COSD 221
SIGN LANGUAGE
- Catalog Entry
COSD 221. Introduction to American Sign Language (ASL) and
Deaf Culture
Three hours lecture (3).
This course serves as an introduction to the language and
culture of the Deaf community in the United States, with an
emphasis on the study and practice of basic ASL skills.
- Detailed Description of the Content of the Course
The purpose of this course is to introduce students, both
Majors in Communication Sciences and Disorders and non-Majors,
to the language and culture of the Deaf community. The course
is built around the study and practice of basic ASL vocabulary,
syntax, and pragmatic language skills. An academic exploration
of multicultural issues, linguistic code-switching, and language
dominance in Deaf education is integral to the course. Required
for Communication Sciences and Disorder Majors.
- Detailed Description of Conduct of Course
This course emphasizes the learning of basic person-to-person
conversational signing skills as a second language, including
use and comprehension of ASL vocabulary, syntax and fingerspelling.
Students are expected to learn over 1,500 vocabulary items,
presented in semantic groupings such as numbers, people and
occupations, emotion and feelings, mental actions, food, etc.
Students gain experience in both formulating and sending messages
and understanding the signed messages of others in class. Students
are also given in-class practice responding contingently and
spontaneously to questions posed by the instructor and other
students. Increasingly, students are expected to rely wholly
on ASL communication, and effective use of communication repair
strategies, as the course progresses. Students are given field
assignments to promote maximum interaction with the Deaf community
to facilitate effective second language learning. Moreover,
field assignments are designed to enhance student understanding
of the dynamic language, culture, and multicultural issues
alive in the Deaf community today.
Students are required to choose and write a research paper
about a topic related to the language and culture of the Deaf
community. They are required to sign to the class about the
topic and what they learned from their research. Because the
course emphasizes interpersonal communication, students are
encouraged to use conversational strategies that ensure accuracy
in the negotiation of meaning.
A comprehensive final covers lecture material, information
regarding Deaf culture presented in texts and readings on reserve,
and information regarding the nature and history of sign languages.
- Goals and Objectives of the Course
Course goals and objectives are for students to:
- master sufficient ASL conversational skills and vocabulary
to effectively communicate with members of the Deaf community
in the United States.
- encode/express and decode/comprehend fingerspelling in
the context of conversation.
- demonstrate awareness of dynamic language, culture, and
multicultural issues alive in the Deaf community today.
- participate in an academic exploration of multicultural
issues, linguistic code-switching, and language dominance
as it relates to spoken languages in general.
- participate in an academic exploration of multicultural
literacy, linguistic code-switching, and language as it relates
to the Deaf culture uniquely.
- Assessment Measures
Graded assignments include written pop and announced quizzes,
conversational assignments done in and outside of class, research
paper, and comprehensive written and signed final examination.
- Other Course Information
Video-taped material will be shown in class and made available
to students for viewing on their own time for additional practice
in comprehending sign language.
- Review and Approval
DATE ACTION APPROVED BY
January 2006 Review and approved Dr. Kenneth Cox, Chair |