Class details
American Sign Language 1 (ASL-UE 9101)
Mondays, 1:00-4:00 PM
Location to be confirmed.
Instructor:
Lori Maynard, MS.
Email address: [email protected]
Mobile Email: 301 537 6270
Office hours: By appointment
Required Textbooks and Material:
Smith, C., E. Lentz & K. Mikos. (2008). Signing Naturally – Student Workbook, Units 1-6. San
Diego: DawnSignPress. ISBN: 978-1=58121-210-5
A YOUTUBE.com account or 24 GB or more USB
Course
Description:
Course
Objectives:
Fundamental principles of grammar & syntax, a basic vocabulary, & conventions of
conversational discourse in the Deaf community. Emphasis is placed on developing the visual
perception skills critical to understanding ASL. Taught in a visual-manual method using no
spoken English.
At the end of this course, students will have:
1. acquired a basic vocabulary in American Sign Language (ASL);
2. developed a knowledge of fundamental grammatical principles of ASL;
3. developed visual perceptual skills critical to producing and understanding a visual language
(as opposed to aural-oral perceptual skills required for a spoken language);
4. developed comfort with the physical aspects of ASL (e.g., facial expressions, body
movement);
5. developed introductory skills in using ASL in common conversational situations; and
6. learned basic features of American Deaf community and Deaf culture.
Assessment
Components:
1. Observation (10%) and reflection papers (5%)
ORP 1 (reflection) (3-4 pages): This paper will describe your experience of learning ASL.
Page 1 of 7
The following topics must be addressed in your paper:
What were your initial conceptions of ASL as a language?
Describe the effects of being prohibited from using your voice.
Describe your reactions to using your hands, face and body as the primary tools of language
production.
Which aspects of learning ASL are challenging and/or uncomfortable for you, and why? Which
aspects do you find enjoyable and/or easier, and why?
Based on your observations and reflections, how have your perceptions of ASL changed since
the class began?
ORP 2 (observation)(5 pages): Students are required to attend two (2) social/cultural events
or meetings at which signing Deaf people are participants. There are various events organized
by or sponsored for Deaf people in the MD/DC/VA metro area. Here are some websites you
can check to find upcoming events:
www.meetup.com/ASLBridge
www.gallaudet.edu
www.deaftimes.net (click on Potomac area)
www.deafcoffee.com
You are welcome to join a Facebook group -“ASL Connections of Maryland”. The purpose of
this group is to allow ASL students, such as you, to find signing events across Maryland, DC and
Northern Virginia, network with other ASL students, comment on wall postings and videos and
to discover resources. So, find us on Facebook and join us.
If available, I will provide you with web links, flyers or other information about possible events
you may attend. Minimum requirement is that the event must include at least one signing
Deaf person; multiple signing Deaf people are better. Please remember that simply because an
event has a sign language interpreter does not mean Deaf people will actually attend.
Therefore, if no Deaf people are at an event you must attend an additional one.
Because some organizations or institutions restrict the attendance of sign language students, I
must approve the events you choose to attend. A list of prohibited sites/events is given below.
Prohibited Deaf social/cultural events/sites:
-Deaf schools/classes
-Deaf churches/interpreted services
-Private /house parties
-Workshops geared specifically to Deaf Participants
-Interviews
Students will write two (2) observation and reflection papers during the semester. Papers
must be word-processed, double-spaced, using the 12-point Times Roman font.
2. Class presentation: (15%)
Students will be given the opportunity to relate a story about their family members in ASL.
This individual presentation should be at least three minutes in length and will be done during
class time. Students are expected to use proper grammar structure, vocabulary, and cultural
information acquired throughout the course this semester. Presentation guidelines will be
Page 2 of 7
given out.
3. Classroom Attendance and Participation (10%)
It is expected that all students will perform professionally in preparing work required for class.
Class starts promptly at 1:00PM. Please be punctual and prepared. Attendance will be taken
in each class. This course will use the functional-notional approach; therefore, we will be
doing activites (games, role-playing, etc) as well as lectures.
4. Homework (5%)
The student workbook includes various exercises that will be assigned periodically for
homework. Homework assignments will be announced in class and will typically be due the
next class period. Additional homework assignments that are not in the book may also be
given.
5. Quizzes, Midterm and Final Exam (60%)
Quizzes will be based on what you have learned in recent class sessions and/or videos that you
have been assigned to watch. Tests will be based on a unit or two but will also be
comprehensively reliant on previous units (including videos).
Grading Policy:
Each assignment will be assessed according to a rubric by my design. Please consult the
appendix for an example of such a rubric. The full set will be distributed during class. The final
grade will be determined by averaging the grades earned for each evaluation given.
Quizzes (5)25% (5% per quiz)
Midterm
15%
Final Exam
15%
Reflection & Observation Papers
15%
Class presentation
15%
Homework
5%
Participation/Effort
Total Grade
Grade
conversion
100%
NYU Washington, DC uses the following scale of numerical equivalents to letter grades:
100-94
93-90
89-87
86-84
83-80
79-77
Page 3 of 7
10%
A
AB+
B
BC+
76-74
73-70
69-67
65-66
below 65
C
CD+
D
F
No Voicing Policy:
This is a course to learn ASL, a visual-manual language. It will be taught in sign, gesture/mime
and limited written English. All participants will follow a no-voice policy.
All communication in the classroom (from the time you enter the room before class starts until
you leave the room when class is over) will be done through sign, gesture/mine and /or written
English. Use of spoken English (i.e., talking or “mouthing”) is prohibited while in classroom.
Violating this policy will lower your daily participation rating. Repeated violation during a class
session can result in dismissal of the student for the rest of that class period.
Attendance
Policy
Attendance Policy:
NYU Washington, DC has a strict policy about course attendance. No unexcused absences are
permitted. All medical-based absence requests MUST be presented by the student to the
Program Manager for Student Life (Candice Clawson) before or during the class that is
missed. Candice can help arrange doctor's appointments. In case of a longer-lasting illness,
medical documentation must be provided. All non-medical absence requests must be
presented by the student to the Program Manager for Academic Affairs (Lauren Sinclair).
Non-medical requests should be made in advance of the intended absence.
Unexcused absences will be penalized by deducting 3% from the student’s final course
mark. Unexcused absences from exams are not permitted and will result in failure of the
exam. If you are granted an excused absence from examination (with authorization, as above),
your instructor will decide how you will make up the assessment component, if at all (by
make-up examination, extra coursework, or an increased weighting on an alternate
assessment component, etc.).
NYU Washington, DC expects students to arrive to class promptly (both at the beginning and
after any breaks), to be attentive, and to remain for the duration of the class. If full class
attendance becomes a problem, it is the prerogative of each instructor to deduct from the
final grade for late arrival and early departure. Being more than 10 minutes late counts as an
unexcused absence.
Please note that for classes involving a field trip or other external visit, transportation
difficulties are never grounds for an excused absence. It is the student’s responsibility to
arrive at the announced meeting point in a punctual and timely fashion. Staff members may
always be reached by cell phone for advice regarding public transportation.
Late
Submission of
Work
Page 4 of 7
Late Submission of Work:
(1) Written work due in class must be submitted during the class time to the professor.
(2) Late work should be submitted in person to the instructor or to the Program Manager for
Academic Affairs (Lauren Sinclair), who will write on the essay or other work the date and time
of submission, in the presence of the student. Work cannot be left for Lauren under the door
or on her desk, in her absence. If Lauren is not in her office, another member of the
administrative staff can accept the work and write the date and time of submission on the
work, again only in the physical presence of the student.
(3) Work submitted within 5 weekdays after the submission time without an agreed extension
receives a penalty of 10 points on the 100 point scale
(4) Without an approved extension, written work submitted more than 5 weekdays following
the session date fails and is given a zero.
(5) Please note: end of semester essays must be submitted on time.
(6) If for whatever reason you feel you cannot submit any written work in time, you should
discuss this with Lauren.
(7) Students who are late for a written/signing exam have no automatic right to take extra
time or to write the exam on another day.
Students with
Disabilities
Accommodations are available for students with documented disabilities. Please contact the
Moses Center for Students with Disabilities at 212-998-4980 or see their website
(http://www.nyu.edu/life/safety-health-andwellness/students-with-disabilities.html) for
further information.
Plagiarism
Policy
The presentation of another person’s words, ideas, judgment, images or data as though they
were your own, whether intentionally or unintentionally, constitutes an act of plagiarism.
NYU Washington, DC takes plagiarism very seriously; penalties follow and may exceed those
set out by your home school. All your written work must be submitted as a hard copy AND in
electronic form to the instructor. Your instructor may ask you to sign a declaration of
authorship form.
It is also an offense to submit work for assignments from two different courses that
is substantially the same (be it oral presentations or written work). If there is an overlap of the
subject of your assignment with one that you produced for another course (either in the
current or any previous semester), you MUST inform your professor.
For guidelines on academic honesty, clarification of the definition of plagiarism, examples of
procedures and sanctions, and resources to support proper citation, please see:
http://www.nyu.edu/about/policies-guidelines-compliance/policies-and-guidelines/academicintegrity-for-students-at-nyu.html
http://gls.nyu.edu/page/gls.academicintegrity
http://cas.nyu.edu/page/academicintegrity
http://nyu.libguides.com/content.php?pid=123054&sid=1057581
***Changes to Syllabus:***
In order to respond to the learning needs and interests of specific students, as well as for
other reasons I cannot anticipate, some changes in the syllabus or schedule may occur. Should
the need for changes arise, I will post notice of such changes in the Announcements on the
front page of our NYU Classes course site. In addition, I will post the modified syllabus or
schedule (as v.2, v.3—version 2, version 3, and so on) with the original syllabus and schedule
Page 5 of 7
at our course site.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to Monday holidays, we will plan a required make-up class meeting for a
point in the semester that fits with everyone’s schedule. Please come to class prepared to plan
an alternate meeting time. This will most likely occur on a Friday.
Session 1
Unit 1
Monday,
September
10
Session 2
Unit 1
Monday,
September 17
Session 3
Unit 2
Monday,
September
24
Session 4
Unit 2
Monday,
October 1
Session 5
Unit 3
Monday,
October 8
Session 6
NOTE: NO CLASS MEETING- FALL BREAK
Monday,
October 15
Session 7
Unit 4
Monday,
October 22
Session 8
Monday,
October 29
Session 9
Page 6 of 7
Unit 4
Unit 5
Monday,
November 5
Session 10
Unit 5
Monday,
November 12
Session 11
Unit 6
Monday,
November 19
Session 12
Unit 6
Monday,
November 26
Session 13
Review
Monday,
December 3
Session 14
Final presentations
Monday,
December 10
Session 15
Final exam
Monday,
December 17
Instructor Background:
Lori Maynard graduated with a BA at Gallaudet University and earned her Masters in Western Maryland
College now McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland in 1991. She added 60 graduate courses including
Linguistics, Deaf Studies, Interpreting, ASL and Deaf History. She had experience in teaching and tutoring ASL,
Deaf Culture, Deaf History, Linguistic, and Interpreting for Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Hearing students both
undergraduate and graduate programs when she worked at Pima Community College (AZ), Community College
of Baltimore County (MD) and Gallaudet University (DC). She presented over 60 lectures at colleges,
conferences and in Thailand on various topics such as ASL storytelling, linguistics, non-manual
signals/features/role shift/eye gazes, classifiers and jargon.
Page 7 of 7