Effective Speaking and Listening (ENS131G)

This course develops studentsʼ fluency and improves listening comprehension of formal academic discourse. Students learn to attend to, and correct, errors in grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. This course aims to improve students’ ability to participate in university course lectures and class discussions. Students listen to lectures, take study notes and respond to lectures, participate in, and lead, class discussions and deliver short oral reports using academic discourse. 

Academic English: Writing I (ENS132G)

In this course, students develop awareness of English rhethorical structures and practice sentence and paragraph level responses to academic texts such as those found in textbooks, journal articles and research reports. Academic readings are analyzed and various rhetorical styles practiced to improve organization and competence in writing. The course helps students develop their academic writing skills, covering grammatical accuracy, paraphrasing, summarizing and citing sources, editing and revising other short assignments. Students will write an expository paper based on primary sources.

Reading and Vocabulary Development I (ENS133G)

This course will develop students’ awareness of different text genres in academic disciplines and introduce the appropriate critical reading strategies to access a variety of English texts. Students will work extensively with academic word lists to enhance their lexical skills and will become aware of the crucial role general academic discourse, not just discipline-related terminology, plays in the conceptual understanding of all disciplines.

Language Learning Strategies and Discourse (ENS135G)

This is a foundation course in the Academic English program. The main aim of the course is to provide students with the strategies and resources needed for English academic learning environments.  Students learn how to set effective short-term and long-term language goals and apply methods in which to monitor and evaluate these goals.  The course also covers the main ways in which students can self-evaluate their language skills and improve on weak areas in a structured and autonomous manner. Various language learning strategies are applied in order to assists students to carry out multiple language tasks and to build autonomous learning skills.

Case Study I: Resources (ENS136G)

Its aims and purposes include an introduction to the basic concepts and terminology in the field, a survey of the history of critical thought and its relation to science and the Humanities, discussion on plagiarism and academic honesty, use of references, evaluation of academic standards, and deep and surface approaches to learning. Students will receive practical training in the compilation of references, the collection and presentation of data, and the use of research tools, such as libraries, dictionaries, and reference books.

Public Speaking and the Art of Persuasion (ENS212G)

The main objectives of this course are to develop academic language production and presentation, and interaction skills in different academic settings, including specific genres. Language production skills include pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary usage. Lesson presentation skills include organization and presentation of information. Interaction skills include initiating classroom/meeting interaction, responding to questions in using English academic discourse conventions, and comprehending spoken academic English.

Writing II (ENS213G)

The goal of this course is to help students develop writing fluency through explicit teaching and practice. The writing strategies support new writing skills. The skills have been broken down into specific steps and processes. Students will become conscious of the strategies that they already use and add new strategies to their repertoire.  Because good writing takes practice, there will be many opportunities for students to think about writing, plan writing, and write longer assignments. The course explores the nature of different academic genres, introduces the concept of discourse communities and describes expository writing. The architecture of the academic essay and the steps in the writing process are outlined. Students will write a research paper based on secondary sources (Literature Review). This course is appropriate for graduate students who write academic papers and theses in English.

Reading and Vocabulary Development II (ENS214G)

Following ENS133G students will develop an awareness of different text genres in academic disciplines and introduce the appropriate critical reading strategies to access a variety of English texts. To begin with there will be a general focus on 1) Humanities and Social Sciences genres, 2) Natural Sciences and Engineering genres, and Business and law genres. This course is partially based on individual work where students analyze, read and write the discourse genres of their major field of study with the help of an instructor. 

Content-Based Learning: Business, Tourism, and Law (ENS216G)

English for Business, Tourism and Law is an interdisciplinary course aimed at increasing students’ vocabulary in the areas of business, tourism and law.

The course is academic in that students will analyse academic tests such as research reports, textbook chapters, and academic articles in the fields of business, tourism, and law. The course is also practical in that students will complete language tasks that are linked to the industry, such as:

• Reading and understanding the language of various types of contracts 
• Reading and understanding the structure and content of annual reports and other company reports
• Analysing the language of tourism products and services 
• Knowing how to interpret and use surveys and statistics published by official bodies 

Case Study II: Research Project (ENS217G)

Case study continued. Students will engage in questions related to the writing of academic papers and presentation of research findings and will be asked to write presentations and essays on a topic related to course content (philosophy, critical thinking, linguistics, culture, literature, film).