Spoken English for Nonnative Speakers (380-0-21)
Topic
Integrated Academic Skills
Instructors
Jennifer Alexandra Alexander
847/491-5831
Swift 006
Office Hours: by appt
Meeting Info
Kresge Centennial Hall 2-420: Tues, Thurs 4:30PM - 5:50PM
Overview of class
This course focuses on developing the communication skills necessary for academic presentations at a graduate level. Students will work on improving their delivery of oral presentations to large groups using PowerPoint and other visual aids, as well as their ability to effectively communicate academic concepts to smaller groups and individuals. Over the course of the class, students will also have opportunities to improve their sociolinguistic and strategic competence, as well as practice American English pronunciation, stress, and intonation patterns. The class will be focused on the observation, creation, and practice of multiple academic presentations. Active participation and evidence of progress towards proficiency must be demonstrated in order to achieve a satisfactory grade in this course. Building and strengthening these skills will be helpful to students in a variety of academic contexts, including making class presentations, reporting on research at lab meetings, engaging in job interviews, and presenting papers and posters at conferences and colloquia. Work in this class will also hone skills applicable to teaching positions, such as giving lectures, leading discussion sections or lab sections, and interacting with American undergraduates.
Registration Requirements
Students must complete an online form from English Language Programs in order to be eligible for the class and obtain a permission number. Contact elp@northwestern.edu for specific registration instructions.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
1. Describe key features of the sound structure of English, including the articulation of consonants and vowels, word stress, linking, intonation, and prosody.
2. Describe key components of oral language proficiency as measured by the Versant English Test and specified in the ACTFL Can-Do Statements.
3. Compare and contrast academic norms across cultures.
4. Identify and execute strategies for effective communication in the American academic context, including small talk, email, reporting on visual information, and formal/informal presentations.
5. Identify their own specific strengths and weaknesses when using spoken English. Demonstrate progress toward achieving goals targeting improved proficiency.
Teaching Method
Lecture, discussion, small group activities, peer feedback, and homework
Evaluation Method
You are expected to complete regular readings and assignments each week. The concepts introduced in these readings and assignments will form the basis for classroom work, so it is important that you complete them in advance of the class for which they are assigned. You will also be assessed on attendance and participation.
Class Materials (Required)
The textbook for this course is Well Said, Fourth Edition, by Linda Grant (ISBN-10: 1305641361, ISBN-13: 9781305641365). Previous editions are not acceptable. New and used copies of the textbook are available for purchase at the Norris Center Bookstore, or you may purchase a copy of the same edition online or from another student.