Description: This course emphasizes interpersonal communication to achieve communicative competence.  Students will: develop fingerspelling skills as well as expressive and receptive sign skills, acquire an extensive vocabulary, understand basic ASL syntax, understand basic principles of ASL grammatical rules, copy ASL non-manuals, use some ASL behaviors of the Deaf signing community, and participate in group discussions and role play practices.  This course will also include a brief history of ASL, and an introduction to American Deaf Culture and the Deaf community.  An extensive amount of memorization is required.