About This Course
Description: An introductory course in a comprehensive, multi-series program designed as a practical resource for navigating the Deaf community. While this is tailored for those who are new to the Deaf community and culture, it will also discuss complex topics. Consider this course as a guidebook to help you understand the Deaf community.
Although knowledge of ASL is not required, it is assumed that students are interested in learning ASL and intend to do so.
Safe Learning Space: This course is a SAFE learning space. The instructor will assume that all students are at ground zero, starting with a clean slate. No assumptions will be made about any student, regardless of whether they are related to a Deaf person, work with Deaf individuals, or work in a Deaf-related field.
Course FAQs ► [coming soon]
Topics
The following topics will be covered, although not necessarily in this order:
- The Deaf Community: Defining the Ties that Bind Us Together
- Understanding the Deaf Spectrum: Physical and Cultural
- Not Just Deaf: Exploring Multiple Deaf Lenses and Intersectionalities
- Cultural Landmines: The Impact of Systemic Inequities and Trauma
- A Closer Look at Accessibility: The Impact and Role of Modern Technology
- Communication Challenges and Techniques
- Defining "Deaf Enough": Deaf Enough for What?
- and more.
Course Details
Canvas Course
- Course Duration: The student will have access to the Canvas site, course materials, and activities for six weeks.
- Canvas Opens: Sunday, September 1 at 12:00 AM
- Canvas Closes: Saturday, October 12 by 11:59 PM
- Link to Canvas Course: [link to course for enrolled students] (available on September 1, 2024)
Weekly Unit Materials: The course material and activity for the week will be posted by 12:00 am on Sunday on the following dates:
- Sept 1: Unit 1
- Sept 8: Unit 2
- Sept 15: Unit 3
- Sept 22: Unit 4
- Sept 29: Unit 5
- Oct 6: Unit 6
Continued Access: Once the materials and activities have been posted, the student will have continued access to those materials until the last day of the course: 11:59 PM Saturday, October 12. This means students can revisit previous units and review the material at any time during the course.
Course Material
Each unit will contain the following study materials:
- Chapter Readings: Approximately five chapters per unit (text)
- Glossary: Contains the definition of key terms and vocabulary words, as well as short ASL video clips on how to sign those terms.
Assignments: Each week there will be three short assignments:
- Discussion Board: A hypothetical scenario for each unit will be presented in the discussion board and the student will post a response.
- Question: In preparation for the Zoom session, a student will submit a question they'd like answered during the Zoom session. Their question will be visible to the instructor only and will remain anonymous to the class. If their question is used in the Zoom session, the student's identity will remain anonymous.
- Short Quiz: A brief quiz to help students review the material..
Due Dates: Ideally, the chapter readings and assignments should be completed before attending the Zoom sessions. However, students can submit assignments at any time during the course once they have been posted. No submissions will be permitted after the course has closed. It would be beneficial to the student to complete the assignments by Wednesday of each week, but they should by no means feel bad if they submit them after the Zoom session.
Zoom Sessions
Session Topics: Each Zoom session will be shaped by the contents of the unit material covered that week, and will answer any questions submitted by the students by Wednesday, the day before the Zoom session.
Zoom Link: The link to the Zoom meeting will be posted in Canvas
Session Dates: Zoom sessions provide an opportunity for students to participate in weekly one-hour meetings at 6:30 pm (Pacific Daylight Time) on the following Thursdays:
- Sept. 5
- Sept. 12
- Sept. 19
- Sept. 26
- Oct. 3
- Oct. 10
Time Zones: For those outside the Pacific Daylight Time zone, please refer to the local meeting times below:
- Hawaii: 3:30 PM (Hawaii Standard Time)
- Alaska: 5:30 PM (Alaska Daylight Time)
- Mountain: 7:30 PM (Mountain Daylight Time)
- Central: 8:30 PM (Central Daylight Time)
- Eastern: 9:30 PM (Eastern Daylight Time)
ASL & Voicing: Zoom sessions will be conducted entirely in ASL, with voice interpreting provided. The instructor will not voice, only the interpreter.
Student/Teacher Interaction: Students may use the Zoom chat box to ask questions or ask the instructor to clarify certain points.
Zoom Recordings: All Zoom sessions will be recorded and posted in Canvas for students wishing to review the content material.
Absences: Any missed Zoom sessions cannot be rescheduled, made up, or result in a reduction of payment.
Complete Course Schedule: Scroll down to the bottom of this page.
Correspondence
Emails: Students can expect prompt responses from the instructor, along with regular reminders.
- Email Reminders: he instructor will send weekly emails reminding students of the upcoming Canvas unit, activities, and Zoom session.
- Inquiries: Students can email the instructor at any time with questions or comments regarding the course material or instructions. They can also ask questions not covered within the unit material.
- Feedback: Students can email the instructor with any concerns, questions, or feedback about the course content, layout, or presentation.
- Confidentiality: All student communications with the instructor will be kept confidential.
- Response Time: Students will receive a response within 48 hours, during business hours (9:00 am - 5:00 pm).
Course Completion
Upon completion of the course, students will receive the following:
- Certificate of Completion: Upon successful completion of the course, the student will receive a certificate of completion in PDF format.
- Course Evaluation: An opportunity to provide feedback on the overall course experience.
- Next Course in the Series: Information about the next course in the series will be provided.
Course Schedule
For an overall picture of the course schedule, see below.
Link to PDF file ► Course Schedule
