosed the signatures from faculty in CLA who are in favor of this recommendation, and from supporting faculty in other colleges and schools of Boston University.

Our endorsement of this proposal is based on what we believe to be the academic merits of the case, and we have provided some informational materials. Results of recent scientific and linguistic research have demonstrated that American Sign Language is a language, in every sense of the word, not only from a strictly structural point of view, but also in terms of its usage, variation, processing, acquisition, and the inextricable relation with its associated culture and artistic/literary forms. American Sign Language is already taught at Boston University, and the language classes there are completely comparable with those taught in the Department of Modern Foreign Languages (and presumably also with those taught in the Department of Classical Studies). We are simply asking that the existing classes, already open to CLA students, be allowed to count in satisfaction of the CLA language requirement, in the same way that Zulu, Arabic, Classical Greek, or other languages currently do.

In consideration of this proposal, we urge the Committee to invite for discussion of these issues such people as: Harlan Lane (an expert on Deaf culture; a recent recipient of a MacArthur award; and a Professor at Northeastern; he has indicated his willingness to meet with faculty at Boston University interested in this issue); Benjamin Bahan (an internationally known Deaf author, who is also the coordinator of the American Sign Language Program at Boston University and a Ph.D. student in Applied Linguistics here); David Wagenknecht (a Professor of English at Boston University who has become interested in ASL literature and would be eager to discuss this with the committee); Carol Neidle (Associate Professor in the Department of Modern Foreign Languages, who is prepared to speak about ASL from a linguistic point of view, since she has been conducting linguistic research into the syntactic structure of the language; she has also attended three semesters of ASL classes at Boston University, and is prepared to discuss the teaching of ASL and a comparison of these courses with language courses taught in MFLL); Robert Hoffmeister (Associate Professor and Director of the Deaf Studies Program at Boston University; he supervises the teaching of American Sign Language here). A similar measure was passed last year by the faculty of Northeastern University after a major open debate about the issue. Professor Holbrook Robinson, the Chair of the Department of Modern Languages at Northeastern, might also be a good person to talk to, since the issue was investigated very carefully by his department before it was approved by the entire faculty.

We believe that a great deal of harm has been done to Deaf people, inadvertently, as a consequence of the general ignorance about American Sign Language, and that increased education is essential. Acceptance of ASL for the language requirement would also have the beneficial effect of improving communication between Deaf and hearing students at Boston University. Most importantly, we believe that the study of American Sign Language would offer undergraduates the opportunity to learn about a fascinating and rich language, culture, and literature -- to which they have access locally once they learn the language.

American Sign Language has already been accepted at many major universities, and we believe that it is just a matter of time before it is universally accepted. Given the extent of student interest, we believe that Boston University should remain competitive with other universities (such as Northeastern) in its acceptance of ASL.

From every perspective, we believe that this is simply the right thing to do. We urge you to give this very serious consideration. Thank you.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Carol Neidle, Associate Professor, MFLL; Directory, PhD Program in Applied Linguistics

George Hoffmann, Assistant Professor, MFLL

John Hutchison, Associate Professor, MFLL and Applied Linguistics

Karl Reynolds, Assistant Professor, MFLL and Applied Linguistics

Loren Trigo, Assistant Professor, MFLL and Applied

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Reply from the APC

Boston University
Department of Biology
5 Cummington St.

Professor Carol Neidle
Department of Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures
Boston University

April 25, 1994

Dear Professor Neidle:

First, let me thank you and your colleagues for submitting the proposal concerning American Sign Language (ASL) and the CLA foreign language requirement to the Academic Policy Committee earlier this semester. You obviously did a great deal of work in preparing this proposal and in strongly presenting your case that ASL should be counted among the languages satisfying this requirement. As you know, the APC discussed this proposal at its last meeting on April 6, 1994 after considering the materials that you sent as well as feedback solicited from the Chairmen of both your department and the Department of Classical Studies. As a result of this discussion, the APC unanimously approved the following motion: "The APC reaffirms the foreign language requirement as it now stands in the College of Liberal Arts and finds that ASL coursework does not meet all of the criteria important for this component of our degree requirements."

In reaching its decision, the APC considered the arguments that (1) ASL is indeed a language in the linguistic sense; (2) ASL is associated with a type of "culture" (deaf people and those who communicate with them); and (3) there is a type of "literature associated with ASL (e.g., that available on videotape). On these points, the APC agrees with the proponents of the proposal.

The real issue, however, is whether ASL can properly bet thought of as a foreign language (with an emphasis on "foreign"), which after all is the full title of this requirement. On this issue, the APC unanimously felt that ASL is neither a foreign language, nor does it completely fulfill the purposes and philosophy behind a foreign language requirement. First, the use of ASL is primarily confined to deaf people, and those who communicate with them in this manner, in North America. Moreover, these people come from a variety of ethnic and sub-cultural backgrounds, because the basis for ASL is an unfortunate disability that has no geographic or demographic basis. This leads to the second, and overriding, reason for the APC's decision. The study of a foreign language is not just a requirement for proficiency and literacy in a language, it also has as its purpose an introduction to, and a prerequisite for, an appreciation of the history, literature and culture of another (foreign) people in a geographic and ethnic sense. Thus, Amer-indian languages such as Navajo and Hopi, while confined to North America, are indeed associated with distinct ethnic and geographic cultures with rich histories and traditions, and quite likely would be accepted for the foreign language requirement if they were taught at Boston University. in the words of the Boston University Undergraduate Bulletin (p. 43), "The study of a foreign language is a significant element in a liberal education, providing access to the literature and culture of another society". Those who use ASL from a variety of geographic and ethnic subgroups within the American culture, and apart from hearing disabilities and/or use of ASL for communication purposes, are otherwise an integral part of American society. Therefore, we do not think that they can be considered to [sic] a distinct "foreign" element within our society.

A few other concerns about this proposal were noted by the APC. Many graduate programs to which CLA students might apply have foreign language requirements that do not include credit for ASL. Thus, our students would be at a distinct disadvantage in fulfilling these requirements in graduate school. It was also noted that, although American universities have both intellectual and social goals in the design of their programs, the social goals are usually pursued outside of formal degree requirements. One argument made by the proponents of this proposal is that "a great deal of harm has been done to Deaf people, inadvertently, as a consequence of the general ignorance about American Sign Language, and... increased education is essential." While this may be true, and the study of ASL may be a laudable pursuit, we do not feel that the remedy is to include ASL as an option under an academic requirement which, in our opinion, it does not completely fulfill. ASL is currently taught by the School of Education, CLA students may obtain elective credit by taking ASL, and, in fact, interested students should be encouraged to do so. It is also possible that appropriate departments or programs could choose to require or strongly encourage the study of ASL if they are so inclined.

In summary, the APC unanimously felt that ASL does not fulfill all of the academic and intellectual goals behind the foreign language requirement of the College of Liberal Arts. If the faculty were to reconsider the entire meaning and purpose of the foreign language requirement, then perhaps ASL and other languages (e.g. computer languages) might be appropriate alternatives to consider.

 

Sincerely yours,

 

Gary R. Jacobson
Chairman, Academic Policy Committee

 

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