Spring 2009 Courses

Please call 432-2430 for additional information.

Please note that classes begin the week of January 26.

Note the sequence of courses we strongly urge you to follow. The first four courses are especially appropriate for graduate students; all courses are open to those involved in academic work at yale—postdocs, researchers, visiting scholars.

1. PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATOR
2. ADVANCED PRONUNCIATION
   (should follow fall term academic speaking skills)
3. ADVANCED COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES: ACADEMIC PRESENTATIONS, TEACHING, AND THE SEMINAR
4. PRONUNCIATION AND ORAL COMMUNICATION
5. COMMUNICATION BEYOND ACADEMIA: THE “OTHER ENGLISH”
6. ACADEMIC WRITING WORKSHOP

Graduate students who have not met the SPEAK requirement may also be eligible for the Individual Language Instruction offered through the English Language Institute. Students requesting a tutor must first have enrolled in a course in the program or be concurrently enrolled in a course.

I. Professional Communicator

This course helps prepare students for entry into a corporate as well as an academic environment. It will examine the effective use of voice and language in the environments of research and business. Students will learn the types of on-the-job communication and interaction expected in an American company and learn how to make the transition from student to professional or employee.

Monday 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. – Lecture; Additional one-hour practicum to be arranged.
Room Center for Language Study, 370 Temple Street, Room B21
Instructor: William Vance
Practicum leader: Julie Vance

II. Advanced Pronunciation
—to follow Academic Speaking Skills

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 (1 hour) and a small group practicum (2 hours). 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 7:30-8:30 p.m.
Room Center for Language Study, 370 Temple Street, Room B21
Instructor: William Vance
Practicum Leader Julie Vance (2-hours of practicum to be arranged)

III. Advanced Communication Strategies: A Focus on Academic Presentations, Teaching and the Seminar

This course will review some of the rhetorical practices of teaching and learning in American university settings. After a brief consideration of adult learning theory, participants will work in small groups to practice specific techniques for effective participation in and leadership of seminars, research groups, and teaching sections. Special attention will be given to active listening techniques, oral summary, directed questioning and similar facilitation skills to stimulate engagement with challenging academic material, student interaction and active learning. Students will be assigned to small working groups responsible for designing, leading and assessing a class “seminar session.“ Each class will also include vocal warm-up exercises, oral recitation work and brief daily writing assignments to improve the fluency and clarity of participants' academic English.

Tuesday 4:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.
Room 215 CLS
Instructor: Staff

IV. Pronunciation and Oral Communication

Through this course, students will actively improve their oral communication skills by gaining proficiency in pronunciation and grammatical accuracy. The pronunciation component of this course will focus mainly on training students to monitor and correct errors pertaining to stress, rhythm, and intonation. In addition, students will learn how to overcome problematic consonant and vowel sounds through ear training and communicative exercises. The communicative nature of this course will allow for closer analysis of and more feedback on both collective and individual grammatical issues.

Instructor: Su Chao
Meeting Time and Location: Thursday, 3:30 - 6:30 p.m., Room 112 CLS

V. Communicating Beyond Academia: The “Other English” — Learning and Speaking Non-Academic Discourse

This highly interactive class will focus on four types of communication that will strengthen communication skills beyond academic discourse. The four language types will be addressed each week.

• One: Idioms, proverbs, slang, “street talk”
• Two: The language of popular cultural events, dining, and sports.
• Three: Non-academic presentations—visual representations such as photographs, maps, art work, etc.
• Four: Drama and “play.” Expanding speaking skills using improvisational techniques and team-building exercises.

Class size will be limited because of the extensive interactive communication in this class. You will also be required to participate in online vocabulary and Word-of-the-Day study.

Sunday 5:00-8:00 p.m.
Location Center for Language Study, 370 Temple Street (Exact room will be announced)
Instructor: Sigrid Nystrom

VI. Academic Writing Workshop: An Introduction to Academic Argument

This course will provide an introduction to the requirements of academic discourse and to argument and analysis. This course is designed to enable graduate students to develop accuracy, clarity, and style as they approach academic writing tasks. Writing skills are reinforced through grammar and vocabulary practice and essay writing, revising, and editing. Appropriate evaluation and documentation of sources are also reviewed. Success in this course requires a willingness to devote several hours outside class time to preparing assignments.

Monday and Wednesday 7:00-8:15 p.m.
Location: Room 112 CLS
Instructor: Bahareh Lampert

VII. Individual Language Instruction

Priority is given to graduate students who have not passed the SPEAK test and to those who have already enrolled in a class through the English Language Institute; others may not be funded by the Graduate School. Their requests will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

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.

The program will begin in February 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.

NOTE: This program is a supplement to course work and does not substitute for the courses listed above. Priority will be given to students enrolled in english language institute courses this term or in previous semesters.

Registration Procedures

The complete schedule of meeting times and classroom assignments will be available on our web site at www.yale.edu/eli.

Fees: $550 per course

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: January 19 through the first week of classes, January 26. Orientation/Information Session: Thursday, January 22, 5-6 p.m., Center for Language Study, 370 Temple Street, Room 100. Refreshments will be served. Get advice on the courses that will best fit your needs and goals; you can also register at this meeting.
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 issued after the first full week of classes.

Fees for most graduate students will be covered by the Graduate School, which provides support for all graduate students who need further language training. 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; 432.2430; jan.hortas@yale.edu.