The College of St. Scholastica 2012
American Sign Language 1112 Sec. 003, 4 credits
8:00 Tower hall 3141 and 9:00 Tower Hall 3410
Instructor: Monica Marciniak
mbutche@css.edu
Office hours: MWF 1:00-2:00 and Friday 10:30-11:30, appointment or after class as time allows
Required Text: and DVD:
Learning American Sign Language, Tom Humphries & Carol Padden: Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs. 2004.
Course Objectives and Goals:
Linguistic
1. Students will use their knowledge from American Sign Language I skills, to continue to recognize that American Sign Language is a visual gestural and true form of language.
2. Students will demonstrate appropriate fluency in vocabulary and basic grammatical structure.
Functional
3. Students will compare and contrast the grammatical structure, vocabulary, and syntax of ASL with traditional spoken language.
4. Students will actively watch lectures, engage in group work and participate in each class meeting.
5. Students will master the ability to expressively initiate, conduct, and terminate context-specific conversations of short length.
6. Students will create a Deaf Culture Workshop to help prepare them in working together with Deaf and Hard of Hearing persons in their future careers.
Cultural
7. Students will continue to build upon their knowledge of Deaf Culture and its dynamics
8. Students will articulate their responses to relevant social aspects and values of the Deaf Culture and the community.
9. Students will attend a Deaf Community Event to increase awareness and knowledge of Deaf people and their language.
Class Organization:
The language mode in the class will be both English and ASL, mostly ASL. I am Deaf and I strictly enforce signing only during my class when using our targeted language of ASL and ask that students are respectful of this. This means that I need students to sign questions and comments made in class and that I want students to try to use their ASL skills to the best of their ability to communicate with me. There will be times where only ASL is allowed. Students are expected to respect this time and make it known they are not understanding or understanding. I will ensure that I will do everything I can to help students understand what is being presented to them at all times. At times this may mean to “hang in there” and try to put the pieces together to get the bigger picture. This is part of the learning process and takes great patience on your part.
Students will actively engage and participate in class lectures as well as assigned group work. Each week, students will be involved in lectures and group work. Participation in this course is the key to successful learning. Group work is not only expected of each student, it is required. Students that are simply sitting together and chatting will not get participation points for the day. Exercises in the book are very important and students are required to complete them weekly.
This class will utilize both individual and group work. All members of your group will receive the same grade on group projects. Each member of the group will also evaluate the relative contribution of group members. You must put what you learn into action for this class. Many people are uncomfortable working in groups and on group projects. Due to the nature of this course, however, you must participate in groups. Students are expected to be completely prepared for class and to participate fully in all activities.
Academic dishonesty is wrong and any occurrence will be punished to the fullest extent possible. Students should consult the College of St. Scholastica book of Student Rights and Responsibilities to familiarize themselves with the terms and policies applicable to academic dishonesty.
Participation:
Class participation, preparation, and attendance: 10%.
The only way to become proficient in a second language is through frequent practice, and it does take time. Therefore, the instructor will conduct the course primarily in American Sign Language. 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.
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 are 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).
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.
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.
Attendance. A student will be granted one “free” absence without penalty. Otherwise the students grade for attendance will be as follows (THIS ALSO WILL BE USED IF STUDENTS ARE TEXTING):
One unexcused absence: A-, two: B, three: C, four: D, five or more F
Course Components and Grading:
Success in this course requires study outside of the classroom, including completing the handouts given by the instructor and the exercises done on-line. 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 from your text.
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 and cram when exams and quizzes are given. This will only hinder your ASL language development.
Tutor Sessions: 10%
Weekly tutor assignments will be available for pick up every week. These are located in the folder below the sign up sheet. Late assignments will not be accepted, unless the student was absent and this absent is excused. . Corrections will be made by the tutor and advice given as needed. Credit will be given for completing this assignment in a satisfactory and neat manner. Incomplete or extremely poorly done or unprepared 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 that you have thought about what you are doing. I expect you to complete sentences and legible handwriting. If you turn in substandard work for a college student, do not expect to get credit for doing that work.
Vocabulary and Grammar Assignments: 5%.
Once every week students will watch a signed video in class and complete an assignment pertaining to the information. More instruction will be given in class.
SignNews Assignment: 5%
Students must read three issues of SIGNews (full issues not just articles). Issues will be available to students in the language lab for check out but must remain in the lab. Students will write their own opinion column relevant to one article that was particulary interesting to them. Additionally, students must create a sign and/or Deaf related comic strip or humor section. Remember, the assignment is to read three full issues, but the opinion column is in reflection of only one ARTICLE, not complete issue.
Event/Workshop Assignments: 25%
Deaf Culture Workshop rubric will be given in class. This assignment will need to be completed with a group. Groups will be assigned according to majors and interests.
Assignment rubric will be given in class. This event is meant to given you direct exposure to the language as well as the people that use it.
Receptive and Expressive Exams: 35%. There will be four exams given upon the completion of units. Students absent on a test day will receive a “0” unless previous arrangements have been made. If you arrive late you will not get credit for what you missed. Student guides and/or direction sheets will be given before each exam.
Final exam(s): 10%
Grades:
95-100: A 76-79: C+ 64-63: D-
90-94: A- 74-75: C 0-62: F
86-89: B+ 70-73: C-
84-85: B 68-69: D+
80-83: B- 65-67: D
Class highlights, information, requirements and due dates:
· Tutor bi-weekly and complete an assignment, assignments will be placed on tutor sign up board and placed on class blog weekly)
· Class participation (no talking points will be deleted from participation score)
· 2 Silent news assignments ( both assignments are due by week 7)
· In-class receptive assignment (every Friday)
3 part assignment(due week 5,9,13): Deaf workshop workbook and video
4 chapter exams (weeks 4,7,11,14)
Final exam Receptive and Expressive
NO BLOG but I will use for assignments, daily log, study guides, syllabus and announcements. this will begin this week. please check for your syllabus soon.
We do not have weekly blogs this semester. However, I will still continue to place announcements, assignments, review information, weekly information and anything else that I feel is important for you to review. Please check the blog weekly.
Students With Disabilities:
Students with disabilities, physical or learning, are entitled to appropriate accommodations. It is the student’s responsibility to notify the Disability Resource Center far enough in advance to allow a reasonable amount of time to approve of and provide the accommodation. Appropriate accommodations will be made to allow equal participation in the course.
Academic Honesty:
Academic honesty directly concerns ethical behaviors which affect both the academic environment and the civic community. Plagiarism and other academic dishonesty, including falsification of data, will result in, at a minimum, failure of the assignment or test, and the maximum penalty shall be failure of the course. In addition, a department may deny admission to, or dismiss from a program, a student who has engaged in academic dishonesty, and the dean of faculty or the dean of students may exclude such a student from extracurricular activities or expel him or her from the College, even on the first instance of academic dishonesty.
Students must keep all assignments, exams and quiz scores, and tutor times for personal record keeping. Students will grade quizzes in class and are expected to list areas they did incorrectly and their scores for their own personal record keeping. This will be collected at the end of the semester and is required. Students should always be aware of their performance in the course.
Course Schedule
This schedule may change; use this schedule as a guide. I may change this syllabus as I see fit for the class. Read your assigned unit and watch DVD before attending class. Videos and guest speakers will be presented throughout the semester.
WEEK 1
WELCOME BACK! REVIEW INFORMATION COVERED IN FALL SEMESTER
WEEK 2
UNIT 13: MORE WAYS OF EXPRESSING SELF
*SATISFACTION AND DISSATISFACTION
*AGREEMENT AND DISAGREEMENT
*CONDITIONAL SENTENCES
*GONE AND DIE
*EMOTIONAL AND PHYSICAL STATES
WEEK 3
DOCUMENTARY: "SEE WHAT I AM SAYING"
UNIT 14: EXPERIENCES AND CURRENT
*EVENTS
*CLASSIFIERS AS QUANTIFIERS
*USE OF FINISH AS A CONJUNCTION
*CONJUNTIONS
*NUMBER INCORPORATION
*WHAT’S UP
*COMMENTING ON EXPERTISE
WEEK 4
UNIT 15: FUTURE PLANS AND OBLIGATIONS
*FURTURE PLANS
*USE OF NOTHING TO IT
*VERB PAIRS
*DEAF CLUBS AND CC
WEEK 5
UNIT 16: DIRECTIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS
*DIRECTIONS
*FINGERSPELLED ABBREVIATIONS
*’S
*LOCATION WITH CLASSIFIERS
*CLASSIFIERS
WEEK 6
UNIT 17: SUGGESTIONS AND ADVICE
*USE OF BORED
*FORMS OF EVERY
*ADVISE SIGNS
*APPROXIMATE
WEEK 7
UNIT 18: ATTITUDES AND OPINIONS
*WHAT OTHERS THINK
*VERB THAT CHANGE MOVEMENT
*OPINIONS
*COUNT AND NON COUNT NOUNS
*QUANTIFIERS
WEEK 8
UNIT 19: RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES
*ACTIVITIES
*INFLECTION OF VERBS
*USE OF COMMUNICATION SLANG
*PLURAL FORMS
WEEK 9
UNIT 20: TRAVEL-PLACESS AND EXPERIENCES
*TRAVEL EXPERIENCE
*INFLECTION OF ADJECTIVES
*VERBS THAT SHOW SUBJECT AND OBJECT
WEEK 10
REVIEW and Film
WEEK 11
UNIT 21: OCCUPATIONS AND PROFESSIONS
*OCCUPATIONS
*AGENT SUFFIX WITH PROFESSIONS
*USE OF UNDERSTAND
*RHETORICAL QUESTIONS
WEEK 12
UNIT 22 &23 : THE BODY, HEALTH, AND EMERGENCIES
*PHYSICAL CONDITIONING
*BODY
*USE OF PAIN
*NEVER AND NOTHING AS DENIALS
*COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES
*CURRENT EVENTS
*USE OF WORSE
WEEK 13
UNIT 24: HOW THINGS ARE DONE
*A PROCESS
*CLASSIFIERS
*MEASUREMENTS
WEEK 14
EXAM
WORKSHOP PRESENTATIONS
SIGN UP FOR EXPRESSIVE SESSIONS
WEEK 15
REVIEW EXPRESSIVE SESSIONS
FINAL EXAM TBA UNITS 1-24
This class will be conducted in mostly silence. Due to the nature of ASL, students will learn the most in an ASL environment. Students must respect this time; this makes you a better signer. Speaking is not allowed at all during these times. This however, does not mean that students cannot ask questions. Questions and comments are always strongly encouraged. But I ask that you try to sign these questions. Many of our class meetings will have a schedule listed on the board for information and clarification. I will include a free zone in each class meeting that allows students to voice their questions, comments and concerns. Please refrain from speaking until these times. Students that continue to disrespect this will lose all class participation points for each day.
CLASS POLICIES
1. Students must respect silence time in class. Talking with other students during class lectures is not allowed. This is especially enforced the second semester. Students need to try to ask questions in ASL.
2. If you do not understand it is your responsibility to make this known.
3. All papers must be typed and given directly to Instructor at the beginning of class.
4. Late work will not be accepted unless you have permission from the instructor before the assignment is due.
5. Quizzes cannot be made up.
6. If students need to make-up exams they must speak with the instructor before the exam is given.
7. If students need to receive an incomplete in the course they will abide with the College Policies.
8. Class participation is mandatory. Lack of student involvement may result in a lower grade.
9. Absences must be reported to the instructor within 24 hours of the missed class. Unexcused absences will result in a lower grade.
10. Students must show up on time due to the nature of exams and quizzes. If you are late, you will not receive credit for any information you missed.
11. The College policies on plagiarism and cheating are strongly enforced in this class. Please see Student Handbook for further clarifications.
12. Students are responsible to record their scores, absences, tutoring and assignments. This will be collected at the end of the semester.
HOW TO CONTACT ME
If you need to contact me for any reason, please feel free to do so. I check my email on a daily basis and it is the best way to contact with me. Please allow 24 to 48 hours for me to return your email. I will also be available before or after class to answer any questions or concerns you may have. Please take advantage of this. Please use class time to talk to me about concerns or questions you may have. HOWEVER, I strongly encourage and allow time for questions and comments during class time BEFORE AND AFTER CLASS. Please do not email me something you could ask me in class. I get numerous emails everyday that could have been answered in class.
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