The Department of Classical & Modern Languages & Literatures is dedicated to engaging in research that enriches the humanities, second language studies, and our communities - locally and globally. Our classrooms (online & face-to-face) are a place of connection, where faculty personally invest in students' growth. We equip our students to be competitive in the next stage of their career through high-impact education in language and culture. Throughout our campus and community, we foster linguistic and cultural diversity and advocate for multiculturalism. The Department of Classical & Modern Languages & Literatures will promote transdisciplinary cultural and literary studies and second language research. Our faculty and staff will engage in ongoing skill development to train diverse populations of students. We will cultivate a spirit of open dialogue and mentorship that unites faculty, staff, and students. We will set ourselves apart in the provision of experiential learning through accessible study abroad programs and local hands-on learning opportunities. We will build research and teaching partnerships with regional K-12 schools to serve local needs. Our department will lead efforts to recruit, retain, and advocate for Hispanic students to serve the university's mission as a Hispanic-Serving Institution. We will promote interculturality through collaborative partnerships across the university and throughout the community.<br><br>AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE (ASL) is not simply a set of hand-gestures for spelling or signing English words. Rather it has been shown to have the full linguistic structure of a complete natural language. Indeed it is the native tongue of many Deaf men and women and their children, whether hearing or not. It is a complex visual-spatial language used by the Deaf community in the United States and English-speaking parts of Canada. Not only is it a genuine language, it really is a foreign language distinct from English having its own literature and culture. Speakers of ASL probably number in the range of a half-million or more. ASL is one of the most commonly used languages in the U.S. There is a high demand for interpreters and certified teachers of ASL. Job opportunities in this rapidly expanding profession have increased especially since the enactment of section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Qualified Interpreters for the Deaf are employed by public and private agencies or institutions within education, social services, rehabilitation, medicine, mental health, criminal justice, business, and the arts, especially the theatre.