AM 150
American Sign Language VI
CLASS SYLLABUS- SPRING 2016
Revised: January 18, 2016
Instructor: Ms. Cindy Frank, M.A.
Contact Information: Ph: (775) 445-4274
E-Mail: Cindy.Frank@wnc.edu
OFFICE: WNC Cedar Bldg Room #323/324
CLASS: CED (Cedar) 108
Class Meeting Times: Monday/Wednesday 11:00 AM – 12:45 PM
Prerequisite: AM 149 American Sign Language V
Course Description: This LAST tier in American Sign Language is the most advanced
level of American Sign Language. The course will review signs learned in ASL V and
introduce concepts such as Narratives, Sharing Facts, Rules, and explaining incidents.
Vocabulary expansion and ASL grammar will be stressed. Cultural, linguistic and
pragmatic aspects of the Deaf Community will also be discussed. Students must have
taken and passed ASL IV in order to take this course or challenge the class, as
determined by the teacher.
Required Text:
 Lentz, Mikos, & Smith “Signing Naturally Level III”
workbook/video.
 Various handouts, research and laws
Recommended Materials
 A Basic Course in American Sign Language, Humphries - 2nd Edition
 A Basic Course in American Sign Language, (Student Study Guide),
Humphries
Course Objectives: At the conclusion of the course, students are expected to show
extensive knowledge of:
 Sporting actions, accidents, affections
 Unforgettable moments
 Sharing facts
 Listings, comparisons and illustrations
 Rules in life and in games
 Various types of accidents
 Non-Manual markers and appropriate facial/body expressions
 Classifiers and Mapping
 Extensive understanding of research in Education and Interpreting
GRADING: You will be graded on the following:
1. Attendance
5 pts. each class .
2. Participation
15 pts. each class
3. Assignments/Activities
30 pts.
4. Quizzes / Pop Quizzes
60 pts.
5. Homework
30 pts.
6. Mid-term Exam
100 pts for receptive & expressive = 200 pts.
7. Final Exam
100 pts for receptive & expressive = 200 pts
Grades will be calculated according to WNC policy:
A – 100-91% B – 90%-81 C – 80%-71 D – 70%-61% F – 60% and below
*THE GRADE OF AN “F” WILL BE GIVEN IF THE STUDENT DOES NOT
OFFICIALLY WITHDRAW FROM THE CLASS AND MAY JEOPARDIZE
YOUR FINANCIAL AID*
EXPLANATION OF GRADING:
ATTENDANCE:
 To succeed in learning a visual and hands-on language, attendance is very vital.
If you miss class, you are responsible for all material covered and announcements
made in your absence.
 You are allowed to miss four classes. If you miss five classes you will be asked
to withdraw or you will receive an F.
 You will be given 5 points for each class. Roll will be taken at the beginning of
each class. If you are more than fifteen minutes late, it is your responsibility to
make sure you are marked present and receive any important announcements,
from your classmates, as this will be done at the beginning of class; you will also
NOT receive any attendance points for that class
PARTICIPATION:
 ASL is a visual language and has equal parts participation and reciprocation.
Because of this, parts of the class will be “voice-off.” This includes both students
and instructor. If you are not paying attention, you will miss a lot of important
information.
 You will be given 15 points for each class. If you are not participating, including
but not limited to, talking with other students during activities, not paying
attention when others students are signing, using your cell phone… you may
receive partial credit for the class, or none at all. These points CAN NOT be
made up. CONSIDER THIS YOUR WARNING!
 If for some reason, you are “lost” and do not understand what is going on, please
let me know. If you do not, I will assume you are on board. Don’t ask the people

you are sitting with to help clarify. This only prevents both of you from
succeeding.
At the beginning of each class, we will have a “warm-up”. It will be a variety of
activities; fingerspelling, talking about your weekend… It is important that you
pay attention to your classmates. You may learn something new or be able to
help and support them.
ASSIGNMENTS/ACTIVITIES:
 Assignments (readings, quizzes, in-class activities, working with partners/groups,
signing in front of the class…) will be given periodically as a means for you to
become more knowledgeable and comfortable with ASL. These assignments will
consist of using both receptive and expressive skills.
QUIZZES/POP QUIZZES:
 We will have quizzes throughout the semester. The purposes of these quizzes are
to make sure that you understand what we have discussed and learned in class,
and may be given without warning.
HOMEWORK:
 You will be given assignments to do at home that will follow-up with what we are
doing/discussing in class. These should be kept in a notebook.
MID-TERM:
 The mid-term examination will include all information covered in the book, class
discussions, videotapes, and hand-outs from the beginning of the semester till the
mid-term testing date and will be given in two parts… one part testing your
receptive skills and the other part testing your expressive skills. These will be
scheduled for two class sessions and you are REQUIRED to attend both days. If
not, 10% will be taken off your grade.
FINAL EXAM:
 Your final exam will be COMPREHENSIVE, covering everything from the
beginning of the semester till the day of the final. This will also be given in two
parts; expressive and receptive. As with the mid-term these will be scheduled for
two class sessions and you are REQUIRED to attend both days. If not, 10% will
be taken off your grade.
EMAILING ASSIGNMENTS:
 Assignments should only be emailed in case of emergency. Emailed assignments
must be sent as an attachment within your email. All attachments must be sent in
rtf (Rich Text Format) unless otherwise directed. Assignments embedded within
the email will not be accepted. You are responsible for turning in all assignments
on the date due, including if you are submitting via email due to emergency. Not
having paper, a broken printer, losing a flash drive, etc. do not constitute an
emergency. Please use the library for resources you do not have at home.
THERE WILL BE NO MAKE-UP TESTS WITHOUT PRIOR
ARRANGEMENTS BETWEEN THE INSTRUCTOR AND STUDENT.
THE 4 GOLDEN RULES OF OUR ENVIRONMENT:
 BE COURTEOUS TO ALL IN THE CLASSROOM: We all will become
vulnerable in this course. We are all in the same boat. Absolutely NO criticisms,
yelling, arguing, swearing…We give ONLY positive feedback. Listen to your
classmates and their suggestions. You don’t have to agree with them, just
understand their perspectives. We stretch, change and grow by learning from
diversity. These behaviors will not be tolerated and you will be asked to leave for
the remainder of the class. If this behavior continues, you will be asked to
withdraw from the class. Remember this quote from Maya Angelou: “PEOPLE
WILL NOT REMEMBER WHAT YOU SAID OR DID. PEOPLE WILL
REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL.”
 You should not have any items obstructing your view or the instructors view. All
purse, backpacks, laptops… should be placed under your table so all have access
to your signing. This is also true for anything that is placed on your head.
 Please make sure that your cell phones are not heard or seen. By this I mean,
make sure they are turned off or on vibrate and put away. If I see or hear them,
you will lose all participation points for that day. CONSIDER THIS YOUR
WARNING! If there is an emergency, let me know and we will make
arrangements.
This also goes for ANY type of handheld item; games, iPods, laptops
 The cardinal rule of ASL; EYE GAZE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT! If you
are not watching the person signing, you are missing something.
Other good behaviors to remember:
 Try to relax in class; learning involves hard work and effort, but it should be fun!!
 YOU ARE responsible for your own learning. As in other parts in life, what you
put into it is what you will draw out of it.
Important information:
 Feb. 15: President’s Day, college closed
 Mar. 1: Last day to apply for Spring 2016 graduation
 Mar. 21-26: Spring Break, college is open
 Apr. 1: Last day to change credit/audit. Last day to drop class with “W”
 May 16: Final exams begin
 Mid-term progress reports are required for all faculty to submit. They will be
accessible on MyWNC. All passing grades are reflected as a “C” for the course and
are not a reflection of your current course GPA. If you are failing or in jeopardy of
failing you will be marked with an “F”.
*If you have a school-related activity (softball, financial aid…) please see me ASAP
to make arrangements.
MOVIES: During the semester, I may show movies to help you broaden your horizon of
Deaf Culture/Deaf History. The purpose of these is to show you a different perspective
or to help explain things more clearly. Some of these movies may contain adult content.
If you feel uncomfortable or are offended by this, please let me know and you will be
given an alternative assignment.
PLAGIARISM/CHEATING POLICY: Plagiarism and/or cheating will earn you a 0
for that assignment/test and possible failure in the class…so just don’t do it
STATEMENT OF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: I expect all students to conduct
themselves ethically. This includes, but is not limited to, other students, visitors, and
instructor. Do unto others as you would like to be done to you! : )
ACCOUNTABILITY: Be sure to save all work that I return to you during the semester.
If there is a discrepancy, you will want to be able to prove your case. If you need
something clarified or explained, I will be happy to meet with you outside of class.
FERPA- FERPA is the Family Education Rights and Privacy act. I cannot share any
information about a student’s academic progress with anyone other than the student
themselves, or staffs at Western Nevada College that need to know. FERPA also applies
to those who are under 18 and taking college classes, so the instructor cannot discuss any
academic progress with parents or guardians. Please do not have any one other than
yourself contact me regarding your college experience.
COURSE COMMENT: Linguistic research demonstrates that ASL is comparable in
complexity and expressiveness to all other spoken languages. IT IS NOT A FORM OF
ENGLISH. ASL has its own distinct grammar structure, which must be mastered in the
same way as the grammar of any other language. ASL differs from spoken languages in
that it is a VISUAL, “3-D” language.
***I encourage any student needing to request accommodations for a specific disability
to please meet with me privately to ensure your success. You will also need to contact
the Disability Support Services office (Bristlecone building, Room 103) at 445-3266 or
445-3275 as soon as possible to arrange for appropriate accommodations.
See also procedures under “Resources” on page 51.
TIPS FOR SUCCESS AND STUDENT CODE OF BEHAVIOR
 Be on time. Sometimes arriving late is impossible to avoid, but consistently
arriving is not fair to the other students. Assignments, discussions and other
announcements are done at the beginning of each class.
 Plan to stay for the whole class.
 If you do not understand something, please ask right away. There is no such thing
as a “dumb” question. You never know, someone else may have the same
question. If you don’t want to ask during class, see me before or after class, or
during break.
 Respect your classmates. You will be surprised what you can learn. We are all in
the same boat. We give only positive feedback to one another. Listen to your
colleagues and respect their views. You don’t have to agree with them, just
understand their perspectives. We stretch, change, and grow by learning
diversity. When someone else is talking, it is not the time to whisper and talk
with the people around you.
 Try to relax in class; learning involves hard work and effort, but it should be fun!!
 You are responsible for you own learning. As in other parts in life, what you put
into it is what you will draw out of it.
*INSTRUCTOR HAS THE RIGHT TO ADJUST THE SYLLABUS AS NEEDED*
PLEASE SIGN AND RETURN AT START OF NEXT CLASS.
Agreement between Instructor & Student
Course Name: _________________________________
Semester:___________________
I affirm that I have read and understand the entire course syllabus. I am aware that this
syllabus explains how my grade in the course will be determined and provides an
explanation of my instructor’s expectations. In addition, I understand that as a student at
this institution, I am expected to follow guidelines for academic integrity and civility as
established in the documents and policies of this institution (see pages 3-19 of Student
Handbook and/or Academic and Student Affairs policy 3-4-5 on Academic Integrity in
addition to Principals of Community as established by the president’s office)
Signed: _______________________________________
Date: _____________________
Print name: ___________________________________