Follows ASL-132 and is the first of two intermediate-level American Sign Language (ASL) courses focusing on communication in a cultural context. Develops knowledge of fingerspelling, vocabulary and grammatical structures, and expands visual receptive and gestural expressive skills in order to comprehend and express essential ideas in ASL.
Goals, Topics, and Objectives
ASL-231 is designed to enable students to reach the Intermediate-Low level on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency scale, focusing on language learning through communication, cultures, connections, comparisons, and communities.
- Core vocabulary (approximately 1000 signs)
- Vocabulary expansion strategies
- Fingerspelling and numbering
- Facial expressions, body language and non-manual signals
- Grammar
- Conversation
- Communication strategies
- Narration
- Deaf events
- Deaf history and culture
- Identify and use approximately 1000 signs
- Demonstrate the ability to utilize ASL expansion strategies when specific vocabulary is unknown
- Demonstrate increased fluency and accuracy in fingerspelling and numbering
- Employ non-manual grammar and facial expressions to match the appropriate register
- Identify, recognize, comprehend and produce: advanced sentence structures, syntax, spatialization, advanced verbs and tense, and instrument classifiers
- Demonstrate the ability to initiate, conduct and terminate context-specific conversations with Deaf or ASL users other than the professor
- Analyze and use different patterns of communication and social interaction appropriate to the setting
- Demonstrate expressive mastery of dialogues and short-sentence narratives utilizing ASL grammatical features
- Demonstrate understanding of social interaction patterns within ASL and Deaf culture(s) through participation in cultural activities within and beyond the school setting
- Analyze and discuss the history, lifestyles, and traditions of the diverse cultures that make up the Deaf world
Note: A grade of C- is not transferrable and is not accepted by some programs at HFC.
Assessment and Requirements
Assessment of academic achievement will be identified and implemented by the class instructor. Methods will include, but not be limited to:
- Participation
- Weekly/regular quizzes
- Homework assignments
- Chapter/unit tests
- Oral/receptive-expressive exam(s)
- Midterm/final exam
All sections of this level will use a textbook (and any accompanying materials) selected by the course coordinator and approved by the World Languages Committee.
Outcomes
- Humanities and Fine Arts
- Category 5: Humanities and Fine Arts