I wanted to share some information from the Department of Speech and Hearing Science about SHS 222 Language and Culture of Deaf Communities and SHS 121 American Sign Language I. In the past, students planning on taking SHS 121 ASL I on this campus have been required to also take SHS 222 prior to, or concurrently with, SHS 121, unless instructor consent has been given. I wanted to let you know that the department has proposed no longer requiring SHS 222 as a pre- or co-requisite for SHS 121. This is in the process of being formally approved and in all likelihood will be, effective fall 2016, but it is not currently reflected in the information in Course Explorer or the fall 2016 class schedule. Although this will not be able to be updated online in time for registration, given the timing of this, I wanted to be sure you knew that students interested in taking SHS 121 on this campus will not be prevented from being able to enroll in the course if they have not yet taken, or may not be able to enroll concurrently in SHS 222 this fall or in future semesters.
Since SHS does not offer a fourth semester of American Sign Language (courses only go through ASL 3), students in colleges that require the equivalent of four years of foreign language for their bachelor’s degree can take SHS 222 for the fourth level of the language, provided they do not use SHS 222 to satisfy another Gen. Ed. area, specifically in Social Science and US Minority Culture(s). SHS 222 will continue to be offered both fall and spring, and students may take that at any point with the ASL classes. As of this writing, the times that SHS 222 will be offered in the fall are in the process of being updated but the class is slated to be taught during the first 8 weeks of the fall semester.
Lastly, ASL 1 and ASL II, SHS 121 and SHS 221, are both offered this fall. The department is working on adding information to the class schedule, including a link to request to be placed on a waitlist for ASL classes only. Please note that ASL 3, SHS 321, is not offered this fall but will be offered once again in the spring, along with both SHS 121 and SHS 221. The department does foresee all three levels being taught each semester (fall and spring) in future terms.
I appreciate you sharing this information with your students.
Many thanks.
Kathi Ritten
Kathi Ritten
Academic Advisor
College of Applied Health Sciences
Department of Speech and Hearing Science
220 Speech and Hearing Science Building, MC-482
901 South Sixth Street
Champaign, IL 61820
(217) 333-2230
E-mail: ritten@illinois.edu