American Sign Language: American Sign Language I

Introduction of American Sign Language with emphasis on visual receptive and expressive use including facial expressions and gestures. Elements of the Deaf Culture are explored.

Dates: June 20 - July 14, 2023. Course meets Online - Asynchronous.

This course introduces students to the fundamentals of American Sign Language, focuses on building receptive and expressive skills through a visual-gestural modality, and provides an overview of Deaf culture.

Method of Instruction: This course will be predominantly conducted in ASL. English (written) will be used at times to clarify linguistic concepts. Activities may include but are not limited to discussions, practice conversations, collaborative activities, viewing video texts in ASL, and translation exercises. True+way ASL (TWA) or/and other course site: Students will use TWA for the schedule of readings/assignments, video lessons, Media Recording, flip discussion, assignments, and quizzes/tests. Students use True+Way ASL to watch snapshot videos, review vocabulary, and complete worksheets. Students use Flip to upload/submit video assignments. This is an asynchronous online class for 4 weeks. All of the class interactions will take place within the TWA course and any of the software and tools utilized or linked within the course. You will be expected to log into the course on a regular basis and keep up with assignments and the other students in the course as it is a self-paced course with date dues. Given that this course is a 4-credit course, students are expected to do at least 20-30 hours of course-related work each week of the 4-week session (4-6 hours per day - weekdays). This includes work done completing assigned readings, accessing course materials, preparing written assignments, engaging in class discussion, participating in Q & A sessions, and other course-related tasks. Due to Circumstances students are required to wear mask, however, for ASL assignments including creating video using media recording/Flip for your ASL (this includes your projects, tests, and final exam), please remove the mask to be able to see visually for your ASL grammatical purposes.

Course Evaluation: Your comprehension and production skills will be evaluated regularly. You will also be evaluated on your preparation for online activities and your assignments online. Media Recording/Flipgrid Activities: 25% You will use Media Recording/Flip to produce an ASL video demonstrating your ability to use certain grammatical features in ASL sentences. Worksheets: 10% Worksheets will cover all material presented to that point of the class/online. They will include information from TWA, video/PowerPoint lectures, vocabulary videos, and assigned articles. Lab - Story Comprehensions: 10% Story comprehensions will cover all material presented to that point of the class/online. They will include information from TWA, video/PowerPoint lectures, vocabulary videos, and assigned articles. Lab - Quizzes: 10% Quizzes will cover all material presented to that point of the class/online. They will include information from TWA, video/PowerPoint lectures, vocabulary videos, and assigned articles. Comprehension Test: 20% This receptive will include comprehension and production, information from the workbook, Flip videos, vocabulary videos, and class/online assignments. Production Test: 25% This expressive will include comprehension and production, information from the workbook, Media Recording/Flip videos, vocabulary videos, and class/online assignments.