First-Year American Sign Language

Catalog description

ASL101 is an introductory course designed to develop a basic syntactic knowledge of American Sign Language, including basic vocabulary and conversational skills using everyday situations as a context for communication. All classes will be conducted in the target language (ASL) to further develop receptive and expressive language development skills. The student will begin with visual readiness activities and then progress through a group of targeted lexical items, taught within meaningful contexts, that stress use of questions, statements, commands, and conversational rules, such as attention-getting and turn-taking. Basic fingerspelling skills will also be stressed. This course is designed to help the emerging signer develop basic skills and knowledge in American Sign Language and Deaf culture. This is a five-credit course intended for true beginners in the language with no, or very limited, exposure to ASL.