• Develop the ability to perceive language using a visual-gestural modality
• Develop receptive and expressive communication skills needed to converse about familiar topics using a variety of phrases, simple sentences and questions
• Gain self-advocacy skills in linguistic and social aspects in the United States Deaf community
• Engage as an active participant with members of the Deaf community at a Novice-Mid level in familiar situations at school, work, or play

Introduction to ASL

• Compare and contrast basic parameters for ASL and English
• Converse using greetings and introductions
• Various types of WH-questions using appropriate sentence structure
• Use sentence structure for yes/no questions
• Use cultural behaviors for getting attention and backchanneling

Time and Activities

• ASL basic sentence structure
• Express time and activities appropriately in ASL
• Fingerspell the months of the year
• Use number incorporation for minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years
• Express past, present, and future tenses in an ASL basic sentence
• Use listing on the non-dominant hand for related activities
• Topicalization

Relationships

• Exchange basic information about family
• List of rank order
• Number incorporation for age
• Use appropriate shoulder shift to discuss two family members

Places of Residence

• Names of states
• Basic pseudo-clef sentence structures for Why and Where
• Establish reference points to specific locations
• Sign variation based on geographical differences

People and Places on Campus

• Exchange basic information about people and occupations on campus
• Plain and indicating verbs with temporal aspect and continuity
• Spatial referencing for locations
• Spatial positions for locations within a building
• Purpose of using locative and classifiers
• Use ordinal numbers
• Use signer’s perspective when giving directions
• Name signs for places on campus and organizations

Shopping

• Exchange basic information about shopping
• Money signs, including using number incorporation
• Lexicalized fingerspelling
• Possessive pronouns and topicalization when discuss shopping
• Listing to discuss purchases, savings and payment methods
• Number incorporation with money signs
• Lexicalized fingerspelling

Self-Advocacy Skills

• Linguistic Capital in the Deaf Community
  • Sign Language and learning
  • American Sign Language
  • How Deaf people think, learn and read
• Social Capital in the Deaf Community
  • Exploring Deaf communities in the United States

• A computer or laptop with a built-in or attached webcam (a tablet or smartphone is not recommended)
• A high-speed internet connection
• System requirements for myCourses
• System requirements for GoReact 
• SignLens Basic eBook (cost covered by RIT)
  • Apple Books (ISBN: 978-1-7378386-0-9) - preferred due to ASL videos and interactive features
  • Amazon Kindle (ISBN: 978-1-7378386-1-6) - translated into English text for those who do not have Apple devices
    
    It is vital that you follow the guidelines above for creating your videos for your expressive practice assignments and expressive to earn maximum possible points.

You are not required to purchase a textbook for this course. All instructional materials are provided on myCourses. You will also find links to videos on myCourses.

According to Course Copyright Policy, all course materials students receive or have online access to in courses are protected by copyright laws. Students may use course materials and make copies for their own use as needed, but unauthorized distribution and/or uploading of materials without the instructor’s expressed permission is not allowed (strictly prohibited).

Students who engage in the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted materials may be held in violation of the University’s Code of Conduct, and/or liable under Federal and State laws.

All the reading articles/videos are provided in myCourses. The instructor will provide a detailed assignment description sheet and this assignment will be discussed in class:

• Leigh, I., Andrews, J. & Harris, R (2018). Deaf Culture: Exploring Deaf Communities in the United States. San Diego, CA: Plural Publishing Incorporated. Electronic Book – License is for unlimited users: https://albert.rit.edu/record=b4104687~S3
• Kemp, M. (1998). Why is learning American Sign Language a challenge?, American Annals of the Deaf, 143(3), 255-259.

The summer session is from May 15-August 15, 2024. 

The class will meet twice a week, from 6-8 p.m. (Eastern Time) on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

There will be six units in total. See topics here.

The course has an enrollment capacity of 12 students in order to deliver the best educational experience.

Yes, this is an online synchronous course. This means the teachers and all students meet at a scheduled time in real-time.

If you are a current sophomore or junior and you are deaf or hard of hearing, you may sign up for the course here by March 1.

RIT will contact you through email by March 31 communicating your registration status and next steps.

Deaf and hard-of-hearing sophomores and juniors going into their junior and senior years in fall 2024 can register for the course. Students must have little or no prior ASL knowledge. Additionally, students need to have either US citizenship or permanent residency status in the US in order to be able to take the course.

All colleges and universities establish their own policies for accepting credits and those decisions are based on many factors. Most often, these credits will be counted as ‘free’ electives, not only at RIT but also should they be accepted at another college or university. It is important for you to check with your prospective colleges/universities as to whether or not the credit is accepted. 

At the end of the course, students will meet these outcomes:

• Establish a basic foundation of American Sign Language as a visual-gestural language and the modality of ASL
• Generate the ability to converse in American Sign Language about familiar topics using a variety of basic phrases, simple sentences, and questions, including creating an autobiographical profile
• Demonstrate knowledge of typical college experiences
• Discuss similarities and differences in behaviors and values between the United States majority culture and the Deaf co-culture in the United States
• Prepare for interaction with members of the Deaf community at a Novice-Mid level in some very familiar everyday contexts
• Compare identity development based on their own lived experiences with Deaf people’s lived experiences in United States

This course and its associated credits will be free for deaf and hard-of-hearing high school students taking the course, a savings of more than $3,000 if taken at RIT. The cost per credit hour varies by college.

On the myCourses platform you will find information about your online classes, including a syllabus, a course schedule, and any other information you need for the classes. The gradebook will be posted in myCourses.

A computer or laptop with a webcam and an internet connection is required for our classes. Please ensure your Zoom software is fully updated! It is preferred that you use a computer or laptop instead of iPad/tablet because of the limitations of being able to interact with other students.

• For specific requirements see myCourses, Zoom, and GoReact.

Successful students earning a grade of ‘C’ or better will receive four college credits that will count toward their degree requirements at RIT. It is important for you to check with your prospective colleges/universities as to whether or not the credit is accepted. 

Yes. RIT/NTID is a welcoming and supportive environment for all learners. Students with low vision or who are blind will work with their instructor to determine the best ways in which to support their needs.

Students can withdraw from the course up to the last official day of instruction, which is July 24.

If a student enrolls at RIT/NTID, the ‘W’ will be visible on their academic transcript. This can have implications for a student’s satisfactory academic progress and financial aid. We encourage students to have a discussion with the instructor prior to withdrawing from the course.

When a student has completed the course and are interested in applying to colleges, including RIT, a student may request a transcript to be sent to these schools. Transcripts must be requested electronically and there is a fee for each transcript.

• Learn how to request a transcript