American Sign Language – English Interpreting

This course, taught in American Sign Language (ASL), builds on material learned in ASL 202, developing both comprehension and expression in ASL. Students continue learning and using ASL vocabulary, grammatical principles and various intermediate-level discourse features in narratives and presentations in ASL. Issues related to the effects of oppression and discrimination (e.g., audism, racism, sexism), the influence of power and privilege within multicultural and diverse populations, majority and minority culture dynamics, and dynamics of cross-cultural interaction will be explored. To advance to ASL 210, the student must complete this course with a grade of "C" or better.

Prerequisites: A grade of "C" or better in ASL-202 or admission to the Interpreter Training Program. - Must be completed prior to taking this course.

This course, taught in American Sign Language (ASL), builds on material learned in ASL 209, allowing students to develop advanced comprehension and expression in ASL. Students continue learning and using ASL vocabulary, grammatical principles and a variety of higher-level discourse features in narratives and presentations in ASL. Issues of the effects of special populations within the Deaf community (Deaf-Blind, Intellectual & Developmental Disability (ID/DD), Mental Health) are explored, as well as specialized and technical vocabulary for various settings (medical, mental health, sexual signs, signs of drug use, etc.) In addition, issues of social justice as they relate to the Deaf community are discussed.

Prerequisites: A grade of "C" or better in ASL-209. - Must be completed prior to taking this course.

This course develops skills in college-level academic reading and writing. Emphasis is placed on critical analysis, argumentation and revision. Through the reading and writing processes, students develop and support ideas, refine arguments, evaluate and integrate appropriate sources, reflect on and implement feedback to revise and edit writing, and develop an awareness of the variety of contexts, audiences and purposes of academic writing. Students develop an awareness of appropriate practices relating to intellectual honesty.

Prerequisites: ENG - Must meet one of the following: Writing placement Earned "A" grade in ENG 090 Fundamentals of College Writing Earned "B" or "C" grade in ENG 090 Fundamentals of College Writing places student in ENG 101L. EAL (If applicable): Successful completion of EAL 100 EAL Composition and EAL 101 EAL Reading 2 - Must be completed prior to taking this course. CRE-103 (If required) must be taken concurrently, if not successfully completed prior to enrolling in ENG-101. - Must be taken either prior to or at the same time as this course. CRE - Must meet one of the following: Reading placement Successful completion of CRE 070 Successful completion of CRE 103 Advanced College Reading & Study Skills Concurrently enrolled in CRE 103 Advanced College Reading & Study Skills (co-requisite) - Must be completed prior to taking this course.

This course, the second in a two-course research and writing sequence, continues to expand and refine analytical writing and critical reading skills. Students deepen their understanding of rhetorical contexts and concepts while learning to adapt their research output for different audiences, genres and technologies. In addition, students consider the cultural, historical and intellectual lenses through which texts can be viewed and crafted. The course emphasizes strategies for comprehending advanced college-level texts and developing research skills, including evaluation of source credibility and relevance. Students strengthen their understanding of how meaning is created through grammatical, structural and writerly decisions. The course culminates in students creating a final portfolio or project showcasing their progress on the course learning outcomes.

Prerequisites: Complete ENG-101 or ENG-101L, CRE-103 (minimum grade "C"). - Must be completed prior to taking this course.

This course serves as an introduction to principles of discourse analysis and translation. Both American Sign Language (ASL) and English source texts are used to cover a survey of the main theories of translation and interpretation. Students learn foundational skills for subsequent interpreting courses. This course focuses on the mental processing skills including but not limited to: visualization, listening and comprehending, shadowing, paraphrasing, abstracting, dual-task training and cloze skills. Students must pass this course with a grade of "C" or better in order to progress to ITP 104.

Prerequisites: Eligibility for ENG-101L and admission to the Interpreter Training Program. - Must be completed prior to taking this course. Complete ASL-209. - Must be taken either prior to or at the same time as this course. Eligibility for ENG-101L (reading). - Must be completed prior to taking this course.

This course further develops students' translation and discourse analysis skills by applying them to consecutive interpretation. Consecutive interpretation skills leads to greater accuracy in simultaneous interpretation, while allowing students to work on a dynamically equivalent message with less time pressure than simultaneous interpreting. Students learn to assess their own work and the work of peers for accuracy and equivalence.

Prerequisites: A grade of "C" or better in ITP-103. - Must be completed prior to taking this course. Complete ASL-210. - Must be taken either prior to or at the same time as this course.

This course provides students with an overview of the sign language interpreting field. The history and development of sign language interpreting are explored, along with trends and issues in the field. Various service models of interpreting are discussed. Laws governing the provision of interpreting services in the state of Pennsylvania are addressed, along with issues pertaining to qualifications and certifications. There is a minimum of 10 hours of interpreting observations for this course that may require students to have appropriate clearances.

This course is designed to strengthen the student's language and cultural knowledge through direct experience working alongside the local Deaf community. Students develop and apply a community-based project as a way to work with, rather than for, the community to help to strengthen the Deaf community's presence and rapport with future working interpreters. In this way, the students develop skills to set appropriate boundaries, work as a member of a team and the ability to listen to the community members to find out what their needs might be.

Prerequisites: A grade of "C" or better in ASL-210. - Must be completed prior to taking this course.

This course, taught in American Sign Language (ASL), trains students to perform linguistic analysis of ASL and recognize the parallel structures in English. Emphasis is placed upon examining the features of each language and contact between English and ASL.

Prerequisites: A grade of "C" or better in ASL-209 and a grade of "C" or better in ASL-109. - Must be completed prior to taking this course.

In this course, taught in American Sign Language (ASL), students look at the ethical practices of interpreting, identifying ethical behaviors both on and off the job, as well as those that pertain to running an independent business as a freelance interpreter. Demand-Control Schema (D-CS) and Role Space are used as tools to identify the spectrum of challenges and responses that are possible with an interpreted interaction. Observations for this course requires students to have appropriate clearances.

Prerequisites: A grade of "C" or better in ASL-210. - Must be completed prior to taking this course.

Simultaneous Interpreting is the process which allows people who do not have the same language or culture to communicate directly across those boundaries using a professional interpreter who is trained to attend to one language while expressing themselves simultaneously in another. In this course, students draw upon their previous coursework to combine the multiple skill processes needed to produce this type of interpretation. This course is taught in American Sign Language (ASL). Observations for this course requires students to have appropriate clearances.

Prerequisites: A grade of "C" or better in ITP-104. - Must be completed prior to taking this course.

This course, taught in American Sign Language (ASL), prepares students for the process of working toward certification after they graduate from their interpreter training program. Students are given exercises and assignments to review the requisite knowledge to pass both the National Interpreter Certification (NIC) knowledge written examination, as well as the performance examination and the Educational Interpreter's Performance Assessment (EIPA) written and performance examinations. Students gain a clear understanding of the process for both the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) and the Pennsylvania Interpreter registration law and what is required to be a working interpreter in this state.

Prerequisites: A grade of "C" or better in ITP-104. - Must be completed prior to taking this course.

In this course, taught in American Sign Language (ASL), students discuss issues related to interpreting in the K-12 classroom. Students analyze the major transitions from childhood to adolescence to adulthood and the changes required in professional roles, responsibilities and ethical decision making. This course compares and contrasts working in the community versus K-12 environments, reviewing the testing requirements and state laws governing each setting. Students interpret educational content and review the requirements for a student who has an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) and what the interpreter's role is in this process.

Prerequisites: A grade of "C" or better in ITP-208. - Must be completed prior to taking this course.

This course, taught in American Sign Language (ASL), is a field placement practicum in either the K-12 educational system or the community under a supervising mentor. The interpreting practicum provides students with the opportunity to experience, understand and gain familiarity with the professional world of interpreting in multiple settings including K-12, community, Video Relay Service, Video Remote Interpreting and religious settings. Students complete 180 hours of supervised observation and interpreting in these settings in addition to 14 hours of classroom time to meet with the practicum supervisor. The students also use this time to develop a portfolio of their work to use to market themselves to potential agencies and consumers, as well as a tool to develop a professonal development plan for post-graduation. This course requires students to have appropriate clearances.

This course provides the student with an understanding of how the scientific method is applied to the study of human and animal behavior. Topics include: research results, the major principles and perspectives of psychology, applications of contemporary psychology, the structure and function of the nervous system, foundations of learning, intelligence, social behavior, personality, feeling and emotion, motivation, abnormal psychology and its causes and therapies, developmental patterns and the measurement of behavior.

This course develops student skills in the organization and oral expression of ideas through a variety of speeches. Emphasis is on the way people communicate effectively in professional, business and social situations.

Prerequisites: ENG-101L or eligibility for ENG-101. - Must be completed prior to taking this course. Eligibility for ENG-101. - Must be completed prior to taking this course.