NC 622: ASL - Fundamentals of ASL

Citrus College Course Outline of Record

Citrus College Course Outline of Record
Heading Value
Effective Term: Spring 2023
Credits: 0
Total Contact Hours: 42
Lecture Hours : 42
Lab Hours: 0
Hours Arranged: 0
Outside of Class Hours: 84
Total Student Learning Hours: 126
Transferable to CSU: No
Transferable to UC: No
Grading Method: Non-Credit Course

Catalog Course Description

A basic skills course intended to introduce students to the key linguistic features of American Sign Language. Students will be introduced to the signed manual alphabet, facial grammar, and a modest collection of signed vocabulary items. Provides the framework for communicating basic sentences and requests. 42 lecture hours.

Course Objectives

  • Introduce the manual alphabet and fingerspelling as they pertain to greetings and proper noun identification.
  • Provide answers to commonly asked questions in ASL, as well as how to sign such questions.
  • Explore ways to communicate relationships, including family members and age.
  • Present the three types of questions in ASL, and their corresponding non-manual markers.
  • Compare object-subject-verb word order with subject-verb-object syntax.
  • Create hypothetical, real-world interactions with the Deaf community and how to sign through such encounters.

Major Course Content

  1. Fingerspelling and greetings
    1. Introduction to the manual alphabet
    2. Practice introductions
      1. Introducing one's self
      2. Asking for another person's name
      3. Repeating the signed name
      4. Express pleasure in meeting the person
    3. Wh-word questions
      1. Non-manual markers associated with wh-word questions
      2. Common Wh-word signs (WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY, HOW)
    4. Asking for another person's name
    5. Importance of back-channeling (i.e. showing you do/don't follow along with what's being said)
  2. Commonly asked questions (after making introductions)
    1. Sharing how one is learning ASL
    2. Asking where one learned ASL
    3. Asking in what city one lives/goes to school
      1. Common city signs
    4. Introduction to direction and mouth morphemes (OO, MM, AH!)
  3. Discussing likes/dislikes
    1. Non-manual markers associated with yes-no questions
    2. Degrees of like/dislike (KISS-FIST, LIKE, DON'T-LIKE, DETEST, etc.)
    3. Vocabulary
      1. Colors
      2. Clothes
      3. Food and drinks
  4. Age and relationships
    1. Basic family signs
    2. Relationship status (signs such as SINGLE, HAVE SWEETHEART, MARRIED, etc)
    3. Age
      1. Number practice (1-20+)
  5. Introduction to the rh-question
    1. Review wh-question and yes-no question
      1. Non-manual markers
      2. Model sentences
    2. Introduce non-manual markers associated with rh-questions
    3. Explain when rh-questions are used the most
      1. Sample narrative: Sharing where one went to school
  6. ASL Sentence Structure
    1. Review three types of questions in ASL
    2. Introduce object-subject-verb word order
      1. Draw comparison to English language as subject-verb-object operative language 
  7. Frequently asked questions/ Everyday encounters
    1. At the grocery store
      1. Telling where an item is
      2. Fingerspelling store names
      3. Providing isle numbers
    2. At a restaurant
      1. Telling where an item/location is
      2. Students should be advised to refrain from interpreting a Deaf customer's order (potential errors, current skill set of student's, etc.)
    3. Elsewhere
  8. Review
    1. Instructor lead

Examples of Required Writing Assignments

Write a list of possible places one might encounter a Deaf person. Given the setting, what questions might arise. [For example, at the mall, a person might ask where a certain store is located.]

Examples of Outside Assignments

Record a video answering the following questions (provided by the instructor).

Instruction Type(s)

Lecture, Online Education Lecture