The ASL and Deaf Studies certificate consists of practice and theory in American Sign Language (ASL), as well as courses on Deaf culture, public speaking, English grammar, becoming sensitized to the Deaf community and its issues, and Deaf/ASL literature. The primary focus of the program is the acquisition and understanding of ASL, which comprises nearly 70% of the program. Receptive and expressive skills with appropriate cultural applications are developed through a functional/notional approach to second language acquisition. This also involves studies in ASL grammar/syntax, which is markedly different from English grammar/syntax.