Overview Objective Materials grading Exam ELI Policies and Procedures Contacting the Instructor Beginning the Course
ASL 220 - Comparative Linguistics- 3 Credits

Professor: Amber Goeke

Overview

This course describes spoken English and ASL (American Sign Language) on five levels: phonological, morphological, lexical, syntactic, and discourse. We will compare and contrast the two languages on all five levels using real-world examples. The course documents similarities between signed languages and spoken languages in general and describes the major linguistic components and processes of English and ASL. We will introduce basic theories regarding ASL structure and emphasizes ASL's status as a natural language by comparing and contrasting similarities and unique differences between the two languages.

Prerequisite: ASL 102 or permission of the instructor.

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Objectives

 

Upon successful completion of this course you should be able to:

  • describe the difference between language and communication
  • describe all the major linguistic components of a language giving an example from both ASL and English
  • identify processes within each component giving examples from ASL and English
  • describe the differences between the structure of ASL and English providing some examples
  • describe how some ASL structures are unique to signed languages
  • understand and produce various ASL grammatical patterns (word order and nms)
  • describe previous notions of the structure of ASL and how those ideas have developed
  • support or refute previous and current claims regarding ASL
  • differentiate types of variation

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Materials

 



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Grading
 

Your course grade will be determined by the following exams and assignments:

Assignment Points Percentage of Grade
Discussion Boards 100 10
Homework assignments 400 40
Quizzes  300 30
Midterm exam 100 10
Final exam 100 10

Your final grade will be based on the following scale.

Grade Points Percent
A 900-1000 90-100
B 800-899 80-89
C 700-799 70-79
D 600-699 60-69
F 0-599 0-59
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Exams

 

There are 2 online exams in this course. You are expected to take your examinations at one of the NVCC campus Testing Centers. Be sure to allow enough time to complete your exam before the Testing Center closes; Testing Centers have specific policies relating to the administration of ELI exams. You will need to take a photo ID, your NovaConnect empl ID number, and the appropriate Exam Pass when you go to the Testing Center.  

For Testing Center locations, hours of operation and policies, click here.

For information on taking exams outside of the metropolitan area, click here.

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ELI Policies and Procedures

 
This is an Extended Learning Institute (ELI) course. ELI courses differ from campus courses in several important ways, including enrollment dates, communication with faculty, assignment completion requirements, and exams. You must follow ELI's policies and procedures if you take this course. Read (or review) ELI's Policies and Procedures before you begin the course. If you have questions, call ELI at (703) 323-3347 or
(888) 435-6822.
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Contacting the Instructor

 

I am here to help you succeed in this course. Occasionally questions or problems may arise. Here is how to contact me when they do:

E-mail: agoeke@nvcc.edu
Telephone: Not in the Washington, DC area, but you can email me to set up an appointment to meet online. 

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Beginning the Course

 

1. Use your web browser to connect to http://www.nvcc.edu/bbstart. Follow the directions to determine your email, Blackboard and VIVA account user names and passwords.
2. Access your email account and make sure you know how to use it; you will be required to use this account for all course-related email.
3. Log on to Blackboard at http://learn.vccs.edu.
4. Click on this course under "My Courses." Review the entire course to make sure you understand what will be required of you. Then start completing the assignments.

Please note that account generation takes approximately one week from the time of your paid registration. If you cannot log on after one week, contact the IT Help Desk. If you can log on to Blackboard, but your course isn't listed, please contact ELI or your instructor.