This is a course for the student with no prior or minimal skills in and knowledge of ASL. The course is designed primarily to develop the students’ receptive skills in functional settings:

1. Introducing Oneself
2. Exchanging Personal Information
3. Talking about Where You Live
4. Talking about family
5. Talking about everyday activities
6. Storytelling

Students will learn basic information about the Deaf community and Deaf culture. ASL vocabulary, linguistic features, and cultural information are introduced through a target language primarily of ASL, and secondarily of written English, in functional-notational approach and direct experience method. Everyday communication is the centerpiece of every lesson. Topics revolve around sharing information about our environment and us. Grammar is introduced in context, with an emphasis on developing question and answering skills. You learn conversational strategies to help you maintain a conversation. Interaction activities allow you to rehearse what you’ve learned.

Prerequisites/corequisites/advisories

Recommended Prep: ENGL 88 or ESL 188 or readiness for college-level English or any City College or university foreign language course. 

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, a student will be able to:

1. Identify and produce fingerspelled words using the American Manual Alphabet at a high elementary level.
2. Explain specific historical factors that have contributed to Deaf culture and the development of American Sign Language.
3. Identify and use an essential number of American Sign Language elementary linguistic structures appropriately in a variety of language functions.
4. Apply culturally appropriate behavior with Deaf people in various social situations.

Class Meetings

Mondays 6:10 pm – 7:30 pm                              

                         Join URL: Zoom Meeting AMSL1a

Course Web Site

Students will use the Canvas Learning Management system [for assignment instructions, submitting assignments, viewing classmates' work, sharing resources, and viewing grades].  I can help with the course material and with some Canvas issues. But, if you need help uploading an assignment or with the mechanics of Canvas, please use the Student Canvas Guides or live support available through Canvas Chat.

For 24/7 help with Canvas, use Canvas Chat Support.

You can visit my CCSF instructional website outside of Canvas [MAKE LINK TO YOUR WEBSITE]

Textbooks

Signing Naturally Units 1-6 Interactive Online Student Materials

Here are the steps to getting your Signing Naturally Units 1-6 Interactive Online Student Materials:

To get an access code, students must:

1. Visit Signing Naturally Opt-in  - enter your CCSF email address and opt-in to Follett Access for the course.
2. Once we receive codes, we will work the list of opted in students and email their code from 1325mgr@follett.com. 
3. Students will be billed $64.95 on their student account for the material - they do not pay at the time they opt in.
4. Follow these instructions:  Signing Naturally Units 1-6 Interactive Online Student Materials_How-To for Students 

Instructor Contact

Matthew Parkhurst

• Canvas Inbox is preferred.
• Email: mparkhurst@ccsf.edu
• CCSF Phone: (415) 452-4774
• Office Hours: Mondays/Thursdays 5-6pm as arranged.
• Office Location: Remote
• I will respond to all course email within 48 hours, Monday-Friday, exclusive of school holidays. Once the course begins, I prefer to get messages through the Canvas "Inbox."
• Please do not contact me to notify me of absences.
• You can visit Matthew Parkhurst's Instructor Site

Communication Plan

• I will respond to your messages within 48 hours during the work week (Monday-Friday), excluding holidays, or if you are notified otherwise.
• Your work will be reviewed, and I will comment on it within 48 hours of the due date unless you are informed otherwise. Please note that you will receive private comments on your discussion posts, course journal entries, and project and final exams. Your weekly quizzes also contain feedback for your own self-assessment. 
• I will participate in the weekly discussions but will not respond to each individual student. You will receive private comments on your discussion posts.
• If you do not log in to the course, you will receive a message from our early alert system, "Starfish," to remind you to come back to the course. It is best to keep up as the semester goes quickly and because life happens!
• Office hours are Mondays/Thursdays 5:00-6:00 pm/as arranged - remote only.

Instructor Announcements 

I will post announcements on the “Instructor Announcements” page in Canvas throughout the semester. Canvas notifies students according to their preferred Notification Preferences as soon as the instructor creates an Announcement. 

Q&A Discussion

• A “Q&A Discussion” is available on the home page as a quick link. The Q&A Discussion is for you to ask for the assistance of your classmates or the instructor.

The City College of San Francisco Office of Student Equity is committed to inclusivity, equity and diversity among our college community members, including students, staff, faculty and administrators. We believe that all students, of varying backgrounds, races, abilities, nationalities, genders, sexual orientations, beliefs, religions, and socio-economic status, have the right to access a higher education and receive the resources and support they need to achieve their educational and professional goals. We welcome, encourage, and engage in diverse perspectives in respectful dialogue, and our commitment is to be critically race-conscious, anti-racist, and culturally responsive in all that we do. Education is for all who enter the doors of this college. We welcome you. 

We have designed our courses to teach American Sign Language and Deaf Culture while fostering strong classroom communities among our students. Our classes are immersive to the fullest extent possible in order to not only facilitate the development of receptive and expressive skills in ASL, but also to ensure equal visual access to classroom communication for students who are deaf, hard of hearing, or hearing. The ASL faculty strives to continually alter our curricula to actively engage our students and reflect their diverse backgrounds and lifestyles. Through courses, campus events, and local community activities, we aim to bring awareness, educate, and promote American Sign Language and the Deaf community as natural parts of human diversity.

You belong here! Please keep me informed if you find yourself struggling or a situation arises that hinders your success in our class. I hope you will join me in committing to fostering a learning and working environment based on open communication and mutual respect and to building as safe and healthy a community for learning as we can. As an educator, I fully support the rights of undocumented students to an education and to live free from the fear of deportation. I am committed to CCSF as a sanctuary campus and will not assist any attempts to ascertain the immigration status of members of our classroom community. If you have any concerns, please feel free to discuss them with me, and I will respect your wishes concerning confidentiality. Likewise, if you face challenges with sufficient food or housing, or if there are other threats to your security and well-being, this is likely to affect your learning. I want you to be successful and to help you find resources: please talk to me and I will try to help you find the support you need.

Canvas

Students will use the Canvas Learning Management system [for assignment instructions, submitting assignments, viewing classmates' work, sharing resources, and viewing grades].  I can help with the course material and with some Canvas issues. But, if you need help uploading an assignment or with the mechanics of Canvas, please use the Student Canvas Guides or live support available through Canvas Chat.

For 24/7 help with Canvas, use Canvas Chat Support.

Zoom Video Conferencing

If you wish to meet with me and you cannot come to campus. We can meet in my Zoom Room.

Required Software

• Adobe Reader (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
• Update your browser (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Important Dates!

• Day Class Begins: August 28, 2023
• Day Class Ends: December 18, 2023
• Last Day to Add without instructor's approval: September 1, 2023
• Last Day to Drop with a FULL refund: August 29, 2023
• Last Day to Drop without a 'W' symbol: September 1, 2023
• Last Day to Opt for Pass/No Pass: November 2, 2023
• Last Day to Drop with a W or apply for leave of absence: Not listed
• Final Exam Date: December 18, 2023 6:10PM

Dropping the Class

If you decide to discontinue this course, it is your responsibility to officially drop it to avoid getting no refund (after 10% of course length), a W symbol (after 20%), or a grade (after 60%). Also, the instructor may drop a student for several consecutive, unexplained absences.

Pass‐No Pass (P/NP)

You may take this class P/NP. You must decide before the deadline and add the option online with College Scheduler or file the P/NP form with Admissions and Records. With a grade of C or better, you will get P.

You must file for the P/NP option by the date listed above. Once you decide to go for P/NP, you cannot change back to a letter grade. If you are taking this course as part of a certificate program, you can probably still take the class P/NP. Check with a counselor to be sure.

Attendance

• Participation in class activities is crucial to your success in this class.  
• You will receive 100 points for perfect attendance.  Points will be deducted for absences.
• The class forms a small community, and your effort (or lack of) impacts the success of the group. Please make every effort to come to every class with homework done and ready to learn and participate.
• If you come late or leave early this will be considered a missed class.
• If you miss four classes, you may be dropped from the class in accordance with CCSF attendance policies. 
• You must answer to roll to be marked present. If you are late, miss your name, or your name was not called, it is YOUR responsibility to make sure you have been added to the roll before the end of class.
• If you need to miss more than one class/homework deadline in a row, you should contact me to avoid being dropped from the class. 
• In order to stay enrolled in the course, students will be required to complete the initial discussion, “Why Are You Taking ASL” before our third class meeting or I will assume you are a “no-show”. Students unable to do so will be dropped from the course.
• After these initial submissions, any student that does not submit any coursework for a continuous two-week period will be dropped from the course. If you anticipate that you will be away, or if unexpected circumstances emerge, I encourage you to let me know as soon as possible so that you can stay enrolled in the course.
• If you decide to stop taking the course, please remember to officially drop through the Admissions Office to avoid receiving a substandard grade.

Late Policy

• All assignments are due at 11:59 p.m. PST on the due date.
• Life happens!  Late assignments will be accepted with a 10% grade reduction for each day it is late, if prior notification has been provided (1 day late = 10% reduction, 2 days late = 20% reduction, 3 days late = 30% reduction, et cetera).  Your submission will receive a 50% reduction in grade if more than one week late.
• Extensions without a grade penalty will be explored collaboratively with the instructor for extenuating circumstances (e.g. medical and mental health emergencies, incarceration, et cetera).
• Because I physically give exams, no makeup exams will be given.  Refer to the course syllabus for the final exam date and plan accordingly. 

Workbook Exercises

We will be using the digital version of Signing Naturally.  This set of materials corresponds to classroom lessons. Review what is learned in class through interactive activities, watching videos and answering questions, reading culture notes and bios of amazing Deaf people, and studying relevant vocabulary--all to increase your understanding of ASL and the Deaf World.  We will not use the paper version of the workbook.  You will receive an access code with your email receipt that you will enter when completing your assignments in Canvas.  When you reach the end of the Homework, you MUST click the “Exit Activity” button. (If you do not hit this button, your grade is not reported, and your Homework grade may show up as a 0 in the teacher’s gradebook.)  It is critical that you indicate whether you need additional help to understand the concepts and vocabulary from each unit. Please be specific about what you do not understand. You may wish to take a video clip of specific dialogs you need help with or bookmark them to share during class time.  Because the workbook exercises are aligned with what is being taught in the classroom, I will not accept workbook exercises that are more than one week late.

Methods of Evaluation

• Because Language and Culture are inexorably linked, we will begin the semester with a focus on Deaf Culture and the history of ASL.  This also gives us all time to "find our seat" and obtain a code for the student workbook.
• Each week you will complete graded assignments.
• There is a receptive fingerspelling quiz each week and an expressive vocabulary quiz at the end of each of Signing Naturally Units 1-4 where you will record yourself signing the vocabulary items for that unit. 
• You will complete interactive online workbook assignments for each unit. These assignments are available in Canvas. 
• Signing Naturally workbook assignments are worth 20 points each. 
• Deaf culture video reaction papers and research papers are worth 150 points each. At least two will be assigned.
• Deaf Community Experience Papers are worth 650 points.
• Final Exam is worth 650 points.

Deaf Experience Paper ***ON HOLD DUE TO COVID***

You must attend at least one event in the Deaf community during the semester. This must be an event intended specifically for Deaf attendees. Do not draw upon past experiences, chance encounters, or interactions with Deaf friends or family members. I will provide students with suggestions for events to attend. THIS IS THE CULMINATING ACTIVITY FOR THE SEMESTER AND IS WEIGHTED EQUALLY WITH THE FINAL EXAM.  YOUR BEST WORK IS CRITICAL!  

YOU MUST BE A PARTICIPANT in the event you choose (not just an observer). Participate in meaningful interaction WITH DEAF INDIVIDUALS using the dialogue skills you have learned in class (include names and dialogues in your paper). You must converse with at least three Deaf attendees without using voice. Try to avoid using this time to talk to other sign language students. You must provide verification of attendance from the event such as photos, a raffle ticket, signature from the host, a receipt etc. Emphasize Deaf participants’ reactions toward you and your interactions. Document your thoughts/feelings before and after your experience. Analyze interactions and cultural phenomena among Deaf people as they compare to your own experience. Raise relevant questions in your paper based on your experience. I will share acceptable events with the class as they come to my attention.

Exams

There will be online quizzes throughout the course and an online final exam. The material comes from the textbook, class lectures, and supplemental materials. A zero will be recorded as the score if an exam is missed. It is your responsibility to take the online exams by the due date. 

Grading Policy

Visit the “Grades” in Canvas to keep track of your grades. I grade biweekly and post grades and comments on the online Canvas gradebook.

  How do I view my grades, teacher comments, and an assignment rubric as a student?

Grades will be assigned as follows: 

If taking Pass/No Pass, you need at least 70% of the total class points and complete the midterm exam and the final exam to pass the class.

An “F” grade indicates that a student attended, participated, and completed the course but failed to master the course curriculum.

An “FW” grade indicates the student stopped attending a course after the “last day to withdraw” deadline and subsequently did not submit any work or participate in any exams. Please check with your counselor and financial aid advisor for possible implications of the FW grade on residency and financial aid status.

If you need classroom or testing accommodations because of a disability, have emergency medical information to share with me, or need special arrangements if the building needs to be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible. My office hours are by appointment either on the Ocean Campus (9-4 p.m., Monday through Friday) or by Zoom video-conferencing.

Students seeking disability-related accommodations are encouraged to register with Disabled Students Programs and Services located in Room 323 of the Rosenberg Library (415) 452-5481. Please see the DSPS website for more information and alternate locations.

Students who register in CCSF classes must abide by the CCSF Student Code of Conduct. Violation of the code is basis for referral to the Student Conduct Coordinator or dismissal from class or the College. See the Office of Student Affairs.

Collaborating on or copying of tests or homework in whole or in part will be considered an act of academic dishonesty and result in a grade of 0 for that test or assignment. I encourage students to share information and ideas, but not their work. See these links on Plagiarism:

Encourage Academic Integrity and Prevent Plagiarism

Citing Information Sources

Student Expectations 

You will succeed in this course if you meet the following expectations:

• Attend classes regularly and be on time.
• Actively participate in class.
• Complete the assigned activities. Please let me know as soon as you can concerning difficulties you may have in getting assignments in on time. 
• Complete the discussion posts and replies within the given window of time. Our discussions are much more vibrant when we all participate!
• Complete the weekly quizzes, the final project, and the final exam on time.
• Think critically about the weekly topics. Is something surprising? Is it new to you? How does it contrast with what you know about XYZ, or how does it compare to ABC? 
• Do your own and your best work. 
• Refrain from using electronic devices during class.
• Students are expected to comply with the rules and regulations published under the Rules of Student Conduct in the college catalog, which includes the Academic Honesty Policy.

Instructor Expectations 

Here is what you can expect of me:

• I will respond to your email or message within 48 hours during the week unless I inform you otherwise.
• I will treat you and your ideas with respect.
• I will grade your course assignments within two weeks. (If you have posted late work, it may take longer.) Grades on the final project and final exam will be done within a week.
• You will see your grades in the Canvas Gradebook.
• I will work hard to make this a great class and to foster a lifelong love for ASL and Deaf Culture!