The College launched an American Sign Language (ASL) and Deaf studies minor program this spring. Spearheaded by professors David Reinhart and Matt Andersen, the minor is housed within the Department of Linguistics and includes ASL courses and electives on Deaf culture spanning disciplines like literature, media, and linguistics.

According to Andersen, the minor has been in the works for years, with two previous attempts at approval before it was cleared by the College this February. ASL has been offered at UChicago for more than 30 years through opportunities like intensive summer courses and a Sign Language Linguistics Laboratory, but Andersen said that he and Reinhart are now focused on growing the minor.

“We hope to see the minor so firmly institutionalized that it becomes a natural thread in the fabric of UChicago’s academic culture,” Andersen said. The program’s administrators hope to build enrollment over the next five years and eventually offer study abroad programs to “study the historical origins of ASL and Deaf education” in France and the United Kingdom.

In future years, Andersen hopes to develop an introductory Deaf culture course open to the broader student body that will help students connect their primary major to the minor in ASL and Deaf studies. To complete the minor, students must either fulfill or test out of the three-course introductory ASL sequence (which satisfies the Core language requirement) before taking three intermediate ASL courses and three Deaf studies elective courses, all taught in ASL.

“Beyond the linguistic benefits, studying ASL and Deaf culture instills a strong foundation in accessibility, equity, and human centered thinking,” Andersen said. “Whether our students go on to become doctors, lawyers, policymakers, or media creators, they will step into their future careers equipped to recognize systemic barriers and champion inclusive practices.”