Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

This course studies four major aspects of Deaf people and their culture: 1) discuss the different perspectives from Deaf and hearing and the oppression issues, 2) values, social customs and culture of Deaf people, 3) analysis and discuss the literature and folklore of Deaf cultural arts and 4) the implications of cultural differences at the intersection of the Deaf and hearing worlds. These aspects are interrelated through the course

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Articulate clearly modern paradigms for the Deaf experience, applying current trends in social discourse to interactions with members of the Deaf community.
• Recognize subtle themes in language, interaction, conversations, and institutions that marginalize Deaf people and perpetuate oppression.
• Think critically with an understanding of one’s own cultural filters, social customs and other cultural biases and how they differ from values, social customs, and perspectives of a variety of Deaf, Deaf-blind, and hard of hearing people.
• Apply cultural understandings learned in class effectively in authentic interactions with native signers.

In class activities may include group discussion, viewing videotapes of several topics related, short student presentations, reaction paper and some cultural activities.

Assessment will be done through quizzes, exams, assignments and reaction paper.

Culture in general, American Culture, American Deaf Culture, different perspectives based or from background, language, communication mode, gender, young to old, ethnic, values, social customs, cultural aspects, historical, theatre, storytelling, literature, folklore, cross-cultural, and high and low context.