Course Description
Intermediate-level ASL. Students continue to build ASL vocabulary for communicating more complex concepts using appropriate grammatical structures. Emphasis is on the use of directionality, placement and three-dimensional space in conjunction with role-shifting and the refinement of expressive and receptive skills. Through dialogue and sharing of narratives, students continue to learn from examples of Deaf people’s lives and culture.
Course Content
The content includes sentence structures, vocabulary and narrative techniques needed for:
- Locating things around the house or other location
- Complaining, making suggestions and requests
- Exchanging personal information and life events
- ASL adjectives for size, shape, colour, etc
- Verb inflections for temporal aspect
- Creating traditional ASL handshape stories
- Expansion of knowledge of ASL numbering systems
Introduction to key themes in Deaf education:
- Impact of the 1880 Milan Congress
- Influence of Alexander Graham Bell
- Ongoing lack of opportunities for Deaf people to be educated in sign language
Learning Activities
Class activities may include: lecture and language lab, demonstration/modelling, dialogue and small group conversational practice, course readings/videos, among others.
Means of Assessment
This course will conform to the Douglas College Evaluation Policy regarding the number and weighting of evaluations. Typical means of evaluation may include a combination of:
- Quizzes to evaluate factual knowledge of ASL & Deaf culture
- Quizzes to evaluate receptive ASL skills
- Demonstration of expressive ASL skills
- Assigned dialogues and interaction
- Attendance and participation
Sample grade breakdown for this course might be as follows:
Video assignment 1: 20%
Video assignment 2: 20%
Mid-term exam 1: 20%
Mid-term exam 2: 20%
Final exam: 20%
Total: 100%
No single assignment will be worth more than 20%.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to
- Demonstrate intermediate conversational ASL skill to do the following:
- Describe and identify objects/subjects in the immediate surroundings or at another location
- Use a variety of ASL adjectives including those for size, shape and distance
- Engage in dialogue about complaints, suggestions and requests
- Narrate briefly about life events (personal or general events)
- Use ASL cardinal numbers from 1 to 1,000
- Use ASL number forms to discuss clock time
- Demonstrate the use of appropriate register in ASL when exchanging personal information and discussing life events
- Demonstrate appropriate use of Deaf cultural norms of directness
- Perform a simple 1-10 or A-Z handshape story/poem
- Explain the basic struggle for Deaf people’s educational rights
Textbook Materials
The instructor might choose an ASL textbook such as:
Smith, Cheri. (2008). Signing Naturally 2. Student Workbook. San Diego, CA: DawnSignPress.