ASL 101 American Sign Language 1 Fall 2004

Professor: Eve Adelman West M 6:30-9:25 PM

Office: B2-22B (main campus) NERC Rm. 222

Telephone: (215) 751-8291

eawest@ccp.edu

215-751-8451 Dept. of Behavioral Sciences

Texts:

- Signing Naturally: Student Workbook with Videotext, Level One, Lentz, Mikos, and Smith (1993)

- (Strongly recommended) Communicating in Sign, Chambers (1998)

- Alandra’s Lilacs, Bowers (1999)

- Signing (a basic ASL dictionary), Costello (1995)

Course Description:

This course introduces you to American Sign Language (ASL), the language used by the majority of people in the American Deaf Community. It is the first of a two-semester beginning course designed to provide non-native signers an opportunity to study ASL as a foreign/second language. In this course students are introduced to a language which is very different from any spoken language. ASL is visually based, rather than sound based, and is composed of handshapes, locations in space, movements, and facial expressions as its primary structures. Along with learning the primary language of Deaf people, students are also introduced to American Deaf Culture by experiencing a visually-based signing environment in the classroom and through visits into the Deaf Community outside the classroom.

Course Objectives:

Students will be able to

1. Make basic introductions in ASL using nonmanual grammar (facial behaviors) for yes/no and wh questions, spatial referencing and personal pronoun signs. (Unit 1)

2. Exchange personal information incorporating question forms, negation (NOT), classroom-related vocabulary, and spatial referencing. (Unit 2)

3. Discuss college surroundings using real-world orientation indexing, negation for correcting, non-manual markers for “very close” and “far away”, and more complex spatial referencing. (Unit 3)

4. Talk about where you live, kind of housing, how you travel, and develop visual spatial perspective. (Unit 4)

5. Describe family members and relationships using possessive pronouns, negative responses and contrastive structure. (Unit 5)

6. Tell about activities with time signs for past, present and future, using a variety of verbs and appropriate phrasing for listing. (Unit 6)

7. Give opinions, reasons why, make excuses, and suggest activities incorporating appropriate nonmanual facial behaviors and negotiation skills. (Unit 6)

8. Develop appropriate conversation skills and strategies including giving listener feedback, getting attention, volunteering appropriate information, using nonmanual facial behaviors.

9. Understand and appreciate the language and culture of the American Deaf Community.

Class Policies:

1. In an ASL class attendance and punctuality are very important. The language of ASL is visual, and happens in 3-D space, aspects that cannot be learned from a book. Learning ASL requires you to be in class, alert, attentive, and involved. Arriving late and/or leaving early is very distracting in an ASL class and will count toward absences, with two latenesses/early departures equal to one absence. Absences totaling more than four will negatively affect a student’s grade and may result in being dropped from the course. If you are more than 15 minutes late please do not enter the class.

2. In order to provide you with as many opportunities as possible to be exposed to your new language, this class will be taught in ASL without the use of spoken English. Students must respect this “no voice” rule and refrain from using spoken English in the classroom. Communicate in ASL and use gesture, mime and other non-English ways of communicating instead of spoken English. You will learn appropriate strategies for what to do when you do not understand.

3. The following are not permitted in class: eating, chewing gum, sleeping, hats, sunglasses, cell phones and beepers with power on, any other items which can distract from learning. Long, colorful fingernails make reading signs very difficult and should be avoided.

4. Students will behave respectfully and courteously toward classmates, professor, guests.

5. Exams, quizzes, and prepared assignments are given on scheduled days only. No make-up exams or quizzes will be given except under extraordinary circumstances. Be aware that consideration of a make-up exam will be given only with documentation of an emergency.

6. All homework and assignments must be turned in on the dates due. Late work will be lowered a grade for each day late. You should communicate as early as possible with your teacher if you are experiencing difficulties completing any class work.

7. Students receiving support from the Center on Disability must identify the nature of any accommodation and discuss their needs and the appropriateness for this class with the professor during the first week of the semester.

Course Assignments and Tests

1. The student workbook and accompanying videotape are your study materials and homework assignments. Additional homework will also be assigned. Along with information about ASL grammar and culture, the videotape also presents you with ASL dialogues and practice activities that accompany the workbook activities. Assignments for each unit will be given.

2. Students should study and practice each unit before coming to class in order to be prepared to participate appropriately in all class activities.

3. Book report on Alandra’s Lilacs. Format and guidelines will be distributed. Due October 25.

4. Attendance at two Deaf Community events. Students will receive guidance and information about acceptable events for this assignment. Reaction reports will be due following each Deaf Community experience. Guidelines for these reaction reports will be distributed. The first report is due November 8. The second report is due December 13.

5. There will be several quizzes, a midterm, and a final exam. Please note that if you arrive late to, or leave early from, an exam the test items missed will not be repeated. Also there are no make-ups.

Recommendations

1. Students are strongly encouraged to practice outside of class with each other, through a tutor in the Learning Lab, and with a Deaf person. ASL cannot be learned from a book. You must use it to understand and remember what you are learning.

2. View the videotapes that accompany your workbook over and over again. Do all of the homework assignments each week, as these reinforce the classroom lessons and give you an opportunity to practice independently. Understand and follow the strategies for learning ASL on p. vii in the student workbook.

3. Be an active, alert, participant in class.

GRADING:

Class attendance, participation, homework 10% 91-100 = A

Deaf Community Experiences 10% 81-90 = B

Book Report 5% 71-80 = C

Quizzes 20% 65-70 = D

Midterm exam 25% 64 and below = F

Final exam 30%

ASL 101 FALL 2004

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

WEEK	DATE	TOPIC	HOMEWORK	DUE
1	9/13	Course introduction Unit 1: Introducing Oneself	View Unit 1 Un. 1 Exercises Read all in text. View Unit 2
2	9/20	Unit 1 Unit 2: Exchanging Personal Info	Unit 2 Ex.	Quiz #1
3	9/27	Unit 2	Unit 2 Ex.	.
4	10/4	Unit 2	View Unit 3	Unit 2 Dialogue ques Quiz #2
5	10/11	NO CLASS- PROFESSIONAL DEV. DAY
6	10/18	Unit 3: Talking About Surroundings	Unit 3 Ex.	Unit 3 Dialogue ques.
7	10/25	Unit 3	View Unit 4	Book Report
8	11/1	Unit 4: Telling Where You Live	Unit 4 Ex.	MIDTERM EXAM
9	11/8	Unit 4	Unit 4 Ex. View Unit 5	Deaf Comm. Rpt. #1 Unit 4 Dialogue ques.
10	11/15	Unit 4 Unit 5: Talking About Your Family	Unit 5 Ex.	Quiz #3
11	11/22	Unit 5	Unit 5 Ex.
12	11/29	Unit 5 (HAPPY THANKSGIVING)	View Unit 6	Unit 5 Dialogue ques. Quiz #4(?)
13	12/6	Unit 6: Telling About Activities	Unit 6 Ex.
14	12/13	Unit 6	Unit 6 Ex.	Deaf Comm. Rpt. #2 Unit 6 Dialogue ques.
15	12/20	Review FINAL EXAM

NOTE:

- Additional homework will be assigned by your teacher.

- All Unit exercises refer to the exercises accompanying each unit in your student workbook. These exercises are done by watching the videotape and responding to the questions in your book.