English as a Second Language (ESL-NI)

Practice using English through communicative activities and collaborative tasks. Course participants practice brief, everyday conversational exchanges, such as asking and responding to basic questions, and sharing information and opinions about likes, dislikes, and interests. You will also work with classmates to complete tasks that require you to use your developing English. The content of the course will be shaped by the needs and interests of the course participants.

Taking a trip soon? English is the most common language spoken around the globe, so prepare for your travel experience by improving your English skills. Learn how to book travel, ask for directions, order food, arrange entertainment, and even make small talk with people you meet along the way. Develop the English language skills you need to travel like a pro.

Build on a strong foundation of conversational skills through communicative activities. Course participants learn about and practice discussing less familiar topics while developing the ability to state and defend opinions, ask follow-up and clarification questions, and disagree respectfully. The content of the course will be shaped by the needs and interests of the course participants.

This course is for people who need help in writing effectively, accurately, and comfortably. Particpants develop the ability to produce correct, well-developed texts on a variety of topics. You will receive guidance and practice in the selection and use of appropriate vocabulary, grammatical structures, and punctuation. You will also learn to identify and correct your own errors in a supportive atmosphere in which feedback is intensive and individualized.

Designed for people who are uncomfortable speaking English in both professional and more casual settings, this course helps participants speak more fluently and accurately. You can expect to develop your listening comprehension and improve your self-confidence. Activities include discussions, presentations, and role-plays. Work on volume, pacing of speech, correct grammar and word choices, as well as posture and body language, all while receiving intensive individualized attention.

Go beyond grammar rules, drills, and vocabulary lists. Learn about functional grammar to gain a deeper understanding of and control over the structure of English. Understand the shades of meaning of words and phrases and how and when to use them appropriately while speaking and writing in English.

Become a pro at writing emails for a global audience. Learn how to plan and write clear, concise, and logical emails with appropriate tone and register. Course participants master the most common types of email and learn how to best use auto-responders, acknowledge receipt of an email, and follow up on unanswered mail. You will have the opportunity to practice writing emails tailored to your specific needs in work or academic contexts and receive individual feedback.

Learn how to write and speak effectively in a variety of business settings. Participants read about business and management issues; write and edit emails, letters, reports, and evaluations; and analyze the cultural misunderstandings that can occur in an international and multicultural business settings. Through role plays, participants gain the practice necessary to engage in business interactions with confidence. You can expect to improve your ability to use English to socialize, present, communicate in writing, and participate in meetings in today's global business world.

Gain a working knowledge of the sounds and rhythms of North American English. Through intensive practice of consonants, vowels, intonation, stress, and rhythm, course participants develop techniques for speaking clearly in a variety of settings. Instructors use recordings, pronunciation exercises, dialogues, discussions, and other interactive activities. Each participant will receive individualized feedback. Identify your pronunciation trouble spots and devise strategies for achieving more accurate and fluent speech.

This course prepares students to produce a variety of texts, such as emalls and other professional correspondence.

This 6-hour series of tutorials will provide intermediate and advanced language students the opportunity for one-on-one listening and speaking practice with a faculty. The individual tutorials are an additional support for students who will take intermediate or advanced group classes.

Improve your ability to engage actively in discussions on current global topics. Course participants read and listen to news reports on current issues and then respond to the topics in a variety of ways, including class discussion, written responses, and presentations. Expand your vocabulary, refine your critical reading and listening skills, and improve your speaking ability as you participate in vocabulary building exercises, learn to present your position on a topic to a small group as well as to a larger audience, and practice defending a particular position. By the end of this course, you will be able to converse more confidently on events taking place around the world.

Hone your speaking and listening skills through advance communicative activities. Course participants practice and improve their ability to manage conversations on a variety of topics; direct discussions; check for understanding and make adjustments tailored to a specific audience; paraphrase and summarize others’ arguments; and offer, reject, and accept suggestions. The content of the course will be shaped by the needs and interests of the course participants.

Enhance your ability to understand, build, and deliver arguments and opinions. In this course, you will study different types of strategic arguments and logical fallacies to expose the difference between strong and weak reasoning. You will also learn what can be regarded as evidence and how to test it for validity. By learning the terms and language of argumentation through classic cases and debates, you will expand your critical thinking and analytical skills. These skills will be practiced and tested through structured debates, giving you the opportunity to present, challenge and defend your own ideas. This course also offers you the opportunity to improve your interpersonal communication, public speaking, and problem solving skills.

This course is for people proficient in English who need to further develop their writing skills. Participants learn techniques to strengthen their own writing by reading the best writers. Write weekly texts with emphasis on organization, audience, word choice, sentence structure, and style. With increased confidence, you will learn to examine your own writing with a critical eye and a finer sense of what makes writing effective.

This class is for professionals who want to strengthen their writing skills. Participants develop strategies and skills necessary for writing professional, clear, and succinct communications. The course emphasizes key elements for effective professional writing: purpose, audience, structure, and language, as well as style, tone, and grammar in context. Types of writing covered include emails, memos, proposals, reports, and other communications used in professional contexts. With intensive individual feedback from the instructor, you can expect to become a more natural, sophisticated, and professional writer.

This course prepares fluent speakers to function more comfortably in situations in which educated English is expected. Participants learn how to polish their delivery skills and diction and improve their use of English structures, while addressing intonation, volume, and body language. Explore confidence-building techniques as you plan formal and informal presentations, take part in discussions, and expand your knowledge of vocabulary and idioms, all while receiving intensive individualized error correction.

Expand your vocabulary and learn how to use a broader range of phrases and structures to make your writing and speech more polished and sophisticated. Workshop participants analyze complex structures and novel word choices to unlock meaning in difficult texts and practice expanding their own linguistic repertoire in writing and speech.

This course prepares students to produce a variety of texts, such as reports and other professional correspondence.