The readings provide samples of language for grammar review and academic writing exercises, and generate topics for classroom discussion and essay writing. This course provides international students who have a good command of English with a more sophisticated command of the language in order to be academically competitive. Students learn the rhetorical modes expected by American professors and write a variety of paper types, from a reaction paper to a research paper. In addition, readings on cultural and historical topics introduce students to short fiction and prose by American authors. This course helps ESL students improve their knowledge of English grammar and write more fluently and accurately.
Students review and practice grammar items and analyze sentences.
They learn to edit their own writing. Distinctions between spoken and written English are stressed. Students study and practice formal and informal American English speech and learn to express information, ideas, and opinions in a coherent, organized fashion. They outline, organize, and deliver information and persuasive speeches, and participate in class discussions and debates. The course stresses pronunciation and listening comprehension and is often an international student's last chance to focus on polishing these aspects of their English proficiency in a classroom environment devoted to that effort.