American Sign Language 1

In this course, students are introduced to the fundamentals of American Sign Language (ASL) and Deaf Culture. Students develop both expressive and receptive signing skills, beginning with fingerspelling and numbers, then continuing with basic vocabulary. Students are also introduced to ASL grammar, discovering that it is a fully independent linguistic system, distinct from American English. Finally, students master the basic conversational and cultural behaviors necessary to hold a beginning-level conversation in ASL.

Completion of this course requires regular access to a laptop or desktop computer with working microphone and webcam, as well as a reliable internet connection.

This Fixed-Paced course incorporates a blend of synchronous and asynchronous elements. Students and teacher meet live via zoom on a regular weekly schedule. In addition, students complete coursework including guided readings, interactive videos, text and video-based discussion threads, problem sets, individual and collaborative projects, and so on. While these activities are time-flexible, teachers sequence them with weekly deadlines to help students keep on track and encourage and support the development of productive time management skills.