No speaking allowed

The students watch attentively as their professor teaches them a foreign language. New words are learned, and questions are asked.

But not a word is spoken.

This is no ordinary class. This is the American Sign Language class, where speaking is strictly prohibited.

From the first day of class onward, students are instructed to remain silent for the entire 90 minute session. For many, the silence is uncomfortable at first, but they quickly become accustomed to the new classroom environment.

"At first, it's a little awkward and a little nerve racking," College senior Kristen Buppert said. "But later, it's nice."

As most students who enter the ASL level-one class have had no prior experience in signing, communication is difficult, if not impossible at times. But the students of Professor Christy Hennessey's classes rave about her ability to clear up any and all confusion.

"Christy is really good at teaching," College senior Danya Kelberg said. "Whether she's using sign language or some sort of body motion to show us something, she gets the point across so that we can learn the signs."

And for students who try and try but still don't understand, there's a simple solution.

"Worst comes to worst, she'll write it down," Engineering senior Rick Bolkey said.

The ASL program began six years ago at Penn. Since then, it has increased dramatically in popularity. The class fills up so quickly each semester that students often find themselves closed out time and time again.

But those who do manage to snag one of the coveted spaces have nothing but good things to say about the program.

"All the students at the University [should] take this class," College of General Studies senior Lizza Robb said. "It's the best class."

What makes the ASL classes "the best" is a combination of the unique visual communication and the effective teaching styles of the five ASL professors, all of whom are deaf.

And there are inevitably occurrences that happen outside the classroom that tear the students' attention away from their professor. In Hennessey's classes, when something happens outside that distracts her students, she asks them to explain to her the details of the event -- in sign language, of course.

For years, the ASL courses were considered linguistics courses and could not be counted toward Penn's language requirement. Administrators argued that since the language was not technically foreign, it should not qualify.

Students who have taken the class beg to differ.

"People don't realize that it does have a different grammar structure and a different syntax," Kelberg said. "I think it's actually a little harder" than Spanish and French, she added.

Last fall, after much consideration and persuasion by ASL professors, administrators made the decision to allow ASL to qualify as a foreign language.

And students stress that sign language is not just a series of hand gestures, nor is it a direct translation of its spoken counterpart.

"It's not just English changed into using your hands," said Rebecca Weinberger, a junior at Swarthmore College taking the ASL level-four course at Penn. "It uses the space in front of you and behind you. You use everything. It's not just your hands, it's your body, your facial expressions."

"If you leave out facial expressions, you can say something entirely different," added Sarah King, a part-time Penn student.

Although there are currently four levels of ASL classes, this was not always the case. When the program was first getting off the ground, only levels one and two were offered to students. Those who wished to take higher levels were simply referred to the Community College of Philadelphia.

But turning students away was unacceptable to Hennessey. In response, she travelled to Tennessee to participate in a program that taught her how to teach the language and culture at an advanced level.

Upon her return, Penn had no choice but to add level three and four classes to the ASL roster.

"I want students to understand that... people can go out and learn [sign language] the same as French and Spanish, and that signing is fun," Hennessey said.

And ASL students at all levels agree that sign language is a useful skill to have in any profession. With her future profession in mind, King, a Nursing student, briefly considered taking Spanish before opting to take a sign language course.

"Everyone in the medical field pretty much speaks Spanish," she said. "I think that's helpful, but if everyone in the room knows Spanish and someone that's deaf comes in, that's a real problem."

Many also find themselves using their knowledge of sign language in everyday situations. Buppert recalls one night at a bar, watching three men sign to each other.

"I got up and walked over and said hi," she said, remembering the confused stares and the friendly conversation in sign language that followed.

After learning the language and having everyday experiences like that of Buppert, ASL students realize that the language is more useful and more unusual than they had ever imagined, and they work hard at dispelling misconceptions of the language.

"Sign is really a language," Weinberger said. "It's not acting, it's not mime, it's not fake. It's a true language, and it's really beautiful."

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