An investigation of the influence of languages on nonlinguistic aspects of culture and society. Topics will include patterns of communication, speech community, communication and social structure, varieties of language, and the analysis of communicative competence and communicative performance. Therapeutic management of foreign dialect, language differences, and the effects of cultural diversity upon learning. Needs of multicultural populations within the public schools will also be addressed. Assessment of hearing disorders, individual and group amplification, assistive listening devices, auditory and visual speech recognition, communication strategies, and service delivery to adults and children with hearing loss.
Students earn course credit for field experience in an applied setting.
Requires working at least 8 hours per week at an approved community agency or business of the student's choice. Students keep daily job diaries, attend one class meeting per month, and write brief papers relative to their experiences. Apply for placements in the College Master's office. The class schedule for the current semester will list the special topic that will be offered. The following independent study courses are advanced individualized projects to be arranged with a supervising professor.