ASL 01.101 - 3 s.h.

Elementary American Sign Language I  
(No prerequisites) (Offered during both Fall and Spring semesters)

American Sign Language (ASL) is a visual-gestural language that possesses all of the properties of a natural language. It is rule-governed and has a rich history. This introductory level course is designed to provide students a way to communicate and function comfortably in a variety of situations in the Deaf community. Through visual-gestural activities, guided practice, presentations, and practical assignments, we will explore the language, education, and culture of the American Deaf Community.

 

ASL 01.102 - 3 s.h.

Elementary American Sign Language II 
(Prerequisite: ASL 01.101 with a minimum grade of C-) (Offered during Spring semesters and also during Summer sessions, depending on student demand)

American Sign Language (ASL) is a visual-gestural language that possesses all of the properties of a natural language. It is rule-governed and has a rich history. This introductory level course, which builds on skills acquired in ASL 01101, is designed to provide students a way to communicate and function comfortably in a variety of situations in the Deaf community. Through visual-gestural activities, guided practice, presentations, and practical assignments, we will explore the language, education, and culture of the American Deaf Community.

 

ASL 01.201 - 3 s.h.

Intermediate American Sign Language I 
(Prerequisite: ASL 01.102 with a minimum grade of C-) (Offered during Fall semesters)

The third in a sequence of courses in American Sign Language (ASL), this course focuses on further development of conversational skills in ASL. The course includes extensive work on receptive and expressive use of ASL. It emphasizes the grammatical structure of ASL, particularly its morphology, syntax, and semantics. Students will acquire and expand different conversational strategies and increase ASL vocabulary. Appropriate cultural behaviors and conversational regulators in ASL will continue to be an important part of class. Information of Deaf Culture/history will be expanded. Experience with the local Deaf community is required.

 

ASL 01.211 - 3 s.h.

Intermediate American Sign Language II 
(Prerequisite: ASL 01.201 with a minimum grade of C-) (Offered during Spring semesters)

The fourth in a sequence of courses in American Sign Language (ASL), this course focuses on further development of conversational skills in ASL. This course further develops students’ expressive and receptive communication skills. Students demonstrate competency and an in-depth understanding on non-manual behaviors, topic/comment structure sentence types, noun/verb pairs, use of space pronominalization, classifiers, and temporal and distributional aspects. Appropriate culture behaviors and conversational regulators in ASL will continue to be an important part of class. Information on Deaf Culture/history will be expanded. Experience with the local Deaf community is required.

 

ASL 01.301 - 3 s.h.

(Prerequisite: ASL 01.211 with a minimum grade of C-)

This course, conducted in American Sign Language (ASL), provides an overview of literature in ASL. This course offers an introduction, discussion, and literary analysis of ASL Poetry, ASL Storytelling/Narratives, Deaf Humor, Deaf Folklore and other genres. Students will continue to study major grammatical features of ASL to develop competency in communication, comprehension, and interaction in the language and culture of the Deaf. Students will analyze contents, themes, and stylistic techniques of works performed by various ASL literary artists. This course emphasizes practices in planning, developing, and performing various narrative genres.

 

ASL 01.320 - 3 s.h.

(Prerequisite: ASL 01.211 with a minimum grade of C-)

This course, conducted in American Sign Language (ASL), introduces students to American Deaf communities and provides a comprehensive analysis of how Deaf people are understood from a cultural perspective. Using Critical Deaf Theory (DeafCrit) and trans-disciplinary approaches, students gain a critical appreciation of Deaf lives within social, historical, political, and global contexts. This course examines the challenges, contributions, and future innovations centering American Deaf communities.

 

ASL 01.440 - 3 s.h.
Special Topics in World Languages
(Prerequisite: ASL 01.211 with a minimum grade of C-; or waiver)

This course brings new perspectives and themes to the established World Languages curriculum by expanding options for upper-level electives in American Sign Language (ASL). The particular course topic offered may vary, depending on the scholarly interests of the faculty member as well as student interest and demand.