Austin Community College
Syllabus for SLNG 1391
Special Topics in Sign Language Interpreter: ASL
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COURSE DESCRIPTION:

A continuation of conversational skills development. Building on knowledge and skills in ASL 4, in this course, you will continue to build further knowledge and skills in American Sign Language.  Students will be exposed to various topics related to ASL as well as interpreting topics.  Expressive skills development will focus on continued implementation of expansion techniques, including role shift, 3-D, contrasting, and faceting. Using articles on Deaf culture as the stimulus material, students will engage in dialogue and debate during which they will apply the linguistic and grammatical principles mastered to date. Prerequisites: 1445.

   

REQUIRED TEXTS/MATERIALS:

 1) One Blank Mini DVD-RW (not DVD-R)

 2) Other videos assigned will be located in the lab.

 

COURSE  OBJECTIVES:

Students will be expected to know the following advanced ASL skills:

A)    Role Shifting

B)     Directional Classifiers

C)     Expansion technique

D)    Three-Dimension in signing

E)     Contrasting and faceting

F)      Visualization

 

Student Responsibilities:

A student in this course agrees to:

·     Attend class regularly.

·     Be on time.

·     Participate fully in class activities.

·     Complete all class assignments on or before the due date.

·     Refrain from using your voice or interpreting for other student(s) who may not understand the instructor.

·     Attend three deaf events and sign three 5 to 7-minute segments onto DVD based on your experiences.

·     Do research paper, take mid-term and final examinations  and short DVD story on announced dates.    

COURSE GRADING SYSTEM:

Your grade will be evaluated regularly on your receptive skills and at the end of the semester on your expressive skills.  You will also be evaluated on your preparation for class activities and your assignments outside of the class.

               

                        1. Class Attendance/Participation                                100

2. Deaf Event DVD (3@ 50 pts. ea.)                            150

3. Research Paper                                                       200

4. Short Story DVD                                                       150

5. Midterm Exam                                                          200

6. Final Exam                                                               200

                                                                                            -----------

TOTAL =        1000 points

 

Grade Conversion Table:   1000 – 900 points = Final grade “A”

                                                                        899 – 800 points = Final grade “B”

                                                                        799 – 700 points = Final grade “C”

                                                                        699 – 600 points = Final grade “D”

                                                                        599 – 0     points = Final grade “F”

 

                                 

1. Class Attendance and Participation: (total 100 points)

It’s crucial to maintain your attendance. Students cannot expect to pass this course with knowledge of the information in the workbook only.

a.   You may have three non-consecutive absences– any absences beyond three will result in twenty (20) points being deducted from your attendance/participation grade per class missed. 

b.   You may have three tardies or early departures of not more than 15 minutes – any tardies or early departures beyond 15 minutes or beyond three will result in ten (10) points being deducted from your attendance/participation grade per incident. 

c.   The instructor will withdraw any student who is absent three consecutive classes. This equates to 8 hours of instruction and would put you too far behind if you miss more than this.

d.   Please inform me if you have an exceptional circumstance that causes you to miss class.

 

All students will be encouraged to participate in class discussions and activities on a regular basis.  “Participation” does not mean giving “right” answers. It means thinking about the material, sharing your thoughts, paying attention, and giving your best effort.  

So as to maintain a signing environment, using your voice or the mouthing of English words in the classroom is NOT allowed.  Write notes to each other if you must or SIGN! This NO VOICE rule will be enforced from the beginning until the end of the class.  The skills to be developed in the class depend on visual perception and memory. Use of auditorial stimuli discourages this learning process for both the person talking and other students in the class. 

If you own a pager, or cell phone, please turn it off during class.

 

2.  Deaf Event DVD- (3 videos @ 50 points each = 150 points)

The goal of these assignments is for you to express your own thoughts, opinions or questions.  For each deaf event you will sign a five to seven-minute segment about your experience.  No DVDs will be accepted after the due date except under circumstances I deem to be extreme or unique.

The signed segment must include and answer each of the following questions:

 

Questions for Deaf Event Reaction Videos:

1.      Where and when did this event take place?
2.      What information gave you new insight or understanding about Deaf people, the Deaf community or Deaf culture?
3.  What information gave you new insight or understanding about yourself and your OWN
perception of Deaf people, the Deaf community or Deaf culture?
4.  What information do you feel was missing or incomplete for your own interests or needs?
5.  Did you have any conversations with any of the Deaf participants? If so, were there any communication barriers?
6.  What were the general impressions of what transpired at the event?

**Information on Austin Deaf events can be found on the bulletin board adjacent to the ASL/Interpreting lab or through email.  For other events not listed, you must get the instructor’s approval.**

 

 

Research Paper (200 points)- Paper topic is to be about “Non Manual Signals in ASL” The research paper must be from your finding on internet/book/or articles.  A complete bibliography is required for all papers.  You must use at least SIX different references (books, articles, and electronic media).  Your references should be cited appropriately.  All papers must be 1200--1500 words (not including the bibliography and title page). Please do not cut and paste from the internet because that is plagiarism and the penalty for that, is failure of this class. Please cite the work. When you are done with this research, send it to bbridges@austincc.edu under the subject line described below.

 

 

File Naming for Papers:  

The proper file naming form is LASTNAME FIRSTNAME PAPER1.doc

Example: DOE JOHN PAPER1.doc

DOE JOHN PAPER2.doc

 

Subject Line in email with paper:  In your SUBJECT line of the email, to which is attached your paper, use the same form as you do with the file naming.  (Subject:  DOE JOHN PAPER1)

 

When you send an email without the paper attached, it is the same as not handing in the paper on time and will be assessed a 10 point penalty for lateness.  If you are not accustomed to attaching files, become accustomed to it.  Failure to properly attach your paper to an email is your problem.  Claiming that you are not good at computers is not a valid excuse.  To make sure that you get it right, turn in your paper a few days early to give yourself room for a possible mistake.  Further, send a copy of the email/paper to yourself to ensure it was delivered properly.

 

All papers should have 1 inch margins top, bottom, left and right, Times New Roman Font, 12 point font size, double spaced, and must be written in active voice.  (NO PASSIVE VOICE)

 

Use a dictionary and thesaurus; you should already be doing that if you are a college student.  Not only are these tools required, they are online and FREE.  There are many websites that can be used, here is an excellent link:  http://m-w.com/

 

One of the signs of bad writing is poor word usage, generally caused by an impoverished vocabulary.  Poor word usage often includes reliance on slang, cliché, and idiom.  It is acceptable to employ slang, cliché, and idiom in everyday conversation, but it is not acceptable in academic writing.

 

COMPUTER PROBLEMS

Computer problems are not a valid excuse for a paper being late.  I strongly suggest that you not wait until the last minute to send your papers.  If something goes wrong with your computer, that’s your problem.  Please plan ahead and get your work in before the due date.

A computer mishap will not excuse a late paper.  You should make frequent and multiple back-ups of your work (e.g., separate floppy disks or other removable media), so that you never lose more than one hour’s worth of work.

 

4.  Short Story DVD (150 points)-Students will sign short stories on a DVD in order to practice role shifting and classifiers.  The short stories and more details will be handed out in class

 

 

5. Midterm (200 points) – The midterm will cover all material presented to that point of the class.  You will be tested individually on information using your expressive and receptive skills.  There will be no make-up of the midterm except under circumstances I deem to be extreme or unique.

 

 

6. Final (200 points total) – Students will sign a story given by the instructor.  Students will prepare a ten to twelve-minute story and record it onto DVD themselves.  The story will incorporate skills learned throughout the semester. There will be no make-up of the final except under circumstances I deem to be extreme or unique.

                                 

 

COURSE POLICIES:

You are responsible for knowing the policies and procedures below.  You can pick up a copy of the Student Handbook at a counseling office at any campus or access it online from our web page www.austincc.edu. 

 

Withdrawal Policy

You will be withdrawn if you miss 3 consecutive classes. Refer to the student handbook page 24 for the withdraw policy under other circumstances.  If you have a very unique or extreme situation, please discuss it with me.

 

Incompletes

Incompletes will be given only under very unique or extreme circumstances. Students must submit assignments on time.  Students may not “make-up” essays at will.

 

Academic Dishonesty

Austin Community College   regulations regarding academic honesty will be enforced.  See Austin Community College Catalog, “Academic Dishonesty,” in the Student Handbook.  The penalty for plagiarism or cheating on papers or assignments is failure for the course.

 

Prohibited Acts

Refer to the student handbook.

 

A CC Policy on Unattended Children and Children in the Classroom

Refer to the student handbook.

 

Americans with Disabilities Act ( ADA ) Accommodations:

Refer to the student handbook. Please let me know in writing how I can accommodate my class to your needs.

   

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Please feel free to call, email or write me notes about any questions or concerns you may have.  You may also request to meet with me with an interpreter during my office hours or by appointment.

 

CONTACTING THE INSTRUCTOR

If you need to contact the instructor for any reason you are required to exercise due diligence.  In other words, do not just send one email and wait a week or longer.  If you do not get a response within a day or so, try again.  If you still do not get a response, call the instructor.  Something might not be working (e.g., an email might have been accidentally deleted).  In other words, use due diligence and some common sense.  I will have no sympathy for the passive soul who waits weeks and then claims to be a victim. You are responsible for getting in touch with me if you need something.

 

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