This program is designed to teach students to be linguists who can work with signed and spoken languages and their cultures. Students will be introduced to a variety of signed and spoken languages, and their cultures, in the United States and across the globe. Students will focus on acquisition of American Sign Language (ASL) and graduate with a fluid ability to understand and use the language and be culturally competent. The program is designed to also increase students' competence in English. As linguists, the students will be able to apply their knowledge to any world language, to begin research on these languages, and to have the competence in linguistic analysis to judge and assess the quality of existing research in their field.