INTS6000 International Connections and International Sign among Deaf People Course description

For nearly two centuries deaf people have circulated in international spaces, exchanging ways of living as deaf people across local, regional and international borders. This course will introduce students in deaf studies and sign language interpreting to the history, motivations, and dynamics of transnational connections among deaf people. This circulation of peoples and ideas over time is explored through framing networks of signing deaf people as composed of translocal as well as transnational methodologies of circulation. Attempts at articulating a shared experience of being deaf across geographical distances will be discussed alongside differences regarding mobility, power and resources among deaf people around the globe. These circulations are enabled through a communication practice known as International Sign, where both conventionalized signs and a broad repertoire of visual communication strategies are utilized to enable communication across different sign language communities. The course will give students a basic introduction to the concept and practice of International Sign.

It is necessary that the participants have a certain level in at least one signed language and also in written English to be able to follow the course, as no interpreting will be provided.

Approved by the Academic Affairs Committee at the Faculty for Teacher Education and International Studies 16 June 2020. Established by the Dean 18 June 2020. Minor edit 1 July 2021.

None.

After completion of the course, the student will have acquired the following learning outcomes, arranged into the following categories: knowledge, skills and general competence.

Knowledge

The student

• demonstrates insight into the multiplicity of deaf people's lives internationally, with a focus on transmissions within and between countries in the Global North and Global South
• can make connections between the historical development of transnational deaf spaces and the continuing significance of these spaces
• understands the mobility of ideas and peoples within transnational deaf networks and the role deaf people’s translanguaging practices play in these movements

Skills

The student

• is able to utilize cultural, geographical, sociological and human rights perspectives to analyze phenomena taking place in global deaf worlds
• can engage in rudimentary signed discussion about course content with another student with whom they do not share a common signed language
• can use class content and activities to reflect on their own linguistic repertoire and languaging practices

General competence

The student

• is able to engage in critical inquiry into ongoing developments in transnational interactions among deaf people and apply this to class assignments
• can identify transnational deaf spaces and explain how translanguaging affords navigations in such spaces

Language of instruction: Norwegian

In this course, students will learn how to make simple nutritional assessments and how to provide dietary advice for users and patients. Different types of special diets and nutritional supplements are discussed in this context. The students will be given an introduction to rules and regulations concerning practical nutrition work, including the roles of different expert groups in this work.

The course is organized as a Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) module where students from OsloMet - Oslo Metropolitan University and Gallaudet University (in the USA) participate. The course topics will be taught as weekly activities that includes use of digital learning tools as well as online interaction and cooperation in both international sign and written English between students from both universities.

The language of instruction and interaction among students is International Sign. Variants of international sign is also used in the video resources. All reading materials and written course resources are in English. No interpreting between any (spoken or signed) languages will be provided, since a part of the learning outcome is to obtain skills to communicate in international sign.

The student must have the following coursework requirements accepted before examination.

• A minimum of 80 % participation is required.
• The students must be prepared for participation in the weekly asynchronous and synchronous teaching activities by completing the tasks given every week. The tasks include online discussions in International Sign and English with students from the other university, viewing and analyzing various video resources, use of digital learning tools, explorations and expansions of personal communication repertoires and development of visual information related to the course content.

Attendance is mandatory because of the course’s collaborative and interactive feature, where the students are mutually dependent on each other’s presence and participation in order to complete the course’s work tasks. Participation is also necessary in order to develop and demonstrate the skills that are described under the learning outcome section.

Students who are prevented from meeting the coursework requirements within the fixed deadlines due to illness or other valid and documented reasons, may be given a new deadline. A new deadline is in each case given by the course teacher.

Coursework requirements are evaluated accepted/not accepted. Students who submit their coursework requirements within the set deadline, but get evaluated as not accepted, are entitled to a maximum of two new attempts to fulfil the requirements. A new deadline for meeting the coursework requirements is in each individual case given by the teacher.

The final assessment will be an individual, recorded and edited 6-8 minute signed presentation of a topic given by the course instructors. The topic given will require that the students take an in-depth cross-cutting analysis of the themes of this course. The student may choose which signed language they wish to use in this assignment.

New/postponed exam

A new/postponed exam will be in the same format as the ordinary exam. The presentation may be adjusted to the first new exam. To the second new exam a new presentation must be made.

Rights and obligations in connection with exams

The students’ rights and obligations are set out in the Regulations Relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet. It is the students’ responsibility to register for any new/postponed exams.

The student must have been admitted to the Master’s Programme in Health Sciences or the Master’s Programme in Health and Technology - Specialisation in Assistive Technology in Health.

After completing the course, the student should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The student

• can identify suitable methods for a selected issue
• can discuss strengths and weaknesses of qualitative and quantitative methods

Skills

The student

• can plan the collection of qualitative and/or quantitative data
• can apply the most important methods used in qualitative and quantitative research
• can assess/discuss research ethics issues
• can register and use quantitative data in statistics programs
• can critically interpret the results of qualitative and quantitative analyses
• can analyse quantitative data and develop systematic presentations of results, including in the form of tables and figures
• can analyse and present qualitative data, such as different kinds of text material

General competence

The student

• can decide which analysis methods are suitable for answering given questions
• can communicate the importance of qualitative and quantitative research results

The following must have been approved in order for the student to take the examination:

• An oral presentation in groups of up to four students, subject to given criteria
• A peer assessment of a written assignment and/or a presentation in groups of up to four students, subject to given criteria

Supervised individual written examination, five hours, comprising calculation and analysis tasks, interpretation tasks and a multiple choice test.

The exam is given in Norwegian and English and can be answered in either Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English.