ESL 80. Grammar I. 3 Credits.

This course will further students' understanding of English syntax, morphology and structure. Students will focus on productive mastery of verb agreement and tense as well as the syntactic framework of English. Students will learn about dependent and independent clauses and appropriate use of conjunctions to increase confidence using a variety of sentence structures in both oral and written production.

ESL 81. Reading and Vocabulary I. 3 Credits.

This course is designed for students who struggle to read in English, and are not yet confident in their ability to extract important information from a text. In this course we will focus on using contextual clues to create meaning from unfamiliar vocabulary and confusing semantic structures. Students will learn to extract main ideas, gain comfort with a variety of texts including fiction, non-fiction, academic textbooks, news articles, internet search results, etc.

ESL 82. Writing Workshop I. 6 Credits.

This course will focus on moving students from basic, short paragraphs to 5 paragraph essays with topic sentences and supporting details that reinforce well-formed thesis statements. Students will learn about focus, organization and cohesion in their writing, with an emphasis on creating strong arguments that are clearly conveyed with American stylistic conventions.

ESL 83. Listening and Speaking for Everyday Life. 3 Credits.

This course is designed for non-native speakers of English who are seeking to improve their skills for social interactions. A combination of structured and semi-structured production opportunities will help learners to feel confident in everyday interactions. Students will participate in conversations, debates and presentations about current events, cultures around the globe, and many other topics of interest! Opportunities for listening for understanding will be met with a variety of contexts including guest speakers, movies and news clips.

ESL 85. Understanding American Culture. 3 Credits.

Living in a country and among a people who are not your own can prove to be a bit overwhelming and challenging at times. This integrated skills course will focus on cultural adjustment and gaining a better understanding American culture through field experiences, media exposure, readings, and class discussion. Students will grow in their understanding of role of gender and race in America, family life, holidays, leisure activities and a little bit of history, too. Students will emerge from this course with an increased ability to work cross-culturally with partners and in groups as they pursue further study.

ESL 90. Grammar II. 3 Credits.

This course will continue student understanding of advanced grammatical structures. Students will discuss tense and agreement, modals, active/passive tense, subordinate clauses, parallel structure and more. Students will become more effective writers and more confident communicators through this coursework.

ESL 91. Reading & Vocabulary II. 3 Credits.

This course will focus on being able to identify main ideas and details that will enable students to summarize academic texts. Students will build reading fluency and develop techniques to assist them with the reading load of university. These skills include skimming, scanning, asking questions of the text, as well as identifying and defining critical vocabulary.

ESL 92. Writing Workshop II. 6 Credits.

This course will introduce students to the concept of writing as recursive process. Students will understand how to develop a thesis, and how to use that thesis to communicate clearly and effectively using strong supporting details throughout their essays. Students will focus on creating effective transitions that smooth communication and highlight important details. Students exiting this course will understand the importance of proper grammar and spelling for effective communication. The course will culminate in a research paper in which students learn research techniques and gain an understanding of proper citations.

ESL 93. Listening & Note-taking II. 3 Credits.

In this course, students will be exposed to university style lectures and develop strategies for effective note-taking within that setting. In addition, this course will focus on student response time for academic conversations. Students will focus on the ability to hear, comprehend, process and respond in a timely manner when working in academic settings with professors and other students. Enhancing these skills will be crucial to your academic success!.

ESL 94. Advanced Oral Communication. 3 Credits.

This course is designed for students who are preparing to engage in university level academic coursework. Emphasis will be placed on enhancing students’ communicative skills in both formal and informal academic settings. We will focus on oral fluency in developing appropriate syntactic and semantic structures as well as accent reduction. Students will learn the importance of stress, rhythm and intonation in the American English accent. Students enrolling in this course should be prepared to take new risks and stretch the limits of what they can do with their English!.