About Course

If you're a high school student interested in sign language and needing a foreign language credit, this course is for you!

If you're the parent or other caring relative of a deaf child, this course is for you!

If you're just curious about sign language and ready to try something new, this course is for you!

EVERYONE IS WELCOME!

This one-semester course will give you an introduction to American Sign Language (ASL). Here, you'll learn the basics of the language and establish a foundation on which to build fluency. You'll also learn about Deaf culture: its history, its norms, its etiquette. You'll learn about causes of deafness. You'll learn about famous deaf people. You'll even meet Koko, the gorilla who learned GSL (gorilla sign language)!

This course makes use of video streaming, interactive worksheets, external Web sites, and online discussions to entertain and challenge you. Best of all, for the thespians out there, there are student-produced video assignments!

So, come in! Make yourself at home! Take a moment to preview the Course Outline, Grading, and Teacher pages. Then, sign up for this course, American Sign Language 1.1, and let the learning begin!

Watch the Welcome Video (30MB QuickTime - give it a couple of minutes to download).