Syllabus sec.003 (Wednesday 4:00-7:00)

Please post any questions that you have in the comment section below. Be sure to comment on this weeks posting.

Beginning American Sign Language and Culture I
ASL 1111, sec. 001 or 002
Fall Semester 2011

“Without language, one cannot hope to talk to people and understand them; one
cannot share their hopes and aspirations, grasp their history, appreciate their history or savour their songs”. – Nelson Mandela

Instructor: Carla Larson
Office and Contact Information: 3607T clangdon@css.edu
Class time & Place: W 4105T 4:00-7:00
Office Hours: W after class by appointment
Contact Requirements: All emails need to be signed using your full name, course name, number, and class time.
Required Text and DVD: Learning American Sign Language 2nd Edition, Tom Humphries and Carol Padden, 2003.
Recommended web sites:

http://www.lifeprint.com/

http://www.aslpro.com/

http://www.signingsavvy.com/ (this is not free)


Required Materials: Video camera (flip cameras are easy to use and convenient http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=730219&Q=&is=REG&A=details), DVD, and a folder to keep all assignments and quiz, exams scores. All signed recordings must be posted on YouTube.

** I strongly suggest you purchase an ASL dictionary to have with you are use the websites above**

“Without language, one cannot hope to talk to people and understand them; one
cannot share their hopes and aspirations, grasp their history, appreciate their history
or savour their songs”. – Nelson Mandela

Description
The first semester sequence of beginning American Sign language (ASL) study. Students learn basic sentence structures and patterns and develop basic oral communication. Focus is on listening and speaking skills. Prerequisite: placement exam or consent of instructor.

General Education Pathway and College Outcomes
This course counts towards the General Education Pathway for World Language, which states: “Language guides our thinking, shapes our perceptions and is the foundational element of culture. The four skills of language study – listening (receiving), responding (expressing), reading (understanding ASL codes) and writing (translation of English to ASL and vise versa) - provide the key that opens the door to a deepened understanding and appreciation of the world's cultures and peoples”.

Also, this course directly addresses the college outcome of Intellectual and Foundational Skills in that it helps students achieve proficiency in a second language, ASL It also addresses the need and importance of living and working in a diverse community, be it domestically or internationally.

Course Objectives
The beginning ASL sequence intends to broaden students' understanding of both themselves and the world through the process of second language learning. Beyond providing students with concrete language skills (including listening comprehension (receptive), signing, reading (decoding), and translating English to ASL, the course exposes them to the culture and increases awareness of their own culture heritage.

The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) has established a rating scale based on the hierarchy of global tasks comprising four major levels of language performance. These four major levels are Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, and Superior. In general, the Novice level is characterized by the ability to communicate minimally with learned material. This means that students can communicate with words and learned phrases within predictable areas of need. This class will function primarily at the ACTFL Novice level with the goal of reading the Novice Mid Level during the semester.



Course Outcomes
Receiving: Student will understand and respond appropriately to simple greetings, questions and commands, and will understand short familiar communications based on recombinations of learned material.
Signing: Student will communicate simply about topics of personal interest and need as covered in classroom material, forming and responding appropriately to simple questions and statements.
Reading: Student will read and understand vocabulary in areas of practical need, as well as understand main ideas and facts from simple texts dealing with basic personal and social needs covered in classroom.
Translating: Student will list, identify, and label familiar vocabulary, as well as write simple statements, questions and short messages on familiar topics.
Culture: Student will discriminate between basic cultural contrasts as covered in classroom material, identify geographical highlights of learned material and be able to demonstrate an understanding about the nature of language in general and its integral connection to language.


Required text
Students need to read the unit that we will learn prior to attending class. We wil complete a unit a week. Use of the textbook will begin week two.

Course components and grading
Success in this course requires study outside of the classroom, including completing the handouts given by the instructor, the on-line exercises, and signing practice with the tutors. It is best to set aside some time each day to review your notes, study and practice new vocabulary, and go over the grammar explanations and exercises using the on-line resources. Learning another language is a skill that is best learned through repeated frequent practice and it does take time. Please do not plan to coast along upon what you learned in any previous ASL courses.

Class participation, preparation, and attendance: 20%.
The only way to become proficient in a second language is through frequent practice, and it does take time. Therefore, the professor will conduct the course primarily in ASL. The occasional and I hope forgivable, use of English will be to explain concepts using language that is likely to be beyond the frustration level of most students in this course. Because I expect you to make use of every opportunity to practice in the classroom, plan on using ASL to communicate with the Instructor as well as with other members of the class, even if it takes longer. To whisper during class is considered very rude in the Deaf community. Please be respectful of this at all times. I ask that you embrace those moments that you are not always understanding; it is those moments that will help you understand what a Deaf person faces on a daily basis. I ask you do this for only three hours a week.

Participation: Students are expected to attend each class and participate in a meaningful manner daily. Attendance and class participation are an important part of the final course grade. Every day I will assign each student a class participation grade. This is inherently a subjective evaluation that I will make based upon my observations of the behaviors noted below. I will qualify these grades with a “–” or a “+” as appropriate. Participation includes volunteering answers and comments as well as asking questions. It also includes sharing writings with the class, arrival on time and staying through the entire class, and the use of ASL.

A: participates readily, assignments completed, works diligently, does not stray from the task in group/partner work, uses time wisely if completes an in-class activity ahead of the rest of the class, contributes positively to the class. It is extremely obvious that the student has come to class prepared and is making every effort to participate.

B: participates often, assignments completed, works on the task in group/partner work without significant distraction, uses time wisely as much as possible, contributes positively to the class. It is apparent that the student has prepared for class. However, the level of participation is not as high as noted above.

C: makes a small effort to participate, assignments completed, distraction from the task in group/partner work is evident. The student appears to make little effort to contribute to full class or small group activities, but can respond when called upon.

Note that for the above grades the student is taking the initiative to participate in class.

D: no real effort to participate is noted. Incomplete assignments or working to complete them just before class begins. Student appears apathetic about learning and practicing; when called upon he or she does not know where we are. It is apparent that student spent little time preparing for class.

F: does not participate, assignments for class are not completed or is working on it while class is already in progress, student is unable to participate in class activities or declines to do so. No effort is apparent. Student is absent either physically or mentally. Student is attending to electronic communications during class.

Leaving class early or arriving late will always have a negative effect upon the daily grade.

Please turn off your cell phone or other electronic communications equipment during class. Checking messages or texting during class is highly disrespectful to the instructor and other students in the class and will result in a substantial class participation penalty (F for the day). If this continues to be a problem, 5% will be taken from the student’s final grade.

Attendance: A student will be granted one “free” absence without penalty. Otherwise, failure to attend a class will result in a grade of “0” for that day. A waiver of the “0” will be granted at the discretion of the instructor in emergency situations. The “0” will also be waived if the student must miss class due to an official CSS-sponsored activity, with advance warning. The “0” will not be waived if the student schedules an appointment (medical, job interview, leaving early for breaks, etc.) during class time. The average of the daily participation grade at the end of the semester will determine the student’s class participation portion of the grade. If you miss class for any reason you must record yourself signing all of the vocabulary missed during that class period.

Preparation/Written Assignments: Incomplete or extremely poorly done work will not receive any credit. I expect you to turn in assignments that show that you have taken the time to do them, and you have thought about what you are doing. Late assignments will not be accepted unless the student was absent (EXCUSED). It is up to the student to turn in the assignment at the beginning of the period the first day the student returns to class

Weekly Vocabulary and Grammar Quizzes: 20%. All quizzes will be based on vocabulary and grammar in each lesson. Previous arrangements should be made if a student is going to be absent on a quiz day. We will have a quiz or exam every week starting week 2.

Signing Practice Sessions: 15%. Once every two weeks (003 is odd weeks) students will be required to individually practice signing and receptive skills with a TA in T3615. The TA will practice a targeted dialogues from the book with you, ask you personal questions based on the dialog or current class material, and give you sign feedback. Each session will be graded on a pass/fail basis. In order to avoid scheduling bottlenecks you will be required to sign up in T3615 for a specific time during a specified week. Students are encouraged to go with a partner. Students must record themselves signing one dialogue from each unit. These are to be linked to youtube and posted on the class blog. The tutors will review your dialogue and provide you with helpful feedback. They will also ask you questions about the information learned each week. Assignments will be posted on the blog in a timely fashion.

Integrative Project/Storybook: (midterm) (10%). Students will create a short story in a small group. This storybook will be written in English and translated into ASL. The students will record themselves signing and presentations will be shared in class. Additional information will be provided in a timely manner.

Blog/Vlog Assignments 10%: http://deaf-images.blogspot.com/
Bi-weekly (even weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14) students will be required to post comments on our bi-weekly blog/vlog. Posts will be posted on Thursday afternoon. Students are required to comment on my posting by Thursday at 12:00 am and then comment on two student's comment by Thursday at 12:00am. Comments must be grammatically correct, intellectual, professional, and insightful. Some of our postings will be signed and others will be written.


Chapter Tests: 20%. There will be four unit tests (we will cover a unit a week), given upon the completion of lessons (1-3,4-7, 9-11,12). will be tested on the final exam. Each test will be receptive and include writing sections. Students absent on a test day will receive a “0” unless previous arrangements have been made. Dates TBA

Final Exam: 15%. The final exam has two parts. The Signing Interview, which will be conducted as a conversation with me, will take place in my office during the last week of classes. Each student will do this exam with his/her partner and receive an individual grade. The Written Exam will be similar to the Chapter Tests (but longer). Final exam will take place during finals week at our regular class time.


95-100: A 76-79: C+ 65: D-
90-94: A- 74-75: C 0-64: F
86-89: B+ 70-73: C-
84-85: B 68-69: D+
80-83: B- 66-67: D

Students must earn a grade of at least C- to continue on to ASL 1112


Miscellaneous:
Please do not hesitate to see me about any concerns concerning your performance in this course. It is best to discuss problems with the subject matter, materials, or other difficulties as soon as possible. If circumstances prevent a student from completing the course work by the end of the semester, the student must speak with me before the final exam to draw up and incomplete contract. One of the duties of the ASL TA’s in T3615 is to tutor students in ASL. Please feel free to contact them for help with material in this course in addition to your required TA Signing Practice Sessions.

Disability Policy: Students with disabilities are entitled to appropriate and reasonable auxiliary aids and accommodations through The Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. It is the student's responsibility to notify the Disability Resource Center as soon as possible to ensure that such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion. For more information or to request academic accommodations, please contact Melissa Watschke, Coordinator of the Disability Resource Center in Tower Hall 2139; by phone at (218) 723-6747 or via e-mail at mwatschk@css.edu.

Academic Honesty Policy: Academic honesty and integrity are highly valued in our campus community. Academic honesty directly concerns ethical behaviors which affect both the academic environment and the civic community. Academic dishonestly seriously violates the integrity of the academic enterprise and will not be tolerated at St. Scholastica. The full text of the CSS Academic Honesty Policy is found in the Student Handbook or online at http://www.css.edu/Academics/Office-of-Academic-Affairs/Academic-Honesty-Policy.html. Please note that this means you should not have native signers or more advanced students of ASL “correct” your work before you turn it in. At all times turn in your own work.

Students intending to minor in Deaf Language and Culture are strongly encouraged speak with me immediately.

You are also invited to join the ASL Club at CSS. Information on meeting times will be announced in class. This is an excellent way to extend your interest in all things related to Deaf culture and language outside the classroom.