Course Description
Examination of historical trends, events, and personalities, directly and indirectly, that have influenced deaf people and deaf communities in Western Europe and North America. Content focuses on experiences for deaf people. Grounded in history, students will compare and contrast American deaf culture and values and behavior of American society.
Athena Title
Deaf Studies
Semester Course Offered
Offered every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
Students will be able to: 1. strengthen their knowledge and understanding about deaf history and deaf culture; 2. employ effective listening, questioning, and formative feedback techniques; 3. identify and demonstrate cultural values and norms; 4. analyze and critique competing perspectives of diverse deaf communities in the United States, Canada, and Western Europe; 5. evaluate ideas, aesthetic traditions, cultural practices, and history; and 6. compare, contrast, and interpret differences and commonalities among deaf and hearing cultures.
Topical Outline
Deaf History a. The Ancient Traditions and Views of Deaf People b. The Golden Age (19th Century) c. The Contemporary Era (20th-21st Century) d. Current Events Deaf Culture a. What is Culture? b. Collectivism vs. Individualism; Contexts: High and Low c. Connectedness and Relations; Directness and Indirectness d. Polychromic and Monochromic Orientations; Reasoning and Rhetoric e. Name Signs; Labeling and Categorization/ Diversity in the Deaf Community f. Wit and Humor; A Response to Oppression g. Deaf Literature h. Internal and External Artifacts; Symbols i. Rules of Social Interactions j. The Universality of Deaf Experience and The Future of the Deaf Community
Syllabus