Course Content and Outcomes Guides (CCOG)

CCOG for ASL 150 Winter 2025


Course Number:
ASL 150
Course Title:
Accelerated American Sign Language I
Credit Hours:
6
Lecture Hours:
60
Lecture/Lab Hours:
0
Lab Hours:
0

Course Description

Introduces ASL, stressing the development of expressive skill, receptive skill, and cultural awareness through a communication approach. Emphasizes active conversational competence in ASL. Includes initiating and responding to simple statements and interacting in limited social and task-based situations. ASL 150 and ASL 151 covers the same material as ASL 101, ASL 102 and ASL 103 and both cannot be applied to graduation. Recommended: for the highly motivated student.

Addendum to Course Description

This is an accelerated course which meets for 6 credit hours instead of the usual 4 credit hours. This course expands on ASL vocabulary and grammar and focuses on interactive and communicative competencies in the language and culture of the Deaf. This course utilizes functional-notational approach as well as dialogues and drills in learning grammar and vocabulary designed to help the students develop expressive/communicative skills. Cultural information is shared through readings and classroom discussions.

Intended Outcomes for the course

Upon completion of this course students should be able to: 

  • Maintain conversations using expressive ASL skills, basic vocabulary, grammar, facial markers, and non-manual signals to engage in a limited number of interactive, task-oriented and social interactions with Deaf people.
  • Apply language-learning skills to interactions in the Deaf community.
  • Demonstrate respect for and understanding of Deaf people and ASL, with an appreciation for their linguistic and cultural diversity.

Course Activities and Design

Students are expected to attend all classes, participate actively in classroom activities, and complete homework assignments. Students may record videos of their work in class, the language lab, or at home as assigned by the instructor. After the introduction to the course, ASL will be used in the classroom at all times; no spoken English is permitted. Students should plan to spend about one hour in preparation and practice outside of class for each class hour.

Outcome Assessment Strategies

Assessment strategies include observation of students' in-class receptive and expressive use of ASL, written quizzes on cultural knowledge and on receptive skills, and videotaping of students' expressive use of ASL. Students will be assessed in their competence in using the language as demonstrated by the quality of receptive and expressive preparation and participation and assignments. Attendance is an important factor but it is not used as assessment tool. 

Course Content (Themes, Concepts, Issues and Skills)

The course focuses on the acquisition and correct use of parameters, non-manual signals, grammatical markers, grammatical structures, functional vocabulary, and cultural concepts for the purpose of successful communication in ASL. Successful students have practiced, and will be able to use the following communication topics and structures:

  • Introductions and greetings

  • Basic commands

  • Basic questions

  • Cardinal numbers 1-66

  • Culturally appropriate communication

  • Physical characteristics

  • Personal narratives

  • Basic non-manual signals

  • Fingerspelling 

  • Basic directions

  • Family

  • Introduction to the Deaf Community

  • Classifiers

  • Indexing