Has anyone received credit for American Sign Language?

[anthonylg]

I have been taking ASL classes for about a year, with the goal of becoming certified as an interpreter. It occurred to me that I may be able to get credit as a foreign language for my coursework. The question is, how?

Has anyone here successful at being awarded credit for ASL? If so, how did you do it?

[cooperalex2004]

If you have college credits in ASL then TESC awards credit for it:

American Sign Language I (DES-101) 3.00 s.h.***
An introductory level course in American Sign Language intended to give an overview of both the language and the culture of the deaf community. The course will focus on frequently used signs, basic rules of grammar, and cultural features within the deaf community.

American Sign Language II (DES-114) 3.00 s.h.*
This course is designed to develop further competency in ASL above the basic level. Students will be exposed to ASL transcription symbols, sentence types, non-manual behaviors, time, pronominalization subjects and objects, classifiers, locatives, pluralization, temporal and distribution aspects. Some information about the Deaf Community and its culture will also be featured throughout the course. Receptive and expressive sign vocabulary will be featured through class activities leading to basic conversational skills in ASL. Students will be expected to interact with the Deaf Community in real-life situations, thereby enhancing their awareness of and sensitivity toward various aspects of Deaf Culture and ASL.

American Sign Language III (DES-211) 3.00 s.h.*
This course is designed to develop further competencies in ASL; expanding the emphasis on ASL grammar and vocabulary development as well as Deaf Community and culture. Students will experience additional in-depth receptive and expressive skill development. Dialogue, short stories, narratives, and conversations will be featured throughout the course. Students will be required to interact with the Deaf Community in real-life situations enhancing their awareness, application, and sensitivity toward various aspects of ASL, and Deaf Culture.

American Sign Language IV (DES-212) 3.00 s.h.****
This course teaches students advanced conversational and discourse skills in American Sign Language and advanced and fine aspects of American Deaf Culture. Styles/Registers in ASL will be discussed on an advanced level. Development of advanced signing skills include topicalization of drug use, medical and sexual behavior, legal current events, dialogues, sign variants/differences, etc. An introduction to wit and poetry, folklore, storytelling and linguistic play in ASL. Text and discourse analysis are also inccorporated throughout the course.

American Sign Language V (DES-311) 3.00 s.h.*
Vocabulary is expanded through introduction of various content areas dealing with current events, world affairs, literature and arts, and abstract ideas. Students learn how to participate in group discussions, to speculate, make analogies, give instructions, and express feelings and intentions as well as applications of ASL discourse styles and registers and rehearse appropriate social/language responses.

And others, see Thomas Edison State College: Course Offerings and search using the word sign.

I think you could sign up for those as a PLA but I'm not sure how you'd prove your knowledge without being with the mentor. Those are also almost as expensive as classes are. Since Spanish is listed as a Humanities, I'd assume ASL would be too so that might be quite helpful on most any degree. I'm sure there are other options out there, I'm just not sure.

[Tedium]

I did not try to get credit for ASL, but I did look into it as an alternate means of receiving my foreign language credits that I may need for graduate school.

I found this list useful, if a little outdated: http://www.ncssfl.org/links/ASL.pdf

That gives you a list of states that consider ASL a foreign language. If the state of the school you are looking at considers it a FL, I think you will have an easier time arguing that you should be given credit for it. And I imagine most schools will have some sort of assessment test for you to take, like with any foreign language.

I don't really see you having many issues with it. I think most schools have to recognize it to some extent, due to disability laws. It's not like you are trying to push for Esperanto or anything. I'm still hoping for that one then I can put my two years of study to good use.

[anthonylg]

Thanks for the answers. The classes I have been taking were not college classes, but we used the same curriculum. So I am trying to learn how to do it as a prior learning experience to gain credit. You have given me enough pointers to research!