Program Overview

Introduction to the American Sign Language/English Interpreting Program

The American Sign Language/English Interpreting Program at the IU School of Liberal Arts introduces students to the theory and practice of interpreting, providing a strong foundation in language, culture, interpreting, and linguistics. Students develop their abilities in ASL and English, analyze features of ASL and English, discuss ethical issues, and perform guided practice with both simultaneous and consecutive interpreting.

Program Objectives

Students completing the ASL/English Interpreting B.S. program will achieve the following:

• Knowledge: Understand the professional code of conduct for interpreters and use acquired abilities to move toward achieving national certification.
• Understanding: Define basic concepts, terminology, processes, theories, and critical perspectives in interpreting, and describe the entire communicative situation and why fluency in the languages and the ability to know how meaning is constructed is important to interpreters.
• Ability to: Use ASL and English in a range of settings and styles effectively, explain historical perspectives on language change, interpreting, and relations between Deaf and hearing communities, describe the interrelationships between language and culture in our lives, use linguistic and cultural knowledge to analyze and evaluate texts for the purposes of interpretation, and use interpreting as a face-to-face process that is conversational in nature.

Degree Requirements

The Bachelor of Science degree with a major in American Sign Language/English Interpreting requires satisfactory completion of the following:

• A minimum of 120 credit hours is required for a B.S. degree from the IU School of Liberal Arts.
• A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 (C) is required for graduation.
• A minimum of 30 credit hours must be completed after formal admission to IU Indianapolis.
• A minimum of 21 credit hours of major coursework must be completed in residence in the IU School of Liberal Arts at Indianapolis.
• A minimum grade of C (2.0) is required in each major course.

General Education Core

A list of accepted courses in the IU Indianapolis General Education Core can be found in the General Education Core section.

Core Communication (6 credits)

• ENG-W 131: Reading, Writing, and Inquiry I (3 credits) or ENG-W 140: Reading, Writing, and Inquiry: Honors (3 credits) completed with a grade of C (2.0) or higher
• COMM-R 110: Fundamentals of Speech Communication (3 credits)

Analytical Reasoning (6 credits)

• College math from List A (3 credits)
• List A or List B (3 credits)

Cultural Understanding (3 credits)

• A world language course is recommended

Life and Physical Sciences (6 credits)

• A laboratory science component is required

Arts/Humanities and Social Sciences (9 credits)

• Arts & Humanities (3 credits)
• Social Science (3 credits)
• Additional Arts & Humanities or Social Science (3 credits)

Liberal Arts Baccalaureate Competencies

First-Year Experience (1-3 credits)

• SLA-S 100: First Year Success Seminar
• Other: First Year Seminar from another school at IU Indianapolis

Writing Proficiency (3 credits)

Completed with a grade of C (2.0) or higher, chosen from the following:

• ENG-W 230: Writing in the Sciences
• ENG-W 231: Professional Writing Skills
• ENG-W 270: Argumentative Writing

Analytical Proficiency (3 credits)

Chosen from the following:

• ECON-E 270: Introduction to Statistical Theory in Economics and Business
• PHIL-P 208: Causality and Evidence
• PHIL-P 262: Practical Logic
• PHIL-P 265: Introduction to Symbolic Logic
• POLS-Y 205: Analyzing Politics
• SOC-R 359: Introduction to Sociological Stats

Major Requirements (36 credits)

• ASL-A 219: Deaf Community History & Culture (3 credits)
• ASL-A 221: Linguistics of American Sign Language (3 credits)
• ASL-I 250: Introduction to Interpreting (3 credits)
• ASL-I 305: Text Analysis (3 credits)
• ASL-I 361: Theory and Process of Interpreting I (3 credits)
• ASL-I 363: Theory and Process of Interpreting II (3 credits)
• ASL-I 365: Theory and Process of Interpreting III (3 credits)
• ASL-I 405: Practicum (6 credits)
• ASL-L 340: Interpreting Discourse English to ASL (3 credits)
• ASL-L 342: Interpreting Discourse ASL to English (3 credits)
• ENG-Z 205: Introduction to the English Language (3 credits) or other linguistics courses approved by the Director of the ASL/English Interpreting Program

Open Electives

Candidates for a degree in the IU School of Liberal Arts must complete the IU Indianapolis General Education Core requirements, the baccalaureate competencies, and the requirements of their major department. Usually, students will still need to complete additional hours in order to reach the graduation requirement of 120 credit hours. These remaining credit hours are known as open electives.