36 - English as a Second Language ESL

This course is designed to help students view reading as a thinking process. Students are taught to make connections between what they read in text and their own prior knowledge of the world. They are encouraged to develop a systematic method of thinking about and approaching text. The international section emphasizes structure and arguments in academic texts.

This course covers the basic components of good writing techniques and strategies, grammar and mechanics, style, sentence structure, and paragraph and essay organization. The companion course is 36-163 Advanced Grammar Review.

This course provides practice in the comprehension of academic lectures, including subject vocabulary, lecture explanation/argument forms, spoken discourse conventions and effective notetaking strategies. A combination of prepared materials and live lectures is used.

This course provides practice in oral presentation for academic purposes (reports, panels, debates, discussion based on reading, and so forth). Emphasis is placed on clear pronunciation; formal, idiomatic speech; effective stress and intonation; use of visual aids; and presentation techniques.

This course provides an intensive overview of verb tense and aspect, modals, passives, gerunds and infinitives, adjective clauses, adverbial clauses, noun clauses and conditional sentences.

One focus of this course is devoted to an intensive, in-depth review of North American culture. The second includes films and performances of short plays that explore cultural themes, as well as provides spoken practice of Standard American speech patterns.