ASL 101 Syllabus Page

Seattle Central Community College
ASL 121 - American Sign Language Level 1
Barbara Bernstein Fant, Instructor

CREDITS	05
PRE-REQUISITES	None however eligibility for English 101 is highly recommended
REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS AND MATERIALS		Signing Naturally Student Workbook Units 1-6 (with 2 DVDs) Smith, Lentz, Mikos ISBN 978-1-58121-210-5 **Do not confuse this workbook (newer edition with white and teal cover and has pictures of 2 people). The older edition is blue and gray. The new edition can be purchased in the SCCC bookstore.
		Deaf Again, 4th Edition by Mark Drolsbaugh, ISBN 0-9657460-4-6
		ASL 121 - 123 Core Vocabulary This is provided for you to download from the course website (See my Vocabulary and Assignments web page). You may download it via streaming (.wmv) and save a copy for your own use.
		SCCC Student ID card. You will need to obtain an SCCC ID and pay the Computer Lab Fee ($35.90) for entering and leaving the ASL/ITP Lab and for checking out books from the ASL/ITP Lab. Student ID cards can be purchased in BE 1104 D inside the Registration office.
COURSE OBJECTIVES LEARNING OUTCOMES	Students will learn to appreciate and respect ASL as a living, unique and wholly naturally-occurring language, and recognize Deaf people as a community with their own set of cultural traditions and values. Students will become familiar with Deaf culture, history, folklore, community, and sub-communities such as the Deaf-Blind community in Seattle. Students will utilize the appropriate vocabulary, grammar and social behavior by demonstrating their knowledge of the topics covered in class using specific language and grammar constructions. Language Functions (Signing Naturally) Unit 1: Introducing Oneself Unit 2: Exchanging Personal Information Unit 3: Discussing Living Situations Unit 4: Talking About Family Unit 5: Telling About Activities Unit 6: Storytelling ASL Grammar Components Parameters of a sign Manual alphabet Real World Orientation Lexicalized fingerspelling Signer's Perspective Dominant hand and Non-dominant hand roles ASL Time Line and time indicators ASL glosses Spatial agreement (referencing) Agent marker Contrastive structure Classifiers Negation Pronominal Size and shape specifiers Locatives, Perimeters Numbers Cardinal numbers 1 - 100 Ordinal numbers Pronouns Personal Possessive, Plural, Classifier Verb types Noun-verb pairs Modals Inflecting Sentence Structures Topicalization Yes/No questions WH-word questions Commands ASL Functional/Cultural Components Rules of introductions Rules of exchanging personal information Rules of describing locations and directions Rules of describing family and relatives Rules of confirmation, negation, and correction of information Rules of getting attention Knowledge of Deaf Culture and Deaf Community Brief history of ASL ("Through Deaf Eyes" - videotape) Brief account of "Deaf President Now" Brief history of the education of Deaf people in the U.S. "Deaf goodbyes" Deaf-Blind community in Seattle ("The Mind Traveler" - videotape) Introduction to Deaf Culture and the Deaf Community ("Introduction to the Deaf Community" - videotape) Vocabulary A core vocabulary of 300 signs and a supplemental vocabulary as they arise during class. Use your Signing Naturally Student Workbook Units 1-6 Vocabulary Review located at the end of each unit on your 2 DVDs to help your review.
TEACHING METHODS	Diversity: People learn in many different ways and so in class we will use a variety of instructional styles including brief lectures, modeling, demonstrations, lab activities, small and large group activities, props, pictures, Power Point slideshows, videotapes, and websites. ASL Zone: Since ASL is a visual/gestural language, you will need to develop communication skills of which you are not accustomed: using one's hands, face, body, eyes and space. In order to progress, it is important that students become comfortable using their bodies and "listening" with their eyes. To encourage and foster the development of these skills, voicing in the classroom will be avoided as much as possible. During and at the end of each class session, feel free to sign or write your questions on the whiteboard to get clarification on ASL grammar or what was covered in class that evening for the benefit of the class. You will be allowed to use your voice to give pertinent announcements to the class such as potential community class events, study groups, etc. upon instructor permission. Course Website: Many of your course materials will be accessed via the course website. You will discover that the website is an extremely effective and efficient tool for learning ASL. We will use the site in the classroom, but primarily you will use the site for out-of-class work. The website will provide you with: - course syllabus - in-class schedule and homework schedule - lecture notes, handouts, assignment explanations - links to supporting resources and supplemental materials Course materials will come in several formats: - web pages - accessible using any internet service provider, - Acrobat .pdf files - for easy printing of graphics and forms, - Power Point .ppt files - for review of class lecture materials - media files - to view video clips and listen to audio clips - traditional paper handouts You can use any student computer on the Seattle Central campus to access these resources. The student computer lab is located in room BE3148, the library in BE2101, and the ASL/ITP lab, BE1129. Be sure to have your student ID number to log into computers at Seattle Central. You also have a student e-mail account and a website if you wish. Use of the website is easy and friendly, but should you need help, you will have ample support from the staff at the student computing lab.
ASSIGNMENTS	Skill Enhancement Exercises (30% of the grade) Signing Naturally Student Workbook: Regular review and study outside the classroom is the most important way for you to learn. During the quarter you will have an opportunity to improve your receptive skills by completing Units 1-6 in your workbook using the accompanying DVDs. Receptive Translation Narratives and Homework Sentences: To help you develop your receptive skills and your understanding of the nuances of the language you will be given five video narratives to view and to answer questions about each narrative. In addition, you will be assigned some homework sentences to help build your receptive skills as well (2 - 4 homework sentences assignments contingent on time constraints). Spontaneous Dialogues and Narrative Stories: These narratives are designed to help you learn what fluent ASL "feels" like. You will be given a narrative to memorize and reproduce on videotape; to have the opportunity to create your own narratives, and to sign dialogues with a partner. You will receive feedback and an opportunity to revise your work prior to turning it in for credit. Deaf Culture Videos: Culture and language are highly interwoven with each other. To fully appreciate any language you must have a sense of the community that uses the language. Questions will be assigned for each video. Deaf Culture Text: We will begin to explore the Deaf community by reading Deaf Again. You will be given assignments to complete related to the reading. Community Contact Events: The goal is to independently explore any avenue of interest related to deaf people, the deaf community and the language that they use to communicate amongst themselves and/or the greater community. You will be required to explore and experience any aspect of the deaf community that you find of interest. Every event that you attend will be assigned points.
GRADING	Quizzes and Exams: (70% of the grade) Vocabulary, Fingerspelling, and Numbers Quizzes (20%): You will have 3 to 4 quizzes during the quarter including a cumulative final quiz at the end of the quarter. There are no makeup quizzes but you may throw out any quiz score except the cumulative quiz at the end of the quarter. Receptive Translation Midterm (5%): You will have a receptive translation exam in the middle of the quarter to allow you to assess your progress up to date. The exam will take place in the lab. Receptive Translation Final: (20%) You will take a receptive translation exam that will assess your understanding of ASL vocabulary and grammar for the whole quarter. The exam will take place in the lab. Spontaneous Dialogues and Narrative Stories (10%): These narratives are designed to help you learn what fluent ASL "feels" like. You will be given a narrative to memorize and reproduce on videotape; to have the opportunity to create your own narratives, and to sign dialogues with a partner. You will receive feedback and an opportunity to revise your work prior to turning it in for credit. Spontaneous Dialogue Final (15%): You and a partner will record yourselves engaged in a spontaneous dialogue that will be used to assess your functional and grammatical skills. This is the grade conversion scale used for the quizzes and exams: A 4.0 95% B 3.0 85% C 2.0 75% D 1.0 65% E 0.0 55% Late Assignments Marked Down: Homework is not accepted via email: Work turned in late will receive reduced points depending on circumstances unless you have extenuating circumstances AND you contact me or leave me a message in advance of the assignment due date. My phone number and e-mail address are listed on my course homepage. You CANNOT make-up the vocabulary quizzes (they are live and in-class), but you CAN make-up the other work provided you have taken the responsibility to contact me and inform me that you will need to arrange a make-up date. Class attendance policy: Attendance is very important in ASL classes, as face-to-face time is vitally important in developing communication skills and fluency. Participation is counted as part of your grade. Each class you attend is equal to 2 points with a total of 22 classes for the Mon/Wed section (Tues/Thurs section has 20 classes). This does not count the first week of the quarter due to students adding or dropping the class. You can earn up to 44 points (Tues/Thurs class up to 40 points). If you are absent, you lose 2 points. If you have an emergency, exceptions are made for family, doctor emergencies and work. Paperwork is required for proof (death certificate, doctor's note, jury summons). Please contact me in advance whenever possible. Cell Phones: The use of cell phones in the classroom has become a problem therefore a new policy is in place. If you are using a cell phone in class, you will have to hand it over to the teacher to be picked up at the end of class or be asked to leave.
ACCOMMODATIONS	If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, if you have emergency medical information to share with your instructor, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible. If you would like to speak to someone about support services or other questions related to accommodations, please contact the Disabled Student Services, Room BE1112, at 206- 587- 4183.