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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions about American Sign Language and the ASL Program at Ohio State.

How do I obtain Transfer Credit?

You should not take the placement exam. You will be placed according to your transfer credits. The admissions office may be able to assign credit for specific courses. If so, then take the next course in the sequence. If they are not able to determine the equivalencies, they will give you a form that shows the number of American Sign Language credit hours that have been awarded. You will therefore need to consult with Lauren Sanders, who evaluates ASL transfer credits from other colleges. Contact her at: sanders.67@osu.edu.  Her office is 450 Hagerty Hall, but her mailbox is in room 100, The Foreign Language Center, should you need to drop off materials.  The FAX is (614) 688-3355.

When you meet with the transfer credit coordinator to determine your transfer credits, bring with you:

  • A copy of your transcript (it does not have to be an official copy)
  • A copy of the page(s) from that institution's course catalog that describe their ASL program and course sequence
  • A syllabus from the course(s). This is especially important for the list of textbooks and chapters covered in that class. If you do not have a syllabus, call the ASL department of that institution and ask for the name of the book your instructor used that quarter and the chapters that were covered.
  • The form from the admissions office that shows how many ASL credit hours have been awarded to you.

FAQ about the Placement Test and EM Credit

  • What does Placement Testing mean?

Placement testing is for those students who have had two or more years of the same language in high school and have been admitted to the university unconditionally. These students take the Placement test in the language they took for during their years in high school as part of their admission process.

  • If I take the Placement Test, do I have to continue with that language?

A student is not required to continue the language they test in, regardless of the score.

Can the placement test be waived? If the students have been out of high school for over five years or are 22 years of age or older, the placement test need not be taken unless they wish to begin at a level higher that 101. Also in the case of students who may have a learning disability, need special arrangements, and/or petitions should contact the Office for Disability Services (http://www.ods.ohio-state.edu/welcome.htm or (614)292-3307.

  • What does EM testing mean?

Students who are currently enrolled at the University as an undergrad are eligible for Credit by Examination. This test is optional for those students who already contain knowledge about a subject testing is offered in. The credit does not affect the students’ grade point average, but it does count as hours toward graduation.

  • Are there restrictions for EM Credit?

EM credit will NOT be awarded for courses that are prerequisites to those for which college credit has ALREADY been earned, or for any course in which a student has received either a mark at OSU or transfer credit from another institution.

  • What does the EM/Placement Test include?

The test includes 2 portions: a written (short answer) and a practical (signing) portion. In the practical portion the student will demonstrate their signing abilities in a one on one environment. The practical portion is videotaped for evaluation purposes.

  • When can I take the test?

The test is offered twice each quarter (Autumn, Winter, Spring and Summer) during the 4th and 9th weeks. The specific dates and times are determined in the beginning of each quarter and the test coordinator will then contact interested students.

  • Is there a cost for the test?

As of November 1, 2003, the cost of the placement exam is $75.00. You must provide payment in the form of a check (only). The check should be made out to The Ohio State University and given to the coordinator on the day of the exam.

  • Why is there a charge for the exam?

To ensure reliability and validity of the test OSU hires community members (who have been extensively trained) to come and conduct the evaluation.

  • What if I am on one of the regional campuses?

Currently the ASL EM/Placement test is not offered at any of the Regional Campuses of Ohio State. This may change in the future. However, Students can come to the Columbus Campus and take the test for EM Credit or for Placement. Any credit will be recorded on their official transcript. It is advised that you contact your Academic Advisor to get approval prior to taking the exam. Some Regional Campuses may have different or additional policies that the student may need to follow.

  • Who do I contact to take the exam?

Any interested student should contact Ms. Tia Jones (jones.2246@osu.edu or (614) 292-5392) the Assistant Coordinator in the College of Education. She handles the scheduling of the test.

  • When and how will I learn about my test results?

Students who have taken the test will be informed (by their preferred method – email, phone…) 10 – 14 business days after the completion of the test.

  • Will I receive credit as a result of the exam?

Students who test into 102 or higher will receive EM credit for the courses below the placement. For example, if you test into level 3 you will have earned a total of 10 credit hours for levels1 and 2 (5 credit hours a piece) and can begin taking the class in level 3.

  • If I am not happy with my results, can I take the test again?

In accordance with University policy, NO Credit by Examination test can be taken more than once. Although the testing/evaluation procedures instituted at Ohio State have, in general, proven to be reliable, occasionally students may be placed in a course that they find too easy. In such cases, students are asked to contact Ms. Tia Jones. Ms. Jones will conduct a review of the test to determine if the placement was appropriate. She will then discuss the outcome of the test and the review with the student. If this is still not acceptable, the student is asked to contact the ASL Coordinators for further discussion.

  • If I take the test do I have to take the next level immediately?

The EM Credit that is awarded stays on the student’s record, but the student does not have to take the next level immediately the following quarter. Due to the length of time between the test and taking the class, some students may loose or feel that they have lost   proficiency of the language.  If the student (or teacher) feels it would be in the best interest of the student to take a class lower in level (than what was tested into), the student can audit the lower level class.

Structure of ASL Program (who to contact for what)

  • How is the ASL Program structured at Ohio State?

The ASL Program at OSU is interdisciplinary, spanning across The Colleges of the Arts and Sciences (Department of English), the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences (Department of Speech and Hearing), and the College of Education (Department of Teaching and Learning).  To learn more about each of these contributions to the program, read the program overview.

  • Who do I contact for transfer credit?

Please consult with Amy Delorenzo, who evaluates ASL transfer credits from other colleges. Contact her at: delorenzo.5@osu.edu , 292-6065, 421 Denny, 164 W 17th Ave.

  • Who do I contact about the ASL Placement Test?

Please contact Ms. Tia Jones (jones.2246@osu.edu or (614) 292-5392) the Assistant Coordinator in the College of Education to schedule a Placement Test.

  • Who do I contact with questions about placement or EM credit?

Please contact Ms. Tia Jones (jones.2246@osu.edu or (614) 292-5392) the Assistant Coordinator in the College of Education to schedule a Placement Test.

  • Who are the ASL Program Coordinators?

Please see the contact page for details about the three program coordinators: Brenda Brueggemann, Peter Paul, and Rob Fox. 

ASL as a (foreign) language

Developed by Christopher Krentz  (U. of Virginia State) and Brenda Brueggemann (OSU)

  • Is ASL really a language?

Ample research in recent decades has proven without a doubt that ASL is a complete, separate language, with a grammar and syntax of its own. As one linguist explains "ASL is a fully developed human language, one of the hundreds of naturally occurring signed languages of the world. It is not a derivative of English. It is not a 'simplified' language--it contains structures and processes that English lacks (such as ASL's rich verbal aspect and classifier systems)."

  • How can we call ASL "foreign"?

It depends on what we mean by foreign. If we mean "belonging to another nation," then ASL clearly does not qualify (it is indigenous to the United State and parts of Canada). However, if we mean "strange, different, and unfamiliar," then ASL clearly fits the bill.

Interestingly, in late nineteenth century America, people commonly saw signing Deaf Americans as foreigners. For example, a 1890 article in Science Magazine said that sign language makes the deaf child a "foreigner in his own land."

Similarly, a teacher of deaf students wrote that "no gesturer can become an American" and "the gesturer is, and always will remain, a foreigner." The flourishing deaf community caused leaders such as Alexander Graham Bell to react with alarm. Bell saw deaf residential schools, associations, conventions, newspapers, and so on as threatening; in his Memoir Upon the Formation of a Deaf Variety of the Human Race (1883), he warned that deaf congregation led to deaf intermarriage, which in turn produced increasing numbers of deaf people who would not assimilate with American society. In this way, 19th century oralists used the argument that Deaf people were foreign to justify banning sign language from schools.

  • But no there is no land, or place, associated with ASL, is there?

One recurrent issue seems to be that deaf people have no geographic homeland. We might remind ourselves that for thousands of years, the Jewish people had no place to call home, but I doubt any of us would claim that Hebrew and Judaism do not deserve academic study. Native Americans are another example; relatively few people in the United States are familiar with the languages and cultures of Native Americans, who are arguably more "American" than any of us. The geographic criterion seems to simplify the complex relationship between language and terrain.

Significantly, deaf Americans considered founding a state of their own out west several times in the nineteenth century. The American Annals of the Deaf and other deaf publications contain quite a few letters and articles on teh issue. The idea was never acted upon, but the fact that it was seriously debated shows the extent to which deaf Americans saw themselves as a distinct group, and how they desired a place in which they could run their own affairs.

Deaf Culture and Literature

Developed by Christopher Krentz  (U. of Virginia State) and Brenda Brueggemann (OSU)

  • Is there a literature in ASL?

Deaf people have historically not had access to radio, telephone, television, and other communication sources hearing people use.  Instead, they would often come together at local deaf clubs and share stories, poems, and original drams in American Sign Language. This helped to produce a rich body of ASL literature.  Although this language is not written, it has been and continues to be captured on film and videotape.  For example, at OSU, the ASL Digital Media Project is dedicated to recording and disseminating ASL literature and performances, as well as organizing events such as “An Evening with ASL Storytelling and Poetry” during Spring 2005.  To learn more about the ASL-DMP go to: http://english.osu.edu/asldmp/default.htm

  • Is there really such a thing as "Deaf Culture?"

If we define "culture" as the social norms, values, beliefs, traditions, and identify that people have, then yes, Deaf people have an identifiable culture of their own. This topic is hard to sum up quickly, but here are a few examples. Deaf social norms include rules for getting attention and saying goodbye, which differ markedly from etiquette in mainstream hearing society. Deaf values include ASL and residential schools for deaf children, which Deaf people care about passionately. Deaf traditions include legends, folktales, and jokes in ASL, which have been literally handed down from generation to generation. Deaf people have long had their own institutions--clubs, theatrical groups, sports leagues, political associations, churches, press, etc.--where this culture has flourished.