SPECIALIZATION
American Sign Language/Deaf Studies
Teacher Preparation
PURPOSE: The Associate of Arts degree in Liberal Arts lays the foundation for a Bachelor of Arts degree in art and art history, ASL-English Interpretation, communication, Deaf studies, English/literature, history, humanities, journalism, music, philosophy, pre-law, social sciences, speech-language pathology, religious studies, and world languages. The liberal arts promote a broad background of knowledge across the arts, humanities, languages, and social sciences to develop students’ abilities in analytical and critical thinking, written and oral communication, and understanding global cultural awareness. The Liberal Arts degree is a two-year program designed for those students who plan to transfer to a four-year college or university to complete a Bachelor of Arts degree. While the program is designed to provide transfer paths that will match the requirements of four-year colleges and universities, the requirements may differ. Therefore, students are strongly urged to work with their assigned advisor and to acquaint themselves with the requirements of the major department in the college or university to which they plan to transfer. This program requires intermediate proficiency (two years of coursework or its equivalent) in a language other than English.
Each student admitted to the program is assigned an academic advisor to help plan the appropriate course of studies to transfer to the student’s choice of a four-year college or university. Students who complete the program generally transfer as juniors.
THE TEACHER PREPARATION SPECIALIZATION is designed for students who plan to transfer to a four-year college or university in a major that requires a background in the liberal arts, and who plan to teach at the elementary, middle, or secondary school level. The Teacher Preparation specialization enables the student to participate in two field experiences in area schools.
THE ASL/DEAF STUDIES SPECIALIZATION is designed for students who plan to transfer to a four-year college or university in a major that requires a background in American Sign Language and Deaf persons as a cultural group. These expanding fields include speech-language pathology, deaf education, ASL instruction, interpretation, interpreter education, linguistics, and Deaf studies (e.g., history, literature, and research).
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS: General college curricular admission
PROGRAM NOTES: The following high school units are strongly recommended: three units of college preparatory mathematics and two years of a foreign language.
NOTE TO PROSPECTIVE TEACHERS: Students who wish to be licensed to teach in Virginia should earn a baccalaureate degree in a liberal arts, science, or mathematics field. Students should consult with their advisor regarding elective choices that match their desired teaching endorsement area(s). While enrolled at the community college, students should prepare for and successfully complete Praxis Core (Reading, Writing, and Mathematics), the initial teacher licensure examination.
COMPUTER COMPETENCY REQUIREMENT: Students in the Liberal Arts degree program will meet the college’s computer competency requirement by successfully completing ITE 152 or CSC 155 . Students can also meet this requirement by passing the college’s computer competency exam, administered in the testing centers on each campus, in which case they will receive college credit for ITE 152 or CSC 155 . Students not passing the computer competency exam may retake the exam only once.
PROGRAM OUTCOMES: Upon successful completion of the AA degree in Liberal Arts, the student will be able to demonstrate:
- An interdisciplinary understanding of the human experience from different global, cultural, sociological, and historical perspectives;
- An awareness of how social and cultural contexts shape and influence forms of human expression; and
- An understanding of the interdependence of academic disciplines and how an interdisciplinary perspective contributes to understanding the human experience.
