ASL 101 - American Sign Language I

4 Credits, 6 Contact Hours (3 lec., 3 lab)

Introduction to American Sign Language (ASL). Includes: parameters; syntax; sentence types; facial expressions and body language; pronominalization; nouns and verbs; modals; sign space; time line and time modulations; classifiers; pluralizations; and deaf history and culture. Also includes: fingerspelling numbers; lexicalized fingerspelling; conceptual accuracy; sign modulation; conversational regulators; basic compounds and contractions; and existence of regional dialects/sign and language variations. Because language and culture are inextricably linked, this course will also demonstrate how ASL conveys the values, beliefs, customs, and history of American Deaf culture.

Information: Students will be required to perform an additional 10 lab hours outside of the regular classroom schedule. This lab experience is designed to provide a “signing only” environment for students to practice classroom skills with Deaf tutors; expose students to communication in a Deaf environment; and provide students with real life exposure to the Deaf community. This class is conducted primarily without voice.
Gen-Ed: Meets AGEC - OTHER and C; Meets CTE - A&H and C.