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Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
49
Language component
Across the four years of the degree, you will be introduced
to ISL and language skills will be developed to a high degree.
Our language teaching is mapped to the Common European
Framework of Reference for Languages (Council of Europe),
so you will be able to map your progress against your knowledge
of other languages. Students have approximately nine hours of
class contact with ISL lecturers each week over the four years.
Theoretical component
Theoretical courses will introduce you to aspects of language
acquisition, linguistics, sociolinguistics, social policy, equality
studies and social studies. Each theoretical course involves two
hours of lecture time per week plus an expectation of self study.
Theoretical courses include:
n
An Introduction to sign linguistics
n
Sociolinguistics and signed languages
n
Perspectives on deafness
n
Equality studies
n
Interactional discourse analysis
n
Language acquisition and deafness
n
Language processing
n
Deaf education
n
Working with the Deaf community
n
Deaf people and the media
n
Ethics
n
Translation and interpreting: Philosophy and practice
n
Methods of assessment
n
Curriculum planning
n
Teaching methods
n
Developing multimedia for the Deaf community
Students can also select one course from the Broad Curriculum
in both years one and two (see p. 13).
Practice component
Practical components are introduced in the Sophistor (third
and fourth) years and will include placements with organisations.
These will include a six-week block placement in the Junior
Sophistor (third) year and an eight week block in the Senior
Sophistor (fourth) year. While you will usually attend placement
in an Irish organisation, it is possible, by special arrangement,
to arrange a placement abroad. In previous years, students have
undertaken placements with a wide range of Irish organisations
including the Irish Deaf Society, DeafHear, Kerry Deaf Resource
Centre, SLIS, Bridge Interpreting and the Conroy School of ISL.
The Freshman years – language
component:
The cornerstone of working with the Deaf community is fluency
in ISL. ISL is introduced at ab initio (beginner) level.
Courses taken in the Freshman (first two) years are ISL1, ISL2,
ISL3 and ISL4. Nine hours of contact time per week with ISL
lecturers in an immersion setting facilitates rapid development
of ISL skill.
The Freshman years – theoretical
component:
In the Freshman years you will be introduced to the area of Deaf
studies and linguistics. These courses will be the foundation for
later years of study. These are:
n
Introduction to sign linguistics
– introduces aspects
of the grammar of signed languages including phonology,
phonetics, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics.
n
Sociolinguistics and signed languages
– introduces the
ways in which the social context impacts on language use in
signed languages, including reference to gender, generation,
regional variation and the impact of educational policy and
the media on sign language use. Also looks at issues of
language recognition and language planning.
n
Perspectives on deafness
– focusing on experiences
of being a deaf/deafened person and how society
(contemporary and historically) has responded to deaf
people. This course has a strong international dimension
and looks at the issues of community, culture, Deafhood
and what it means to be deaf in Europe today).
n
Language acquisition and deafness
– including issues
of “home signing” and the impact of late acquisition of
languages – spoken and/or signed – for deaf children.
n
Language processing
n
Interactive discourse analysis
n
Deaf education
n
Working with the Deaf community
– including issues
of mental health and mental illness in the Deaf community
or Translation and interpreting: Philosophy and practice
(for those aiming to pursue the interpreting strand)
n
Ethics 1
Students can step out of the programme on successful
completion of year 2 with a Diploma in Deaf studies or may
continue on to degree level.
The Sophistor years
In years 3 and 4, you will opt to follow one of three strands:
(i) Interpreting, (ii) ISL teaching or (iii) Deaf studies.
While the ISL components are shared across all courses, in the
Sophistor years, you will take specific theoretical and practice-
based courses to support professional skill development in your
specific area of interest. In order to opt for the interpreting or
ISL route, you will need to have achieved a II.2 in the Senior
Freshman (second) year.
The Sophistor years – Language component
In years 3 and 4, you will complete four more ISL courses: ISL5,
ISL6, ISL7 and ISL8, bringing you to a level of fluency where you
will be able to understand an academic lecture delivered in ISL,
make formal presentations in ISL and interact with confidence
in the language.