Intensive English Program

Beginning Grammar (ESL 010):

In this course, students will develop English grammar skills by focusing on the meaning, form, and use of basic grammar structures in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Major topics include nouns, articles and quantifiers, pronouns, possessive and descriptive adjectives, prepositions, coordinating and subordinating conjunctions, simple present and past verb tenses, and accurate use of adverbs, time expressions, and time clauses. With significant support from the instructor, students will complete sentence-level writing assignments, short controlled speaking assignments, and tests.

High Beginning Grammar (ESL 110):

In this course students will refine and extend English grammar skills by focusing on the meaning, form, and use of basic grammar structures in reading, writing, listening, and speaking.  Major topics include modals, nouns, articles and quantifiers, pronouns, direct and indirect objects, gerunds and infinitives, possessive and descriptive adjectives, prepositions, coordinating and subordinating conjunctions, present, past, and future verb tenses, and accurate use of adverbs, time expressions, and time clauses.   With support from the instructor, students will complete sentence and paragraph-level writing assignments, controlled speaking assignments, and tests.

Intermediate Grammar (ESL 210):

In this course students will add to the range and accuracy of their English grammar skills by focusing on the meaning, form, and use of basic and more complex grammar structures in reading, writing, listening, and speaking.  Major topics include modals, phrasal verbs, nouns, articles and quantifiers, pronouns, gerunds and infinitives, comparative and superlative adjectives, a review of present and past verb tenses, present perfect, present perfect progressive, and accurate use of adverbs, time expressions, and time clauses.  With some support from the instructor, students will complete sentence and paragraph-level writing assignments, controlled speaking assignments, and tests.

Advanced Grammar (ESL 310):

In this course students will review basic English grammar skills and develop their understanding and control of more complex grammar structures by focusing on their meaning, form, and use in reading, writing, listening, and speaking.  Major topics include passive voice, past modals, causatives, adjective clauses, conditionals, all verb tenses, and accurate use of adverbs, time expressions, and time clauses. Students will complete paragraph-level writing assignments, recorded speaking assignments, and tests that require increasing levels of independent production with complex grammatical structures.

High Advanced Grammar (ESL 410):

In this course students will solidify their control over a range of basic and complex grammar structures by focusing on their meaning, form, and use in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Major topics include past modals, lexical patterns, noun clauses, conditionals, connectors, and control of tense and aspect with tense shifting and accurate use of adverbs, time expressions, and time clauses. Students will complete writing assignments, recorded speaking assignments, and tests that require independent and accurate use of a range of complex grammatical options.

Beginning Reading and Composition (ESL 020):

In this course, students will develop skills and strategies for reading short adapted texts and writing sentences and multi-draft short descriptive paragraphs in English. Students will apply basic strategies with the instructor’s support to read a variety of short and simplified texts. Students will learn the fundamentals of writing at the sentence and basic paragraph level. The instructor will support students in developing basic vocabulary and using language accurately in simple sentences. This course is intended for students with some prior English instruction. 

High Beginning Reading and Composition (ESL 120):

In this course students will develop skills and strategies for reading short adapted texts and writing multi-draft papers of one or more paragraphs in English.  Students will apply reading strategies and demonstrate comprehension and analysis of adapted texts.   Students will also engage in extensive reading and discuss readings.  In addition, students will complete informal writing assignments and at least four multi-draft papers of one or more paragraphs.  With the instructor’s support, students will work on developing ideas and organization as well as accurate grammar and vocabulary in writing.

Intermediate Reading and Composition (ESL 220):

In this course students will develop skills and strategies for reading adapted and simple authentic texts and writing 2-3 multi-draft papers of one or more paragraphs and one essay in English. Students will apply reading strategies and demonstrate comprehension and analysis of course readings.  Students will also engage in extensive reading and discuss readings.  In writing, students will work on paragraph and essay development and improving their vocabulary and grammatical accuracy in formal writing assignments.   Students will also develop fluency and demonstrate reading comprehension through informal writing assignments.

Advanced Reading and Composition (ESL 320):

In this course students will develop skills and strategies for reading adapted and simple authentic college-level texts and writing 2-3 multi-draft essays in English. Students will apply reading strategies and demonstrate comprehension and analysis of course readings.  Students will also engage in extensive reading and discuss readings.  Students will work on essay development, paraphrasing and summarizing, and incorporating and citing sources. Students will progress from developing paragraphs to developing academic essays using effective patterns of organization and will complete informal writing assignments.
High-Advanced Reading and Composition (ESL 420):
In this course students will develop skills and strategies for reading authentic college-level texts and writing 2-3 multi-draft essays in English. In this course students will read essays and articles on a variety of topics from multiple sources and engage in extensive reading.  Students will improve their ability to apply reading strategies, analyze and critique support, and use critical thinking to respond with their own ideas in writing and discussion.  In 2-3 multi-draft essays, students will use effective organization to accomplish specific purposes as writers.  Students will also develop informal writing skills.

Academic Writing (ESL 921):

This course focuses on foundational writing skills and emphasizes the writing process - developing ideas, drafting, revising, and editing. Guided textual analyses of readings are used to develop writing skills through the close examination of strategies employed by accomplished writers. Through ongoing, active participation, students learn to (1) match writing to audience and purpose, (2) produce different genres of academic writing, (3) incorporate source material into writing, and (4) critique their writing and that of others. Gains in writing skills culminate in students' ability to transfer acquired skills into discipline-specific writing. Through development of personal voice and an appreciation for the importance of the credibility of the writer, students also learn to recognize and avoid plagiarism. Problems with sentence structure, lexical grammar, and diction are addressed individually. This course meets with ESL 5302.

Research Writing for the University (ESL 941):

This course enables students to develop the methods of citation, conventions of style and organization, and critical reading and thinking skills necessary for writing college-level research papers. Students select topics derived from a contemporary academic theme provided by the instructor and, applying a process approach, produce a research paper. Students will learn to use the library effectively and will learn about writing resources on campus such as Peer Research Consultants and Student Writing Support. Problems with structure and vocabulary usage are addressed individually. This course meets with 3402.

Beginning Oral Skills (ESL 030):

In this course, students will develop skills and strategies for listening to adapted general content and for speaking in basic conversations, discussions, and short presentations on familiar topics in English. The instructor will support students in using basic phrases to communicate in classroom and social interactions and pair and small group discussions and in delivering individual informative presentations with personal examples as support.  The instructor will also help students to identify topic, main ideas, and important details of listening material.  With significant support from the instructor, students will use clear pronunciation, level-appropriate vocabulary, and level-specific grammar accurately. This course is intended for students with some prior English instruction.

High Beginning Oral Skills (ESL 130):

In this course students will develop skills and strategies for listening to general and adapted academic content and for speaking in conversations, discussions, and short presentations on familiar topics in English. The instructor will support students in using a variety of phrases to communicate in classroom interactions, small talk, and pair and small group discussions and in delivering individual informative presentations with personal and general examples as support. The instructor will also help students identify main ideas and important details and develop active listening and note-taking skills.  With support from the instructor, students will use clear pronunciation, level-appropriate vocabulary, and level-specific grammar accurately.

Intermediate Oral Skills (ESL 230):

In this course students will develop skills and strategies for listening to general and adapted academic content and for speaking in conversations, discussions, and presentations on familiar general and academic topics in English.   Students will use a variety of phrases independently to communicate in classroom interactions and small talk.  The instructor will support students in communicating in small group discussions and in delivering individual and group informative presentations with personal and general examples as support.   The instructor will also help students paraphrase and summarize listening material.  Students will develop inferencing, active listening, and note-taking skills.  With support from the instructor, students will use clear pronunciation, level-appropriate vocabulary, and level-specific grammar accurately.

Advanced Oral Skills (ESL 330):

In this course students will develop skills and strategies for listening to adapted and simple authentic academic content and for speaking in discussions and presentations on simple academic topics in English. The instructor will support students in leading small group discussions and in delivering individual and group informative and persuasive presentations with a variety of evidence as support.   The instructor will also help students paraphrase and summarize listening material and evaluate a speaker’s reasoning and support. Students will develop inferencing, active listening, and note-taking skills.  Students will independently use clear pronunciation, level-appropriate vocabulary, and level-specific grammar accurately.

High Advanced Oral Skills (ESL 430):

In this course students will develop skills and strategies for listening to authentic academic content and for speaking in discussions and presentations on academic topics in English. Students will independently lead small group discussions and deliver consistently fluent, logical, unified, and coherent individual and group informative and persuasive presentations with a variety of evidence as support.   Students will paraphrase, summarize, and synthesize listening material and evaluate a speaker’s reasoning and support.  Students will make inferences, apply active listening strategies, and use effective note-taking skills.  Students will independently use clear pronunciation, level-appropriate vocabulary, and level-specific grammar accurately.

Academic Speaking (ESL 931):

The goal of this course is to help speakers of English who are already at the advanced level develop the skills needed to participate in American academic interactions at the university level of various types: presentations, group presentations, seminar-style discussions, and informal exchanges. In this class, students learn to present themselves professionally and socially in academic settings with accuracy, variety, and flexibility. They learn to organize and outline academic presentations, present information clearly and effectively, explain concepts and processes from their academic field, involve audience members, respond to questions, and monitor and improve their spoken fluency, grammar, and pronunciation. This course meets with ESL 3602.

Current Issues in the Media (ESL 900):

This course is open to full-time or part-time students in the Intensive English Program (IEP) at level 3 or above. Current Issues in the Media is an integrated-skills class that focuses on topics of global interest and importance. Students will develop English communication skills as they think critically about issues in the media and respond to authentic media material in English.

American Culture (ESL 901):

This course is open to full-time or part-time students in the Intensive English Program (IEP) at level 3 or above. American Culture is an integrated-skills course that focuses on key elements of culture and core U.S. values such as diversity, freedom, independence, and hard work. Students will develop English communication skills as they think critically about the concept of culture and how U.S. culture compares to other cultures.

Academic Skills for the American University (ESL 902):

This course is open to students enrolled in the Intensive English Program (IEP) at level 3 and above. This course will help students with a first language other than English polish their English skills in order to be successful in university level classes. Topics will cover the English language needed to interact within university settings. Some topics of focus are academic life, student/instructor roles, communicating by email, classroom interactions, and discussion/panel presentation skills.

Topics (ESL 905):

Special topics in English as a Second Language.

Pronunciation (ESL 951):

This course is designed for advanced English speakers who want to polish their pronunciation skills in English. In order to improve students’ ability to understand and pronounce English, a variety of areas of pronunciation will be covered while paying special attention to individual difficulties. Students will also be equipped with techniques to practice pronunciation improvement on their own. Topics covered include English sounds (individually and in combination with other sounds), word stress, sentence stress, rhythm, intonation, linking, understanding fast speech, pronunciation and spelling connections. This course meets with 3551.

Beginning Grammar (ESL 005):

In this 7-week intensive course, students begin to develop grammar skills by focusing on the meaning, form, and use of the most basic grammar structures in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Major topics include nouns, articles, subject pronouns, possessive and descriptive adjectives, prepositions, simple present tense, and accurate use of adverbs and time expressions. With significant support from the instructor, students will complete sentence-level writing assignments, short controlled speaking assignments, and tests.

High Beginning Grammar (ESL 105):

In this 7-week intensive course students will continue developing grammar skills by focusing on the meaning, form, and use of basic grammar structures in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Major topics include nouns, articles, pronouns, coordinating conjunctions, simple present, present progressive, and simple past verb tenses, and accurate use of adverbs, time expressions, and time clauses. With support from the instructor, students will complete sentence and paragraph-level writing assignments, controlled speaking assignments, and tests.

Intermediate Grammar (ESL 205):

In this course students will continue refining and extending their grammar skills by focusing on the meaning, form, and use of basic and more complex grammar structures in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Major topics include modals, coordinating and subordinating conjunctions, simple present, present progressive, simple past, past progressive, and future verb tenses, and accurate use of adverbs, time expressions, and time clauses. With some support from the instructor, students will complete sentence and paragraph-level writing assignments, controlled speaking assignments, and tests.

Advanced Grammar (ESL 305):

In this course students will review basic grammar skills and start to develop their understanding and control of complex grammar structures by focusing on their meaning, form, and use in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Major topics include nouns, articles and quantifiers, phrasal verbs, coordinating and subordinating conjunctions, transitions and other connectors, a review of present and past verb tenses, present perfect and present perfect progressive tense, and accurate use of adverbs, time expressions, and time clauses. Students will complete paragraph-level writing assignments, recorded speaking assignments, and tests that require increasing levels of independent production.

High Advanced Grammar (ESL 405):

In this course students will solidify their control over a range of basic and complex grammar structures by focusing on their meaning, form, and use in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Major topics include lexical patterns, noun clauses, coordinating and subordinating conjunctions, transitions and other connectors, and parallelism. Students will independently complete paragraph-level writing assignments, recorded speaking assignments, and assessments that require accurate use of a range of grammatical options.

Beginning Reading and Composition (ESL 015):

In this 7-week intensive course, students will develop skills and strategies for reading short adapted texts and writing sentences and multi-draft short descriptive paragraphs in English. Students will apply basic strategies with the instructor’s support to read a variety of short and simplified texts. Students will learn the fundamentals of writing at the sentence and basic paragraph level. The instructor will support students in developing basic vocabulary and using language accurately in simple sentences. This course is intended for students with some prior English and is not for true beginners.

High Beginning Reading and Composition (ESL 115):

In this course, students will develop skills and strategies for reading short adapted texts and writing multi-draft papers of one or more paragraphs in English. Students will apply reading strategies and demonstrate comprehension and analysis of adapted texts. Students will also engage in extensive reading and discuss readings. In addition, students will complete informal writing assignments and 2-3 multi-draft papers of one or more paragraphs. With the instructor’s support, students will work on developing ideas and organization as well as accurate grammar and vocabulary.

Intermediate Reading and Composition (ESL 215):

In this course, students will develop skills and strategies for reading adapted and simple authentic texts and writing 2-3 multi-draft papers of one or more paragraphs. Students will apply reading strategies and demonstrate comprehension and analysis of course readings. Students will also engage in extensive reading and discuss readings. In writing, students will work on paragraph development and improving their vocabulary and grammatical accuracy in formal writing assignments. Students will also develop fluency and demonstrate reading comprehension through informal writing assignments.

Advanced Reading and Composition (ESL 315):

In this course students will develop skills and strategies for reading adapted and simple authentic college-level texts and writing 1-2 multi-draft essays. Students will apply reading strategies and demonstrate comprehension and analysis of course readings. Students will also engage in extensive reading and discuss readings. Students will work on essay development, paraphrasing, and summarizing. Students will review basic and essay organization and will complete informal writing assignments.

High-Advanced Reading and Composition (ESL 415):

In this course students will develop skills and strategies for reading authentic college-level texts and writing multi-draft essays. Students will read essays and articles on a variety of topics from multiple sources and engage in extensive reading. Students will improve their ability to apply reading strategies, analyze and critique support, and use critical thinking to respond with their own ideas in writing and discussion. In 1-2 multi-draft essays, students will use effective organization to accomplish specific purposes as writers. Students will also develop informal writing skills.

Beginning Oral Skills (ESL 025):

In this 7-week intensive course, students will begin to develop skills and strategies for listening to adapted general content and for speaking in basic conversations, discussions, and short presentations on familiar topics in English. The instructor will support students in using basic phrases to communicate in classroom and social interactions and pair and small group discussions and in delivering individual informative presentations with personal examples as support. The instructor will also help students to identify topic, main ideas, and important details of listening material. With significant support from the instructor, students will use clear pronunciation, level-appropriate vocabulary, and level-specific grammar accurately. A significant part of this course will include using new language skills to interact with native speakers beyond the classroom through a series of field trips in which students explore U.S. and local culture and develop critical thinking skills. This course is intended for students with some prior English.

High Beginning Oral Skills (ESL 125):

In this course, students will continue developing skills and strategies for listening to general and adapted academic content and for speaking in conversations, discussions, and short presentations on familiar topics in English. The instructor will support students in using a variety of phrases to communicate in classroom interactions, small talk, and pair and small group discussions and in delivering individual informative presentations with personal and general examples as support.  The instructor will also help students identify main ideas and important details and develop active listening skills.  With support from the instructor, students will use clear pronunciation, level-appropriate vocabulary, and level-specific grammar accurately. A significant part of this course will include using new language skills to interact with native speakers beyond the classroom through a series of field trips in which students explore U.S. and local culture and develop critical thinking skills.

Intermediate Oral Skills (ESL 225):

In this course, students will continue developing skills and strategies for listening to general and adapted academic content and for speaking in conversations, discussions, and presentations on familiar general and academic topics in English. With the instructor’s support, students will use a variety of phrases to communicate in classroom interactions and small talk. The instructor will support students in communicating in small group discussions and in delivering individual informative presentations with personal and general examples as support. Students will also develop inferencing and active listening skills. With support from the instructor, students will use clear pronunciation, level-appropriate vocabulary, and level-specific grammar accurately. A significant part of this course will include using new language skills to interact with native speakers beyond the classroom through a series of field trips in which students explore U.S. and local culture and develop critical thinking skills.

Advanced Oral Skills (ESL 325):

In this course students will continue developing skills and strategies for listening to adapted and simple authentic academic content and for speaking in discussions and presentations on simple academic topics in English. The instructor will support students in participating in small group discussions and in delivering individual and group informative and/or persuasive presentations with a variety of evidence as support. The instructor will also help students paraphrase and summarize listening material and evaluate a speaker’s reasoning and support. Students will develop inferencing and active listening skills. With support from the instructor, students will use clear pronunciation, level-appropriate vocabulary, and level-specific grammar accurately. A significant part of this course will include using new language skills to interact with speakers of English beyond the classroom through a series of field trips in which students explore U.S. and local culture and develop critical thinking skills.

High Advanced Oral Skills (ESL 425):

In this course students will continue developing skills and strategies for listening to authentic academic content and for speaking in discussions and presentations on academic topics in English. Students will be supported in leading small group discussions and will independently deliver consistently fluent, logical, unified, and coherent individual and group informative and/or persuasive presentations with a variety of evidence as support. Students will independently paraphrase, summarize, and synthesize listening material, and the instructor will help students evaluate a speaker’s reasoning and support. Students will independently make inferences, apply active listening strategies, and use clear pronunciation, level-appropriate vocabulary, and level-specific grammar accurately. A significant part of this course will include using new language skills to interact with speakers of English beyond the classroom through a series of field trips in which students explore U.S. and local culture and develop critical thinking skills.

ESL 950 Pronunciation Improvement:

This course meets with ESL 3550 and provides an overview of pronunciation in American English. Pronunciation Improvement is designed for advanced students who want to polish their pronunciation skills in English. In order to improve awareness and production of sounds in spoken English, a variety of areas of pronunciation are covered while paying special attention to individual needs. Students will also be equipped with techniques for independent pronunciation practice. Topics covered include word stress, sentence stress, rhythm, intonation, and linking.