I am currently a student in a public discourse class, and for my project my goal is to raise awareness to the need for American Sign Language to be offered as a foreign language credit here on our campus. American Sign Language is the fourth most commonly used language in the United States and can be very beneficial in many different communities. Currently Bethel University, Augsburg College, and Saint Catherine University offer ASL as a foreign language credit, and the University of Minnesota has offered ASL to fulfill the language credit for over fifteen years. Other schools are embracing ASL, and it’s time for Gustavus to offer ASL to fulfill the foreign language requirement.

Some question whether ASL should be considered foreign and/or a language. Experts conclude that ASL contains every feature a language needs in order to function on its own; this includes rules concerning punctuation, sentence structure, and grammar. In fact, in 2009, for Minnesota high school graduates the Minnesota State Legislature passed the World Language Proficiency Certificate program which states: “Satisfactory completion of courses in American Sign Language in a public elementary or secondary school shall be accorded equal standing with satisfactory completion of courses in any world language” (revisor.mn.gov). While this statute does not pertain to college curriculum, support for ASL as a foreign language credit is very evident throughout Minnesota.

Gustavus prides itself on excellence, diversity, and individualism and can further fulfill these principles by offering ASL. Comparing our campus to other college and universities and following their success, , Gustavus Adolphus College can and should offer American Sign Language to fulfill the foreign language requirement.

Allison Zard