ASL 305, Deaf Studies, Reading List, Spring 2008

ASL 305

Introduction to Deaf Studies

Recommended Book Reading List

Adapted from Shawn Broderick, Deaf Studies / ITP Instructor,

Johnson County Community College

August 24, 2007

Culture

Padden, Carol & Tom Humphries Deaf in America: Voices from a Culture, Harvard University Press, 1988

The meaning of “deaf” from two Deaf scholars. Eloquent and informative.

Padden, Carol & Tom Humphries Inside Deaf Culture, Harvard University Press, 2005

Hot off the press this book is more candid than the author’s earlier book about the dark side of oppression both from outside and from within the Community and more theoretical about issues of Voice, concluding with chapters on “the promise of culture” and a look into the future. Again, eloquent and stimulating.

Parasnis, Ila ed. Cultural and Language Diversity and the Deaf Experience, Cambridge University Press, 1996

Bilingualism, biculturalism, marginalization and personal experiences of being deaf.

McKee, Rachel, People of the Eye: Stories from the Deaf World, Bridget Williams Books, New Zealand, 2001

Davis, Lennard J. Ed., The Disability Studies Reader, Routledge, New York, 1997

Theoretical text analyzing the relationship between our world view(s) and our culturally constructed conception of “disability.”

Ladd, Paddy, Understanding Deaf Culture “In search of Deafhood”Mulitiingula Matters LTD, 2003

Lane, Harlan. The Mask of Benevolence, disabling the Deaf Community, by Dawn Sign Press, 1999

Peter, Cynthia. Deaf American literature, “from carnival to the Canon”, Gallaudet University Press, 2000

Sonnenstrahl, Deborah M, Deaf Artist in America, Colonial to contemporary, Dawn Sign Press, 2002

History

Baynton, Douglas C. Forbidden Signs: American Culture and the Campaign Against Sign Language, by The University of Chicago Press, Chicago 1996

Written by an historian who is also a Sign Language interpreter analyzes the connection between the ideas, thoughts, politics of the time and the “oral-only” movement. Clear, well written.

Buchanan, Robert M. Illusions of Equality: Deaf Americans in School and Factory 1850-1950 by Gallaudet University Press, 1999

Written by an historian who had deaf parents; the focus is on jobs but includes the context.

Van Cleve, John Vickrey Ed. Deaf History Unveiled: Interpretations from the New Scholarship, Gallaudet University Press, 1993

A wide range of research and articles on deaf people through history.

Van Cleve, John Vickrey and Barry A. Crouch A Place of Their Own: Creating the Deaf Community in America, Gallaudet University Press, 1989

Highly readable – what the title says.

Groce, Nora Everyone Here Spoke Sign Language: Hereditary Deafness on Martha’s Vineyard, Harvard University Press, 1985

An anthropologist reviews the historical community on Martha’s Vineyard in which 5-10% of the population was deaf.

Bragg, Lois ed., Deaf World: A Historical Reader and Primary Sourcebook, New York University Press 2001

Articles by deaf people – primarily from the late 20^th Century but some from the last half of the 19^th Century.

Eriksson, The History of Deaf People, Tryckmakarna, 1998

Lane, Harlan. When the Mind Hears: A History of the Deaf. New York: Random House, 1984

Education

Ramsey, Clair Deaf Children in Public Schools: Placement, Context and Consequences, Gallaudet University Press, Washington D.C., 1997

Research on four deaf boys in a mainstream program, the context in which they are educated and the consequences. Author is both a linguist and a certified interpreter.

Smith, R.C., A Case about Amy, Temple University Press, Philadelphia, 1996

Detailed case study of a deaf girl and her deaf family – their experience in public schools and the courts.

Oliva, Gina A. Alone in the Mainstream: a Deaf Woman Remembers Public School, Gallaudet University Press, 2004

Carolyn E. Williamson. ,Black Deaf Students A Model for Educational Success
Gallaudet University Press, 2007

Language and Culture

Ree, Jonathan I See a Voice: deafness, language and the senses – a philosophical history, Metropolitain Books, Henry Holt & Co., New York 1999

A narrative history exploring the struggles and dilemmas of deaf people (and those around them).

Lucas, Ceil ed. 1995 Sociolinguistics in Deaf Communities, Gallaudet University Press, Washington, D.C.

Individual research projects on the variation within ASL

Lucas, Ceil ed. 2001 Sociolinguistics of Sign Languages, Cambridge University Press

Survey type book

Taub, Sarah F. Language from the Body: Iconicity and Metaphor in American Sign Language, Cambridge University Press, 2001

Mirzoeff, Nicholas, Silent Poetry: Deafness, Sign, and Visual Culture in Modern France, Princeton University Press, 1995

Theory of perceptions by members of the dominant society of deaf people, deafness etc.

Lippi-Green, Rosina English with an Accent: Language, ideology, and discrimination in the United States, Routledge, 1997

Lippi-Green looks at the ways in which we develop language prejudice (along with and akin to class prejudice) and the effects.

OTHER Recommended Reading

These are recommended to students who want to read more but they are not eligible for the in-class assignment.

The Tactile Mind is a weekly e-publication of writing by “the Sign Language community”. Go to www.thetactilemind.com and sign up. There are also books of poetry, literature and other writings and CDs available through the tactile mind press.

Scott, James Domination and the Arts of Resistance: Hidden Transcripts, Yale University Press, 1990

A look at the politics and discourse of domination and subordination.

Tatum, Beverly Daniel “Why are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?” and other conversations about race

A psychologist explains the development of racial identity

Fairclough, Norman Language and Power, Longman, New York, 1989

Outstanding!

Engel, David M. & Frank W. Munger, Rights of Inclusion: Law and Identity in the Life Stories of Americans with Disabilities, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago 2003

Two law professors study the effects of the ADA on select individuals and analyze the patterns.

Mindess, Anna. Reading Between the Signs, Intercultural Press, 2006

Smith, B Theresa. Guidelines, Practical Tips for Working and Socializing with Deaf-Blind People, SignMedia.com

H-Dirksen Bauman. Signing the Body Poetic: Essays on American Sign Language, Literature (paperback), University of California Press (comes with DVD)

This book combines deaf lives and writing placed together.