<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; ">Thanks for sharing this history, Kaitlyn! <DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>I also wanted to ask if anyone has interest in a class specifically oriented around deaf culture and history. I have this idea to offer a new 100-level course, possibly an introduction to deaf culture or something like that. If we can demonstrate interest, we might be able to convince the college to offer this as well.<DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Write to me if this is something you might pursue, should Hampshire decide to offer it.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>thanks,</DIV><DIV>Laura V</DIV><DIV><BR><DIV><DIV>On Dec 12, 2005, at 7:49 PM, Kaitlyn Millen wrote:</DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><O:SMARTTAGTYPE namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PlaceType"> <O:SMARTTAGTYPE namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PlaceName"><O:SMARTTAGTYPE namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"> <DIV class="Section1"><P class="MsoNormal"><FONT size="2" face="Arial"><SPAN style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial">Dear Hampshire ASL Email List Members,<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></P><P class="MsoNormal"><FONT size="2" face="Arial"><SPAN style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></P><P class="MsoNormal"><FONT size="2" face="Arial"><SPAN style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial">First, for those of you not in the ASL classes this fall- thank you for being tolerant of the course-specific emails. Second, I just wanted to say thanks for helping to make ASL at Hampshire a success so far. Your continued interest in ASL and Deaf community events is the foundation of these ASL classes. <O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></P><P class="MsoNormal"><FONT size="2" face="Arial"><SPAN style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></P><P class="MsoNormal"><FONT size="2" face="Arial"><SPAN style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial">When I first came to Hampshire in ’02, there were no ASL classes in any of the five colleges that were open to all students. Michelle Bernstein (F’01) and I commuted to <ST1:PLACE w:st="on"><ST1:PLACENAME w:st="on">Holyoke</ST1:PLACENAME> <ST1:PLACETYPE w:st="on">Community College</ST1:PLACETYPE></ST1:PLACE> to learn ASL. Last fall (2004) we decided to teach a student taught introductory level course at Hampshire since there was nothing else available (we knew that it was controversial for hearing students to be teaching ASL). I registered the teaching of this class, along with outside research as an independent study while we arranged for students to get credit for taking the class as an independent study. There was a strong interest in the course.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></P><P class="MsoNormal"><FONT size="2" face="Arial"><SPAN style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></P><P class="MsoNormal"><FONT size="2" face="Arial"><SPAN style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial">Laura Vitkus, who works in Student Affairs and is fluent in ASL helped Michelle and I draft a proposal to bring professionally taught ASL to Hampshire. Laura searched for a teacher and helped with much of the behind-the-scenes work. After a semester of hard work on the class and many meetings, Hampshire committed to offering ASL! Spring of 2005 was the first ASL class, added to the list at the last minute but still filled. This fall, so many students expressed interest in ASL classes that a second section needed to be opened up. Debbie Rotkowitz (F’02) and I were T.A.s for these classes. Now, this spring, ASL 2 will be offered.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></P><P class="MsoNormal"><FONT size="2" face="Arial"><SPAN style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></P><P class="MsoNormal"><FONT size="2" face="Arial"><SPAN style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial">I just wanted to say that I am so excited that Hampshire has this to offer. Possibly some students will continue to be involved with ASL and the Deaf community. If nothing else, students are able to explore an interesting topic and will be more aware of a different culture. <O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></P><P class="MsoNormal"><FONT size="2" face="Arial"><SPAN style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></P><P class="MsoNormal"><FONT size="2" face="Arial"><SPAN style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial">Thank you so much to everyone involved with this process. I especially want to thank Ruth Moore (professor of ASL at Hampshire) for being such an AMAZING professor and for really inspiring many people. Without an effective teacher, the classes could not be a success. <O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></P><P class="MsoNormal"><FONT size="2" face="Arial"><SPAN style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></P><P class="MsoNormal"><FONT size="2" face="Arial"><SPAN style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial">Finally, if there are any students who decide they want to pursue Deaf Studies and have any questions at all, don’t hesitate to contact me. I will use the below email for at least a couple more years. As someone who made Deaf Studies as part of my concentration before there were ASL classes, I have many suggestions for how you can make it work as well as resources in the area. <O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></P><P class="MsoNormal"><FONT size="2" face="Arial"><SPAN style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></P><P class="MsoNormal"><FONT size="2" face="Arial"><SPAN style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial">Have a wonderful break!<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></P><P class="MsoNormal"><FONT size="2" face="Arial"><SPAN style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN></FONT></P><P class="MsoNormal"><FONT size="2" face="Arial"><SPAN style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial">Kaitlyn Millen, F’02<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></P><P class="MsoNormal"><FONT size="2" face="Arial"><SPAN style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial">kmillen@hampshire(dot)edu (this is to prevent spam since it’s a public list)<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></P> </DIV> </O:SMARTTAGTYPE></O:SMARTTAGTYPE></O:SMARTTAGTYPE><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">_______________________________________________</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">ASL mailing list</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><A href="mailto:ASL@lists.hampshire.edu">ASL@lists.hampshire.edu</A></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><A href="http://lists.hampshire.edu/mailman/listinfo/asl">http://lists.hampshire.edu/mailman/listinfo/asl</A></DIV> <BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR></DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>