ONONDAGA COMMUNITY COLLEGE DEPARTMENT OF MODERN LANGUAGES ASL 101

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1 ONONDAGA COMMUNITY COLLEGE DEPARTMENT OF MODERN LANGUAGES ASL 101 Course: American Sign Language I Classroom: Semester: Schedule: REQUIRED TEXTBOOK: Sabo, Jennie. (2011). American Sign Language Level One. New York: McGraw Hill Companies, Inc. Professor: Office: Office hours: Phone numbers: Web site: MODERN LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT M-308 Ph: The mission of the OCC Modern Languages Department is to enable students to acquire a better appreciation of other languages and cultures. Accordingly, the Department supports the College s mission by enabling students to acquire skills needed to live, work and thrive in our global community. To this end the Modern Languages Department, Offers instruction in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish as well as American Sign Language. Provides courses that fulfill the foreign language requirement for the AA in Humanities degree at OCC, SUNY General Education purposes, and New York State teacher certification. Promotes a fuller understanding of the differences and similarities among global communities through course work, community involvement and study-abroad opportunities. Fosters critical thinking through linguistic analysis and the comparison of diverse cultures. Prepares students for further study and professional careers requiring competence in foreign language and the understanding of other cultures.

2 SYLLABUS ASL 101 AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE I COURSE DESCRIPTION AND PLACEMENT: This learner-centered course is designed for students with little or no previous knowledge of American Sign Language. Students acquire basic grammar and lexical skills that will enable them to communicate in routine social or professional situations within an authentic cultural context. Upon successful completion of ASL 101, students may enroll in ASL 102. This course also fulfills the Global Awareness requirement at OCC. LEARNING OBJECTIVES: At the end of a semester of study, students will be able to perform as indicated in each of the following areas: 1. Demonstrate comprehension of simple questions and statements by producing short one to two sentence responses. 2. Ask questions within conversational interactions involving introduction of self and exchanging personal information about school, work, family, friends, daily activities, and likes/dislikes. 3. Demonstrate ASL-appropriate conversational communication behaviors. 4. Demonstrate comprehension of classmates names and other commonly spelled words of three to four letters when fingerspelled at a normal rate. 5. Fingerspell the names of classmates and commonly fingerspelled words of three to four letters at a moderate to normal rate of speed within a conversational context. 6. Understand and express the numbers Identify the cultural beliefs, values, attitudes and perspectives of Deaf people and compare to other cultures as well as to students own culture. 8. Demonstrate in writing and through classroom interaction a basic knowledge of the linguistic structure of ASL, and the historical and contemporary issues that impact Deaf culture and the Deaf community. METHODOLOGY Through the integration of different skills of receptive (reading signs) and expressive (signing ones own thoughts) as well as the introduction of important cultural concepts, students will learn to communicate in the target language in progressively more involved daily life situations.

3 EVALUATION AND GRADING We will cover chapters 1 through 7 in this course. Your final grade will be based on the following: Participation (includes daily use of target language) 20% Homework Assignments & Video Review 20% Formal Evaluations 40% Final Exam (comprehensive) 20% SCALE: A B C A B C B C D Below 64 F ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION (20 %) Attendance in this course is required and, therefore, inconsistent attendance will negatively impact your participation grade. Note that although class attendance is important, it is not the same as class participation. Your daily class participation grade will be based on the students daily level of preparedness, engagement in the learning process, participation, spontaneous volunteering, use and quality of the target language, and respect for others and for the culture being learned. HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS & VIDEO REVIEW (20 %) Student Materials, lab and other homework assignments are due on assigned dates as outlined in syllabus. FORMAL EVALUATIONS (40%) Quizzes and exams (including expressive exams) will be given. The ML Department s policy states that no make-up quizzes or exams will be allowed. However, your lowest quiz grade will be dropped. In the event of a documented emergency the day of an exam, your professor will decide whether the justification is appropriate and allow you to take a make-up exam at the end of the semester, provided your attendance is outstanding and you have not missed any other quizzes or exams. FINAL EXAM (20 %) Receptive/Written (cumulative Units 1-7) Expressive Dialogue ACADEMIC RULES STUDENT RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES AT OCC - Rules: Visit or find them in your Student Handbook - Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities: See Student Handbook - Academic Integrity: See Student Handbook

4 SUCCESS IN LANGUAGE LEARNING Your success in this class depends on your effort to: Take a class that better matches your level of proficiency in the language. Be in class all of the time and for the entire class time. Take full responsibility over your learning experience. Actively, independently and enthusiastically engage in the learning process. Make positive and enriching contributions to the class. Be organized and pay attention to detail. Consistently do assigned homework and study: Drill yourself. Turn in homework on time. Perform well on tests and other assessment tools. Participate in cooperative learning opportunities. Celebrate every small progress you make (don t be hard on yourself). Be respectful of the language and cultures being learned. Be respectful of all classmates and of your instructor. Get help in a timely manner form any of the Resources below. LANGUAGE RESOURCES Your Textbook: Use it to review material. Your Professor: Stop by his/her office during office hours, or make an appointment. Peer Study Groups: Start your own or ask your instructor for assistance. ANGEL: Learning Management Suite of tools. Computer Lab: Academic Computing Center, Helpdesk, Internet Cafes. Coulter Library: Course materials are on reserve in the Media counter. Books, movies and other are also available at the Library. Content Tutoring Center: You do not need a referral and the service is free of charge. Disabilities Services Office: If you require special accommodations for this class, visit the DSO in Gordon Student. In addition, please see yoir [rpfesspor to discuss your individual circumstance concerning this course. Study Skills Center: Learning Strategies Assistance. Writing Skills Center: Daytime, night-time and online tutoring.

5 AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE I COURSE GUIDELINES AND REMINDERS I will send messages/reminders to the entire class occasionally. If you do not read your OCC mail, make sure you ask that the messages be forwarded to your preferred address by calling or go to Coulter Room 214. ANGEL: I store much of the course information, power point presentations, hand-outs, homework assignments, grades and other course information on ANGEL under our course number. It is imperative that you visit our ANGEL page daily as any homework updates or important reminders will be posted there as well. PowerPoints will not be handed out in class, as it will be your responsibility to retrieve them yourself from ANGEL. INSTRUCTIONAL METHOD: The majority of the class will be conducted in ASL only. No voicing will be used except for specific times put aside by your instructor. During this total immersion language experience you need to pay careful attention to what is being communicated by both instructor and classmates. Do not panic if you do not understand everything immediately. Try to understand the meaning through context. Everything is contextualized, with instruction based on previously learned material. There will also be a great deal of repetition to practice your ASL skills and course material is presented through a variety of techniques and activities to make learning interesting and fun. EXTENDED RESPONSIBILITIES: Learning ASL is similar to learning other languages. You should expect it to be challenging and to require a lot of practice, memorization, critical thinking and developing skills in real communication situations. You will need to practice outside of class to be successful, and it is best to practice with others. You will be required to form small practice groups and meet for a minimum of 1 hour every two weeks with your group. You are encouraged to meet weekly. (See Group Lab section for requirements) COURSE MANAGEMENT: 1. Attendance in every class period is mandatory. As mentioned in the syllabus, inconsistent attendance will negatively impact your grade and result in a lowered letter grade. The participation grade will be based on students daily level of preparedness, engagement, spontaneous volunteering, use and quality of the target language and respect for others and for the culture being learned. (See participation rubric for more detailed expectations). Your daily participation grade will be based on a 5 point system and graded as follows. on time, fully engaged and participating 5 points late or leave early, but fully engaged and participating 4 points partially engaged and participating 3 points late or leave early and partially engaged and participating - 2 points not engaged, participating, or absent 0 points 2. If you miss class, it is your responsibility to get information from ANGEL and your lab group. You need to be prepared for each class. 3. If you know you will be late for a class or are sick, call or your instructor before class starts. 4. Late homework/project assignments will not be accepted. Each assignment will be graded and determined by level and quality of performance. 5. There will be no make up quizzes or exams. In the event of a documented emergency the day of an exam, your professor may decide whether the justification is appropriate and allow you to take a make-up exam at the end of the semester providing your attendance is outstanding and you have not missed any other quizzes or exams.

6 GROUP LABS: Students are required to meet with their lab groups six times outside of class during the semester. These sessions should be no shorter than one hour in duration for each lab assignment. Students may meet on campus, but are not required to do so. The purpose of the lab meetings is to: increase student s opportunities to interact with others in sign language provide an opportunity for additional reinforcement of new principals and vocabulary. provide a safe place for students to use sign language at a level in which they are comfortable. build relationships outside the classroom with classmates Students will use lab assignment sheets to indicate who attended their lab group meetings, what was accomplished, and any questions or concerns that may have arisen. Each student must fill out his/her own lab sheet and turn it in on the designated due date as outlined on the syllabus. The lab sheets are one way the instructor can become aware of and address individual needs. Each lab sheet should include the following information. Name/s of all group members who attended lab session Lab activities and conversations Specific questions about signs, grammar, culture, class, etc. Personal impressions of your signing abilities, skill improvement and accomplishments Questions, concerns or comments that you may have about this lab or class. If you are unable to attend your group s lab time, you may also go to the ASL Lab tutoring which is held in room M110 Monday to Thursday from 9am to 6pm and Fridays 11am to 3pm. This lab has trained Deaf tutors to assist you in practicing and learning the language. You may also choose to go as a group. There are many options available to help you to be as successful as you can in this course. EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES: If you should miss a class and would like to buy back your class time points, extra credit opportunities are available. You will be required to attend a Deaf community event and write a reflection paper of your experience. Deaf community event opportunities will be posted by your instructor on ANGEL or announced in class. If you choose to attend an event and have not missed a class, you will be compensated by replacing a homework grade with a 100 and so forth. In your reflection paper include the following information: Name of the Deaf community event. When did this event occur? What was the purpose of this event? What did you observe? Describe the people who attended and how did the event and Deaf make you feel? What thoughts and feelings did you have toward this event? (before and after) What did you learn from this experience? LANGUAGE RESOURCES: ASL drop in tutoring lab M-Th 9am-6pm, F 11am-3pm. Sign Language and fingerspelling practice tapes are available in the Media Center Websites: o Online Sign Dictionary at - o o Other online dictionaries Fingerspelling practice - Receptive practice - Expressive practice - o Gallaudet Font - (free download) o Deaf Newspaper - (stories in ASL and cultural information)