American Sign Language
American Sign Language
These courses prepare students to comprehend and communicate using sign language and provide an understanding of deaf culture. All of the courses provide instruction in receptive and expressive sign vocabulary, appropriate grammatical and affective facial expressions, syntax, and body modifiers.
This is an introductory course in American Sign Language (ASL), the native language of the deaf. Students with little or no prior knowledge of American Sign Language will be introduced to the natural language and culture of the American Deaf community. This course provides basic vocabulary and preparation for visual/gestural communication. Emphasis will be on comprehension skills and the fundamentals of ASL grammatical structures. Students will also begin to explore aspects of Deaf culture and the dynamics of the Deaf community.
This second-semester level course in American Sign Language (ASL) builds on the language skills previously acquired, with a focus on ASL grammar and syntax structures, tense indicators, idioms, non-manual features, time concepts, numbers, classifiers, narrative skills, and more in-depth conversational functions. Additional instruction on Deaf culture and community and behavioral norms will be presented.