BSL (British Sign Language) and Deaf Studies BA (Hons)

The place of deaf people, deaf communities and sign languages in contemporary society is constantly changing. This course will explore historical and contemporary contexts of deaf people and communities, as well as providing an opportunity to learn British Sign Language to an advanced level.
At York St John University we have an active and welcoming community of BSL speakers. As your language skills improve you will also gain an increasingly deep understanding of the socio-linguistic context of BSL. You will consider how BSL has developed, its relationship to other world sign languages and investigate the translation process between BSL and English.

The place of deaf people in modern society is constantly changing. You will draw on current research to explore the experiences of deaf people and communities in both historical and contemporary contexts. We will consider the tensions between Deafhood philosophies and the perception of deafness as a disability and the changing foundations of UK deaf communities. In your second year you will have the opportunity to explore issues and challenges faced by BSL users in real workplaces through a work-based module.

While you specialise in the study of British Sign language and its use, you will also gain a broader understanding of how languages in general are structured, learnt and used. You will explore attitudes to language, learn about multilingualism and consider how language is related to identity, society and culture.

Program Available At (Campus) - York campus