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American Sign Language (ASL)

Welcome

Welcome to the American Sign Language Guide! This guide is intended to assist CSI students in their research and assignments related to any of our ASL courses. Many of the resources featured in this guide are available to access through the College of Staten Island Library or the CUNY system, however, some external resources will be featured. 

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What is American Sign Language?

American Sign Language, or ASL, is a language system that incorporates the combination of hand movements and facial expressions. ASL has its own linguistic and cultural aspects, like all other languages, but is grammatically different from the English language. Other regions have their own sign languages, but ASL is the most common sign language in the United States and Canada. 

American Sign Language Minor

The College of Staten Island offers a minor in American Sign Language for undergraduate students as a part of the college's World Languages and Literatures program.

For more information about CSI's American Sign Language minor, please visit the program's website or contact the Coordinator of American Sign Language, Russell Rosen, by phone at (718)-982-3700 or by email at russell.rosen@csi.cuny.edu

Popular Books on American Sign Language

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The Joy of Signing

The Joy of Signing is one of the most comprehensive guides available for mastering the current basic signs used to communicate with deaf people in either the word order of the English language or in the American Sign Language pattern.

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The Deaf Mute Howls

Originally published in 1930, The Deaf Mute Howls flew in the face of the accepted practice of teaching deaf children to speak and read lips while prohibiting the use of sign language. 

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Deaf Culture

The second edition of Deaf Culture: Exploring Deaf Communities in the United States critically examines how Deaf culture fits into education, psychology, cultural studies, technology, and the arts. 

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Signing the Body Poetic

This book presents the work of a renowned and diverse group of deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing scholars who examine original ASL poetry, narrative, and drama.