American English For Graduate Students (S993-30002)

This course, designed for students about to enter or currently enrolled in graduate programs in English-speaking countries, emphasizes the skills required for success in graduate work. The morning schedule is composed of core courses:

Advanced Expository Writing

	Practice in quick writing skills as well as those involved in extended essays
	Progression from the essay form to writing academic research papers, allowing students to draw upon their own area of research and interest
	Attention to conventions of academic writing (citing sources, questions of intellectual property rights, making use of the Internet, conventions of scholarly publications)
	Instruction in revision and incorporating suggestions from peer editors and course instructors
	Discussion of assigned readings through which students will learn to recognize and emulate processes and strategies used in academic writing

This course prepares students for the kind of writing they will be expected to do in graduate school; students practice rhetorical modes—narrating, defining, cause-effect reasoning, comparing and contrasting, as well as learning techniques to write effective argument.

Academic Speaking Skills

	Practice in formal oral presentation, for academic conference presenters as well as international teaching assistants; these are videotaped and evaluated by instructors and class participants
	Strategies for developing active listening skills using conversation, interviews, media broadcasts, lectures, audiotapes and films
	Attention to such speaking tasks as roundtable or panel discussions, small-group conversation, role-playing
	Emphasis on increasing academic/ professional and everyday vocabulary with targeted practice in pronunciation and sentence intonation

In these core classes, students will be assigned a variety of readings based on topics that reflect their academic fields and interests. Students will be encouraged to use libraries and other resources at Yale to search for material related to the topics at hand, which may range from political, economic, or environmental issues and health care concerns to issues drawn from culture and the arts.

Afternoon Courses

Students in the Graduate Seminar choose afternoon courses, which have included:

American English Pronunciation

This course offers a comprehensive survey of accent reduction, including rhythm, intonation, the sounds of English, and vocal variety. Students also learn techniques for creating a professional-sounding voice, the use of formal and casual speech patterns, and dynamic communication strategies. The course is designed for speakers who want to speak clearly, sound more American, and increase their effectiveness in spoken communication.

The 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, learning how to make the transition from student to professional or employee.