American Sign Language

Introduction to the fundamentals of ASL using immersion. Teaches basic conversational skills, grammar, syntax and fingerspelling.  Emphasis is placed on developing receptive and expressive signing skills for everyday communication. Introduction to historical and cultural aspects of the deaf community. This course has online components and meets either online or in person. Refer to course catalog for options.

Second course in ASL sequence. Continued vocabulary and grammar development and practice of conversational skills. Additional information regarding the history and culture of ASL and the deaf is explored. Instruction conducted primarily in ASL.

Continuation of ASL&122. Further development of conversational skills, including grammar and deaf culture information. Communicative proficiency is the main objective of the sequence. Successful completion would prepare the student to enter the second-year sequence of ASL classes.

Continuation of ASL&123. Focuses on review, expanding non-manual behaviors and perfecting expressive skill, syntax, and vocabulary for the purpose of active communication.

Continuation of ASL&221. Focuses on expanded student discourse and narratives. Special emphasis on role-shift variations, organizational structures, analysis and application of: classifiers, non-manual markers, lexical fingerspelling, and numerical incorporation. Includes an introduction to ASL Poetry.

Continuation of ASL&222. Emphasizes increased fluency with ASL narratives and storytelling. Course focuses on specialized ASL vocabulary for survival/ social situations, organizational structures and conversational behaviors within the deaf community.

ASL 101 is an intermediate level course designed to enhance student proficiency in American Sign Language through the exploration of fingerspelling, handshape stories, and numerical incorporation in ASL. This course is a focused practice in comprehension and production of finger-spelled words and numbers with emphasis on clarity and accuracy. Introduction to lexicalized fingerspelling and numeral incorporation with a unit on ASL Storytelling and classifiers. Expressive skills focus on the development of speed, clarity, and fluency. Prerequisite: Completion of ASL&121 with a minimum grade of 'C' or instructor approval. 

This course addresses psychosocial and sociocultural factors that define Deaf people as members of a linguistic and cultural minority. The history, language, values, and traditions of the deaf community will also be examined. Review of selected literature on Deaf culture including norms, values, cross-cultural and beliefs will be included.

Introduces gestures as a form of communication and basis for visual language. Practice in reading body language and using nonverbal signals when there is no shared language. Develop communication strategies to enhance understanding and reduce misinterpretation when interacting with various cultures. Concentrates on the ability to think in pictures, leading to better understanding of the basic structures of American Sign Language.

Regular courses designed to deal with unique subjects or timely topics conducted by qualified faculty. May be repeated with different topics.