Sign Language Interpretation

Code	Course Description
INTR 1101	Introduction to Deafhood This course is an introduction to Deaf culture and to the richness of the local, regional and global Deaf community. The key cultural elements of signed language, values, norms for interaction, traditions and artistic expression will be highlighted. Deaf community members' various life pathways and diverse identities will be explored, and contrasted with society's perspectives on what it means to be Deaf.
INTR 1102	Allyship and the Deaf Community This course encourages students to examine what it means to be an ally within the socio-political context of the dynamics between Deaf and non-Deaf people, exploring the effects of marginalization and lack of access, as well as the significance of power, privilege and identity. They will examine professional roles, particularly that of sign language interpreters, and their own suitability to work in and alongside the Deaf community.
INTR 1103	Social Justice Perspectives on Deaf Education, History and Access This course provides opportunities to study the challenges and successes of Deaf people's access to all facets of society, as experienced by users of visual language in a world dominated by the use of spoken language. Students will apply a social justice lens to examine the history of systems (education, health care, etc.), and shifts in legislation and social policy that impact the lives of Deaf people.
INTR 1120	Self and Professional Practice This course emphasizes a developmental approach to self-awareness and professional practice. It provides students with a framework to explore wellness themes pertinent to the field of sign language interpreting.
INTR 1142	Foundations of Practice This field-based course provides students with foundational skills for the field of Sign Language interpretation. Learning is focused on: opportunities to observe interpreters in practice; development of foundational skills such as discourse mapping and discourse reconstruction; an introduction to setting S.M.A.R.T.E.R. goals and to the Demand Control Schema (best practice process for reflection and decision making).
INTR 1145	Discourse Analysis and Translation This methods course provides students with opportunities to analyze ASL and English discourse and develop an equivalent translation in each language. Students will explore speaker/signer intent, contextual impact, proposition identification, message, meaning and cultural mediation.
INTR 1175	Pre-Interpreting ASL – I This course for intermediate ASL users focuses on developing skills in using ASL numbering systems, linguistic techniques to produce grammatically correct ASL, classifiers and locatives. Students will also apply pre-interpreting skills related to discourse mapping of ASL texts and reconstruct ASL discourse from diagrams of their own design.
INTR 1225	Professional and Cultural Mediation This course provides students with opportunities to explore the concept of sign language interpreters as cultural mediators within their professional role. Role-play, culturally-linked texts and field experiences will be used to stimulate discussion, reflection and class projects.
INTR 1241	Sign Language Interpretation – Practicum I This course provides opportunities for students to develop interpreting skills and practice professional skills under supervision. Students will integrate and reflect upon their educational, personal and professional experiences.
INTR 1242	Introduction to Practice This field-based course provides students with an introduction to the practice profession of Sign Language interpretation. Learning is focused on: continuing development of pre-interpreting skills such as vocabulary development, discourse mapping and discourse reconstruction (paraphrasing); application of the Demand Control Schema (best practice process for reflection and decision making); an introduction to the Deaf-Blind community.
INTR 1275	Pre-Interpreting ASL – II In this course, students will demonstrate advanced ASL skills. ASL utterances will reflect appropriate time sequence and detail. Developing skills include use of linguistic techniques to produce appropriate grammatical structure, use of classifiers, locatives and ASL mouthing.
INTR 1285	Deafhood: Global Diversity in Deaf Culture This course will provide opportunities for students to develop an understanding of Deaf culture and to explore a new paradigm described as Deafhood. Definitions and theories of culture will be studied through a historical perspective of the lives of Deaf people around the world. Historical implications on current practices of providing services and education for Deaf people in the world today will also be examined. Course instruction will be in American Sign Language.
INTR 1290	Community-Based Language and Culture in Action This review course provides opportunities for students to review and apply basic theories of interpreting as they practice consecutive and simultaneous interpreting with a variety of discourse samples. There are two segments to the course, the first segment being offered primarily on-line, and the second segment taking place at an off-campus week-long retreat. Prior to attending the retreat, students will review guiding and interpreting techniques for working with people who are Deaf-Blind.
INTR 2110	Positionality in the Deaf Community This course will focus on the development of a professional interpreter identity through examination of one's positionality in the Deaf community. Students will use critical thinking to explore historical and current perspectives on the interpreting community of practice. Students will consider how to be agents of change toward social, economic and racial justice by examining issues of diversity, intersectionality, privilege, marginalization, self-determination and systemic inequities.
INTR 2130	Deaf Community Service Learning I This course is the first of two courses designed to strengthen the interpreting student's ability to adapt to linguistic and cultural diversity within the Deaf community and to appropriately engage in the cultural norms of the Deaf community. Service learning provides authentic immersive experiences in a way not possible in the classroom. Through collaboration and volunteer service, students will participate in activities designed and led by Deaf community members. Guided by a Deaf instructor, students will participate in classroom seminars to reflect on their learning. The language of instruction will be ASL.
INTR 2142	Foundations of Practice I This course provides students with an introduction to the profession of American Sign Language - English interpretation and will involve three significant areas: observation of interpreters at work in the field; development of pre-interpreting foundational skills; and an introduction to the decision-making framework known as the Demand Control Schema.
INTR 2155	Interpretation I: Translation This course provides opportunities to practically apply a cognitive model of interpreting in which the interpreter actively constructs meaning based on cues provided by others. Students will develop skills in analyzing and translating ASL and English texts, exploring multiple parameters of discourse and message analysis. These may include speaker/signer intent, implied and explicit content, emotional affect, culturally-bound elements, and the impact of contextual factors.
INTR 2201	Deafhood: Pathways to Identity & Diversity This course provides opportunities for students to build on their understanding of what it means to be culturally Deaf. Students explore the complexities of Deafhood, considering what people who identify as Deaf have in common but also how they differ. Key themes are intersectionality, diverse life journeys, and Deafhood as a global concept. Students examine how these themes inform the work of interpreters. In this course the language of instruction is ASL.
INTR 2210	Ethics & Professional Decision Making This course provides students with opportunities to clarify their own values and integrate that knowledge into the concept of sign language interpreters as cultural mediators within their professional role. Applying prior learning regarding power, privilege and oppression, students will discuss and analyze meta-ethical principles and the Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Professional Conduct espoused by sign language interpreters in Canada. Students will also further their understanding of the decision-making framework known as Demand Control Schema and its application to ethics.
INTR 2230	Deaf Community Service Learning II This course is the second of two courses designed to strengthen the interpreting student's ability to appropriately engage in the Deaf community. Students will participate in community volunteer service and they will also plan and host social events to complement monthly Practical Learning Days (PL Days). PL Days will comprise intense practice interpreting in simulated scenarios role-played by Deaf community members and non-signing hearing volunteers. Guided by a Deaf instructor, students will reflect on their experiential learning in classroom seminars. The language of instruction will be ASL.
INTR 2242	Foundations of Practice II This course provides students with opportunities to expand their understanding of the practice profession of sign language interpretation. Continued foundational learning focuses on development of pre-interpreting skills such as English vocabulary development, discourse mapping, discourse reconstruction, paraphrasing and cognitive multi-tasking. Students will be introduced to the Deafblind community and to the variety of setting types where interpreters typically work.
INTR 2255	Interpretation Theory & Practice II This practical course provides opportunities to develop ASL-English interpreting skills during simulated practice in the classroom and while doing volunteer interpreting in the community. Students will integrate their learning in all settings and will participate in seminars to reflect upon their professional growth and to identify focus areas for ongoing development. They will learn interpreting theory, terminology and process models, and will practice strategies for both consecutive and simultaneous interpreting.
INTR 2300	Language and Culture in Action – Interpretation I This methods course provides opportunities for students to develop simultaneous interpreting skills while using a variety of general and technical source texts. Students will be challenged to reflect on and integrate new and prior skills, knowledge and experiences with their emerging professional identity. They will learn strategies for interpreting in both teamed and unteamed situations.
INTR 2310	Professional & Business Practices This course will give students additional opportunities to explore the roles and responsibilities of the interpreter as a professional. Focus will be on employment preparation and business skills for the freelance interpreter.
INTR 2320	Interpreting in Educational Settings This course provides opportunities for students to develop an understanding of the interpreter’s role and responsibilities when working in educational settings. Strategies to work successfully as a member of the educational team and classroom discourse will be examined. Major emphasis will be on interpreting in the K-12 setting, including adapting interpretations to accommodate a child’s cognitive development and preferred learning style.
INTR 2355	Interpretation Theory & Practice III: Community This practical course provides opportunities to build and enhance ASL-English interpreting skills during simulated practice in the classroom and while doing volunteer interpreting in the community. Students will gain versatility in meeting the needs of Deaf, hard of hearing, and Deafblind consumers across a spectrum of varied language use. The primary language of instruction will be ASL. The classes in May and June will be augmented by ongoing volunteering in the summer and a one-week practical learning experience at a Deafblind camp in August.
INTR 2375	Pre-Interpreting ASL – III In this course, students will demonstrate advanced ASL skills and develop skills in recognizing the nuances of ASL in various settings. Students will master techniques supporting proper ASL structure as they apply classroom learning to interactive communications.
INTR 2400	Language and Culture in Action – Interpretation II This methods course provides further opportunities for students to develop simultaneous interpreting skills while using a variety of general and technical texts. Students will be challenged to reflect on and integrate new and prior skills, knowledge and experiences with their emerging professional identity.
INTR 2420	Sign Language Interpretation – Practicum II This practicum course provides opportunities for students to practice professional skills in selected sites under supervision. Students will integrate and reflect upon their educational, personal, and professional experiences in practicum and seminar.
INTR 2440	Sign Language Interpretation – Practicum III This practicum course provides opportunities for students to practice professional skills in selected sites under supervision. Students will integrate and reflect upon their educational, personal, and professional experiences in practicum and seminar.
INTR 2475	Pre-Interpreting ASL – IV In this course students will demonstrate advanced ASL skills, and mastery of and appropriate use of ASL linguistic techniques. Students will learn to be versatile in adapting their ASL usage to meet the variety of needs among consumers of interpreting. This will include being able to use contact sign when appropriate.
INTR 3110	Self & Community of Practice This course prepares students to take on the challenges of building a practice as a professional interpreter while maintaining physical and mental health. The emotional labour and potential for burnout inherent in interpreting work will be examined, along with strategies for time and stress management. Students will learn basic business skills for working freelance as well as how to utilize resources, mentorship and peer support within the community of practice.
INTR 3120	Interpreting in Educational Settings This course provides opportunities for students to explore historical and current sociopolitical influences that impact the pedagogical perspectives, goals and practices in the education of Deaf students. Learners will examine the interpreter’s dynamic and adaptive responsibilities to accommodate various Deaf students’ needs while applying ethical decision making appropriate for working in educational settings. Major emphasis will be on the characteristics of interpreting in a K-12 school environment and on developing strategies for communicating successfully as a member of an educational team.
INTR 3155	Interpretation Theory & Practice IV This practical course provides opportunities to further develop and enhance ASL-English interpreting skills (in both language directions) during simulated practice in the classroom and while doing volunteer interpreting in the community. Students will integrate their learning in a wide variety of setting/topic types and will participate, in both English and ASL, in reflective discussions and feedback sessions with their peers. They will continue to develop their skills for critically analyzing interpretations, with emphasis on identifying focus areas for improvement of their own work. They will regularly set goals and monitor their own learning.
INTR 3161	Advanced American Sign Language for Interpreters This advanced ASL course for students in the second year of the interpreting program supports their preparedness for their final term of practicum placements. Students will expand their ASL vocabulary and hone their proficiency in applying ASL’s visual-spatial techniques to make clear visual sense. Emphasis will be on developing versatility and range in order to participate in contextualized discourse that respects the needs and goals of specific ASL users in specific situations, considering parameters of setting, topic, register, user demographics, etc.
INTR 3242	Practicum Readiness This course prepares students for the practicum experiences in their final semester of the sign language interpreting program. Students will be challenged to reflect on their new and prior skills, knowledge and experiences, integrating these with their emerging professional identity.
INTR 3280	Practicum I This is the first of two field-based, capstone courses providing students with further opportunities to synthesize classroom learning. Under the direction and mentorship of professional interpreter practitioners as they work in the field, students will be challenged to apply, integrate and reflect upon their own development of practical interpreting skills and professional readiness. Students will further examine their personal and professional experiences while participating in seminars with their college instructors and classmates.
INTR 3290	Practicum II This is the second of two field-based, capstone courses providing students with further opportunity to synthesize classroom learning. Under the direction and mentorship of professional interpreter practitioners as they work in the field, students will be challenged to apply, integrate and reflect upon their own development of practical interpreting skills and professional readiness. Students will further examine their personal and professional experiences while participating in seminars with their college instructors and classmates.

Sign Language Interpretation

Course List