Fall Term 2009

The English Language Institute, with its tradition of more than forty years as the official program of English language instruction to non-native speakers in the Yale community, will offer the following courses for the fall term of 2009. These courses will begin the week of September 21 and continue for eleven weeks. No classes will be held during Yale's Thanksgiving break.

Courses are designed for graduate and professional students, postdoctoral students, research fellows, and visiting scholars. Students not in these categories may be admitted to classes with permission of the director. Because of the strong academic orientation of these courses, students are responsible for completing all assignments, whether written or oral. As with any language course, regular attendance is essential to advance skill levels as well as to receive course credit. Excessive absences will result in the loss of credit for the course.  

At the conclusion of the course, students who have successfully completed all requirements, including the attendance requirement, will receive an official certificate. Reports evaluating graduate and professional students, including the letter grade received for the course work, will be sent to relevant departments and to the graduate school.

FALL COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

CONSULT OUR WEB SITE FOR POSSIBLE ADDITIONS AND FOR INFORMATION ON EXACT CLASS TIMES AND MEETING PLACES.

PLEASE NOTE THAT CLASSES BEGIN THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 21.

BEFORE YOU READ THE COURSE DESCRIPTIONS, PLEASE NOTE THE RECOMMENDED SEQUENCE OF COURSES.

If you must fulfill the oral language requirement by achieving a score of 50 on the SPEAK test, you should enroll in the following courses:

I. Academic Speaking Skills Workshop: you should begin with this course. It may be repeated more than one semester if needed.

II. Advanced Pronunciation

III. Presentation Skills (can be taken after completion of Academic Speaking Skills; this course is of particular benefit to prospective or current international teaching assistants or those who participate in departmental seminars or international conferences).

IV. Writing, Grammar, and Pronunciation: An integrated approach to English language training

Students who do not need to meet the SPEAK requirement should enroll in one of the following:

I. Presentation Skills

II. Writing, Grammar, and Pronunciation: An integrated approach to English language training

Each of these sequences can be supplemented by our writing course, which is designed for academic writing and is therefore suitable for graduate and professional students, research fellows, or visiting scholars.

Graduate students who have not met the SPEAK requirement may also be eligible for the Individual Language Instruction offered by the Individual Language Tutorial program. Other students may be eligible if tutors are available.

This course provides fast-paced training in essential aspects of articulation, fluency, grammatical accuracy, idiomatic language, and effective speaking style. The course is appropriate for those required to take the SPEAK test. The course meets once a week for lecture, and students must attend a small group practicum (2 hours per week) for practice and application of new speaking skills. The course incorporates voice and language exercises, some of which may involve materials in the Yale Center for Language Study.

Instructor: William Vance
Practicum Leader: Julie Vance
Monday Evening 7:30-8:30 p.m. Lecture Practicums (2 Additional Hours) to be arranged.
Location: Rosenfeld Hall, 109 Grove Street (entrance off Temple Street)

Please note: Enrollment is limited, and priority will be given to graduate students and long-term members of the Yale community. Others may be admitted with permission of the instructor.

This course offers a systematic survey of pronunciation, including articulation, rhythm, intonation, and the sounds of English.   The course helps students to speak more fluently, control their speech speed, improve their spoken grammar, and increase the clarity of their communication.  Students use speech software to analyze their pronunciation, and they submit spoken assignments to the class server for evaluation and personal coaching.  Students attend a weekly lecture and demonstration (2 hours) and a small group practicum (1 hour).  In the practicum sessions, students receive additional guidance in clear pronunciation as they apply new speech habits to academic and social communication tasks.

Lecture Monday 4:30-6:30 p.m.
Room Room B21, Center for Language Study, 370 Temple Street
Instructor: William Vance
Practicum Leader Julie Vance (1-hour practicum to be arranged)

Open to international graduate students, post-doctoral students, research fellows, visiting scholars.

This course will focus on the oral communication skills needed to be successful in an American university and the presentation skills needed for effective teaching and public speaking. Students will engage in various kinds of oral communication and will make presentations, which may include lecturing on a topic, fielding questions, and leading a discussion. Students will be videotaped so that they can learn by evaluating their own presentations in addition to the instructor’s feedback.

Instructors: Kirk Hughes (Section I) and Su Chao (Section II)
Section I—Tuesday 5:00-7:30 p.m.; 215, Center for Language Study, 370 Temple Street
Section II Thursday 3:30-6:30 p.m. 211, William L. Harkness Hall (WLH)

This course offers a unique combination of pronunciation/accent reduction with writing as the content from which to practice stress, rhythm, thought groups, and vocabulary. Through extensive intonation and pronunciation exercises, students learn how to speak with a standard American Accent. At the same time, we will apply these pronunciation exercises to authentic academic experiences where the content-based instruction reinforces grammar and writing skills.

Integrating language skills will create a learning environment that focuses on both spoken and print discourse. You will read essays, respond to them in writing, and discuss your written responses as texts for pronunciation and grammar practice.

Instructor: Siggy Nystrom

In this course students will strengthen writing skills as the instructor and the group examine student writing produced in response to various types of assignments—description of research, argument and opinion pieces, grant writing, summaries of articles from a student’s academic discipline, annotated bibliography.  The class will focus on the benefits of revision and rewriting in addition to introducing students to free writing as an important writer’s tool.  Issues of English usage and structure will be addressed as they are identified in student writing. Space will be limited.

Instructor: Harriet Bergmann
Mondays and Wednesdays 4:30-6 p.m.
Location: 112 Center for Language Study, 370 Temple

This program offers a one-hour language tutorial each week with the goal of strengthening a student's language skills. It provides oral English language practice with a professional instructor who will advise the student on grammar and structure, vocabulary and idiomatic expressions, pronunciation, techniques to control the pace of a conversation, and orientation to issues of American academic culture.

This program will begin in early October and for most students will provide ten one-hour sessions. Students should complete an application form if they want to participate in this program. Students accepted into this program will be notified by the program director.

REGISTRATION PROCEDURES

1. Students should register before classes begin at our office at 55 Whitney Avenue, Suite 430. To register students must complete a form and submit payment for each class. REGISTRATION WILL BEGIN SEPTEMBER 14 AND WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE FIRST WEEK OF CLASSES, SEPTEMBER 21. TO ENSURE A PLACE IN A GIVEN CLASS, HOWEVER, PLEASE REGISTER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO LIMIT CLASS SIZE TO ENSURE A GOOD LANGUAGE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT.

2. SCHEDULE CHANGES AFTER THE INITIAL REGISTRATION MUST BE MADE THROUGH THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE INSTITUTE OFFICE. IF YOU PLAN TO DROP OR ADD A CLASS, YOU MUST COMPLETE A FORM; IF YOU FAIL TO DO SO, YOU WILL BE ASSESSED A $25 ADMINISTRATIVE FEE.

3. Make checks payable to Yale University. If you withdraw by the end of the first week, you will receive a full refund. NO REFUNDS WILL BE ISSUED AFTER THE FIRST FULL WEEK OF CLASSES.

4. Fees for most graduate students will be covered by the Graduate School, which provides support for all graduate students who need further language training. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE GRADUATE SCHOOL IS SUPPORTING ENGLISH LANGUAGE STUDY WITH THE EXPECTATION THAT STUDENTS WILL BE COMMITTED TO THE COURSE WORK AND OUTSIDE ASSIGNMENTS. AT THE END OF THE TERM GRADES AND EVALUATIONS ARE REPORTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL AND TO INDIVIDUAL DEPARTMENTS.

For further information call Jan Hortas, Director, English Language Institute, 55 Whitney Avenue, Suite 430, at (43)2-2430 or reach her by e-mail at jan.hortas@yale.edu