Dr. Vicars American Sign Language ASL

Syllabus: "ASL 2"

Class	Class Days and Time	Location
American Sign Language 2 DEAF 52 (Section 7) (Fall 2013)	Mondays / Wednesdays 1:00PM - 1:50PM	Mondays in Library 53 Wednesdays in Eureka 307G

This class meets Mondays in the basement of the Library in studio room 53, from 1:00pm-1:50pm. Please arrive on time. Please finish your food and drinks BEFORE entering the classroom.
This class meets Wednesdays in Eureka 307G from 1:00PM - 1:50PM

Fall 2013 Dates		SacCT Quizzes Due before 11:59pm	Points	Other info:
Mon. Sept 02	Labor Day			Campus Closed
Wed. Sept 04		Quiz 16 Video	10
Mon. Sept 9	(Studio session 1)	Quiz 17 Video	10
Wed. Sept 11		Quiz 18 Video	10
Mon. Sept 16	(Studio session 2)
Wed. Sept 18		Quiz 19 Video	10
Mon. Sept 23	(Studio session 3)
Wed. Sept 25		Quiz 20 Video	10
Mon. Sept 30	(Studio session 4)
Wed. Oct 02	Exam 1	Quiz 21 Video	100 & 10
Mon. Oct 07	(Studio session 5)
Wed. Oct 9		Quiz 22 Video	10
Mon. Oct 14	(Studio session 6)
Wed. Oct 16		Quiz 23 Video	10
Mon. Oct 21	(Studio session 7)
Wed. Oct 23		Quiz 24 Video	10
Mon. Oct 28	(Studio session 8)
Wed. Oct 30		Quiz 25 Video	10
Mon. Nov 04	(Studio session 9)
Wed. Nov 06	Study online	Quiz 26 Video	10	Study online
Mon. Nov 11	Veteran's Day			Holiday
Wed. Nov 13	Exam 2	Quiz 27 Video	200 & 10
Mon. Nov 18	(Studio session 10)
Wed. Nov 20		Quiz 28 Video	10
Mon. Nov 25	(Studio session 11)
Wed. Nov 27		Quiz 29 Video	10	Study online
Mon. Dec 02	(Studio session 12)
Wed. Dec 04	Culture Test	Quiz 30 Video	50 & 10
Mon. Dec 09	(Studio session 13)
Wed. Dec 11	Exam 3		200
Mon. Dec 16	Final Exam		300	(Finals week)

		Total:	1000

http://webpages.csus.edu/~vicars/index-quizzes50q.htm

2013 Fall Final Exam Information for Dr. Bill's M/W 1:00PM class
Final Exam Day	Start Time
Mon., Dec. 16, 2013	1:00 PM in Eureka 307G
Check your other Final Exams to make sure they don't conflict. If so, let me know and we will work it out.

Welcome to Class!
I'm glad you are here! You can do this! I'll be your guide as we travel into the world of ASL. I've been teaching ASL for over 20 years and I am passionate about it. You've picked a great topic to be studying. ASL is an exciting subject that can open for you a new world of relationships and understanding.

Course Format:
This course is a hybrid course. Attendance throughout the semester is required for the Wednesday sessions but not for the Monday "studio" sessions. If you miss a studio session, you will need to make it up by studying online. You will need to complete a series of homework quizzes online. You must take several in-person exams and a comprehensive final exam. You will use Lifeprint.com as your textbook and you will use the SacCT system to "officially" submit your answers to the online quizzes. That means you will need to have an active SacLink Account.

See: https://www.saclink.csus.edu/ Use your saclink user name and password to log into SacCT from the SacCT Home page.
See: http://www.csus.edu/sacct/
Once you are logged in you will see a list of courses in which you are currently enrolled. Simply click on the title of this course to start using SacCT. To learn more about how to use the various tools in SacCT, begin by exploring some of the "Tutorials" and "Student FAQs".

Checklist:

   Read this syllabus thoroughly (Duh).
   Study the lessons at http://lifeprint.com
   Watch the video quizzes at http://webpages.csus.edu/~vicars/index-quizzes50q.htm and write down or type out your answers.
   Go to http://www.csus.edu/sacct/ and sign into this class, find the appropriate quiz, click on it and submit the answers for the quiz video you just watched.
   Show up to the Wednesday sessions.
   Either watch the videos or show up to the Monday sessions (or do both if you would like to be better prepared for the exams).
   Take the Exams and the Final (see the schedule for the times and dates).

Instructor:
William Vicars, Ed.D. (Dr. Vicars / Dr. V / Dr. Bill) Contact: BillVicars@aol.com Office: Eureka 308
Office Hours: As posted by my office door (EUR308) or email me for an appointment.

Course description:
Basic vocabulary and grammar of American Sign Language. Upon completion, participants will be able to exchange information about themselves and their families such as their names, where they live, and their interests. Participants are exposed to elements of Deaf culture and the Deaf community.

Required Materials: NONE!!! :)
Optional textbook: "Signing Naturally"
Optional textbook: "For Hearing People Only"

Links:
The Homework Video & Quiz Links: http://webpages.csus.edu/~vicars/
The CSUS site for turning in your online quiz answers: http://csus.edu/sacct
The course home page link: http://www.lifeprint.com/2013/fall/ (Can access your syllabus from there.)
Place to learn fingerspelling: http://asl.gs
Place to improve your ability to read fingerspelling: http://asl.ms
Place to improve your ability to recognize numbers: http://asl.bz
Culture guide, see: Culture guide

Examinations and assignments:
There are 1000 points possible in this class.

Assignments	Points
Study Quizzes	150 points
Exam 1	100 points
Exam 2	200 points
Exam 3	200 points
Culture Test	50 points
Final Exam	300 points
Total =	1,000 Points

Lesson Quizzes (online)
Study the lessons at Lifeprint.com. Then watch the video quiz for each lesson. The links to the right video quizzes are in the schedule section of this syllabus. Use only those quiz links! Why? Lifeprint is full of many various resources, videos, and practice quizzes. So make sure you are watching the right video quiz by using the links in THIS SYLLABUS in the "schedule" section (below). Watch the video quiz for the lesson you are on, write down your answers (or type them). THEN you go to http://csus.edu/sacct and find your course and look for the quiz links and click on the quiz for the lesson you are on and input your answers THERE.

Culture Quiz
This is a simple fill in the blank and/or matching quiz. Study the Culture guide and you should do okay. (Yes study all 12 or so pages. It will take you maybe an hour plus then you will need a bit of memorization time).

Exams
All quizzes and exams may be cumulative. I will sign to you sentences and vocabulary from the lessons. The sentences will be composed only from the vocabulary covered in the lessons (either online or in person) but will not necessarily be the same sentences as in the practice sheets. The vocabulary may be combined into new sentences. Hint: Don't just memorize the sentences in the practice sheets.

You are to write down what you see me signing. (If my sentence is a question don't "answer" the question, just write the sentence.) You can write either English sentences or just write down the ASL concepts in the order that I sign them (as long as it is clear that you understand the concept.) Pay attention to my facial expressions. These are explained in some of the links such as those at the top of Lifeprint.com lesson 2. For example, if I sign "TIME" while using a "WH-question expression" it means "What time?" Thus if you just write "time" and not "What time?" it tells me you didn't study enough and did not click on the link that describes the "wh" facial expression.

Note: I will only show the sentences a limited number of times (I usually limit it to just three times). The only reason I'm showing the sentences more than once is in case you blink or sneeze. If you need to see the sentence more than once to "get it" and the person sitting next to you only needs to see it once to "get it" that indicates his performance is "excellent" and yours is "poor" which means the test is doing what it is designed to do: Divide students into excellent, good, fair, poor, and failure categories. If you ask to see the sentence repeatedly, that tells me you are in the poor or failure category. As an instructor, part of my job is to find out who is ready to go on to the next class and who is not. It is my responsibility to weed out (via assignment of "F" grades) those who are not ready to move up to the next level.

Final Exam:
The final exam is a receptive ASL test. Note: BRING PICTURE IDENTIFICATION such as your CSUS ID card and/or a driver's license.
The day, time, and location are listed in the syllabus's schedule (below).
When you arrive for the test sit in such a way as to make it difficult for your neighbor to see your answers. Cell phones are to be put away, headsets taken off, baseball caps turned backwards, two sheets of paper are to be used -- one of which to cover your answers.
I will sign any of the following to you:
* Various sentences composed from the vocabulary lists in the lessons.
* Various individual vocabulary items from the lessons.
* Numbers between 0 and 9,999,999 (study at http://asl.bz)
* Fingerspelled words (study at http://asl.ms (I recommend you get to the point where you can catch 9 out of 10 at "medium" speed and/or 7 out of 10 at "fast" speed).

So, to summarize: The final exam is cumulative. I will sign various items (signs, spelled words, numbers, or sentences) to you. You can translate them to English or just string the labels of the ASL signs together. If you miss one concept or change the meaning of a sentence you may lose points for the whole sentence so practice hard and don't try to bluff your way through this test. These sentences will be similar to the ones on the website. Becoming familiar with the sentences on the website is a good way to practice for the test. But, the test sentences may use different combinations of vocabulary, so watch closely.

Grading:
Scale: 100-95%=A, 90 = A-, 87=B+, 84=B, 80=B-, 77=C+,74=C, 70=C-, 67=D+, 64=D, 60=D-, 59=F.

No-Voicing Policy:
This is a no voice class. During class time (unless I give you specific permission) you should keep your voice off and not whisper nor rely on "exaggerated mouthing." If another student voices to you, you should respond as if you couldn't hear them and ask them (by signing) to communicate with you by signing or fingerspelling (or even writing on paper or the board). I can reduce your grade, require you to wear ear plugs, or ask you to leave class for participating in voicing either as a participating listener or the one using voice. (But, usually I'll just ask you to sit somewhere else.)

Make-ups:
No make-ups without an obituary of a close relative and a copy of the "program" from the service or note on the funeral home's stationary, or a note from your medical professional specifically stating that you were too sick to take the test, or from school administrator on school letterhead. INCLUDE THE PHONE NUMBER so I can have my Teacher Assistant call the doctor, mortician, or other administrator and verify. You are expected to attend if you want to get full credit for the quizzes and tests. Traffic, sickness not requiring a doctor's visit, family responsibilities, and so forth do not count as "excused absences." However, if you are required to miss a quiz in order to participate in pre-approved University program non-optional school events such as being on an athletic team--show me the letter from your coach and then send me an email regarding your availability for testing. Even if you do have an excused absence, I reserve the right to either give you a different but equivalent test, to assign the percentage of your most recent equivalent test, or to use the score of a future test.

Ethics, Attendance, Disabilities, and Class Environment: You may be asked to leave class for checking your email or texting during class or accessing websites other than lifeprint.com or asl.ms during class. You may be asked to leave class or have points docked for using your voice or whispering during class. Turn cell phones to vibrate or silent settings. Do not wear baseball caps during quizzes. No reading newspapers in class or other distracting behavior. No videotaping the lecture or bringing visitors or guests without permission. Students are always expected to work independently on graded quizzes and/or assignments unless specifically directed otherwise by the instructor in writing. Assignments turned in late for any reason may receive no credit. For information on the University's policy regarding cheating and plagiarism, refer to the Schedule of Courses (Legal Notices on Cheating and Plagiarism) and the University Catalog (Policies and Regulations). Penalties for cheating and plagiarism may be levied to the maximum extent allowable by University guidelines. Upon identifying themselves to the instructor and the university, students with disabilities will receive reasonable accommodation for learning and evaluation. For more information, contact the office of Services to Students with Disabilities. This syllabus and the schedule are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances. If you are absent from class, it is your responsibility to check on announcements made while you were absent. My[ lawyer made me say all that. Sorry.]

Correspondence:
If you email me make sure to include in your subject line your first and last name, the name of this class, and the hour of your class. I get an outrageous amount of email due to the popularity of Lifeprint.com and thus that particular subject line is your best bet for a prompt response. I'll strive to get back to you within 48 hours. If you think I've overlooked your email, feel free to send your question again--I won't feel bothered--rather I'll be grateful for the communication (sometimes email doesn't arrive) because it is important to me that you get taken care of.

Pep talk:
You can do this. I have near infinite patience. I love teaching and explaining. If there is something I can do to make the class better for you please do suggest it. This class may be one of your more challenging accomplishments but I know if you work hard and put in the time--you will succeed.