Academic Catalogs

SIGN G285: American Sign Language 4

Course Outline of Record
Item Value
Curriculum Committee Approval Date 11/19/2024
Top Code 085000 - Sign Language
Units 4 Total Units 
Hours 72 Total Hours (Lecture Hours 72)
Total Outside of Class Hours 0
Course Credit Status Credit: Degree Applicable (D)
Material Fee No
Basic Skills Not Basic Skills (N)
Repeatable No
Open Entry/Open Exit No
Grading Policy Standard Letter (S), 
  • Pass/No Pass (B)
Local General Education (GE)
  • Area 3 Arts and Humanities (GC)
California General Education Transfer Curriculum (Cal-GETC)
  • Cal-GETC 6A Language Other Than English (6A)
Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC)
  • IGETC 6A Lang other than Engl (6A)
California State University General Education Breadth (CSU GE-Breadth)
  • CSU C2 Humanities (C2)

Course Description

This course is an advanced study of American Sign Language (ASL). Emphasis is on acquiring advanced vocabulary and using complex grammar. Students will learn the proper use of classifiers, narrative structure, and enumeration. Students develop expressive and receptive fluency in the context of Deaf culture and Deaf community. ADVISORY: SIGN G280. Transfer Credit: CSU; UC.

Course Level Student Learning Outcome(s)

  1. Course Outcomes
  2. Produce narratives using ASL time markers at an advanced level.
  3. Produce narratives using ASL classifiers and locatives at an advanced level.
  4. Produce a narrative using ASL role shifting at an advanced level.

Course Objectives

  • 1. Construct narratives using ASL sequencing at an advanced level.
  • 2. Explain the rules of a game using correct ASL enumeration at an advanced level.
  • 3. Explain a health problem using correct ASL classifiers at an advanced level.
  • 4. Produce a signed narrative with ASL sequencing techniques at an advanced level.

Lecture Content

Narrating unforgettable moment Basic role shifting and sequencing Pass, throw, and spill Instrument classifiers Locative classifiers Descriptive classifiers Element classifiers Tripping and falling Semantic classifiers Locative classifiers Injuries and mishaps Body classifiers Body part classifiers Narrative structure Sharing interesting fact Describing parts Whole-parts Fractions Ratios Percentages Listing Ranking Top five Top, most, and oldest Comparing Contrastive structure Topicalization Rhetorical questions Interpretating a fact Illustrating a fact Explaining rules Driving rules Societal rules Cultural rules and customs Game rules Relating accidents Narrative sequence and structure Non-manual behavior and head movements Transistions Movement agreement Related key vocabulary and phrases Specific types of accidents Horse incidents Bicycle incidents Automobile incidents Talking about money Money concepts Banking Finances Investments Related key vocabulary and phrases Making major decisions Choosing a college Choosing a career Relocating Getting married Getting divorced Having a baby Purchasing a car Purchasing a house Discussing health conditions Describing the human body and its anatomy Body systems and functions Digestive Circulatory Respiratory Skeletal Muscular Nervous Reproductive Medical conditions Symptoms Causes Treatments Storytelling Developing stories Placement of characters Movement of characters and objects Movement vocabulary Role shift Maintaining continuity Time signs Modifying verbs Transitions Character development Special narrative features Repeated sequences Rhythmic sign movements Metamorphosis

Method(s) of Instruction

  • Lecture (02)
  • DE Live Online Lecture (02S)
  • DE Online Lecture (02X)

Reading Assignments

Textbook and instructor handouts.

Writing Assignments

Deaf history or Deaf culture essay.

Out-of-class Assignments

Instructor assigned homework.

Demonstration of Critical Thinking

Analysis of ASL discourse structure to formulate correct grammatical usage. Analysis of ASL story components to correctly choose enumeration techniques, role shifting techniques, and characterization techniques.

Required Writing, Problem Solving, Skills Demonstration

Produce written ASL "gloss" notation of a narrative. Produce a signed narrative.

Eligible Disciplines

Foreign languages: Master's degree in the language being taught OR bachelor's degree in the language being taught AND master's degree in another language or linguistics OR the equivalent. Master's degree required.

Textbooks Resources

1. Required Smith, Lentz and Mikos. Signing Naturally Student Level 3 (Classic), 1st ed. Dawn Sign Press, 2003 Rationale: (Classic)