This course started with a conversation. A few students approached and asked me if I might be able to organize a course in sign language. It was an interesting proposition except that I do not know sign language myself :)
Not to be deterred, though, and being schooled myself in education and hence a lover of learning, I began to think about offering a class with a somewhat broader focus on nonverbal communication in general rather than one focused just on sign language. I thought it might be possible to capture everything from basic body language and nonverbal cues, to facial expressions and microexpressions, proxemics, gestures, gestural dance, movement and dance, and (yes) the basics of American Sign Language.
As I moved the idea along, I got increasingly interested, so I have made this blog as a place to assemble resources and thoughts/ideas.
Such a course would in effect bridge media studies and humanities (the two areas I am mainly responsible for teaching courses in) so it has a great deal of appeal. But is it feasible?
Not to be deterred, though, and being schooled myself in education and hence a lover of learning, I began to think about offering a class with a somewhat broader focus on nonverbal communication in general rather than one focused just on sign language. I thought it might be possible to capture everything from basic body language and nonverbal cues, to facial expressions and microexpressions, proxemics, gestures, gestural dance, movement and dance, and (yes) the basics of American Sign Language.
As I moved the idea along, I got increasingly interested, so I have made this blog as a place to assemble resources and thoughts/ideas.
Such a course would in effect bridge media studies and humanities (the two areas I am mainly responsible for teaching courses in) so it has a great deal of appeal. But is it feasible?
