Course Descriptions

REQUIRED COURSES FOR EAP I – 5 COURSES

EACH COURSE IS 36 HOURS OF FORMAL INSTRUCTION BY CONTRACT FACULTY

ESL 103 Intermediate English as a Second Language I
This course is for students who are able to communicate yet need additional
exposure to the basic structures and functions of the language. Students participate in speaking, listening, reading, and writing activities which demand increasing independence and concentration. Upon completion of this level, students should be able to produce simple, clear written texts and convey a desired oral message in a variety of social, occupational, and educational contexts. They should also have developed an awareness of some of the more complicated structures of the language.

ESL 104 Intermediate English as a Second Language II
This course is for students who are able to communicate with confidence in a
variety of situations yet wish to improve their knowledge of and proficiency in
the more complicated structures and functions of the language. Basic structures are reviewed at this level, but the main emphasis is on introducing students to more unusual grammatical and idiomatic structures and to more complex tasks and materials. Students are exposed to a greater variety of reading sources and are required to write texts with increasing accuracy. Upon completion of this level students should be able to engage in extended discourse in a variety of social, occupational, and educational contexts.

ESL 110 Introduction to English for Academic Purposes I
This is a broadly focused course designed to familiarize students with the varieties of English that they will encounter in an academic milieu, and give practice in the skills that are essential to this milieu: comprehending lectures, reading texts of varying length and complexity, note-taking, summarizing, paraphrasing, presenting brief seminars. In addition, students will write and revise short texts with the aim of improving their command of grammar and vocabulary.

ESL 111 Introduction to English for Academic Purposes II
This course is a continuation of Introduction to English for Academic Purposes I. Students will continue to be exposed to a wide variety of materials and will continue to improve in the four main skill areas: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. However, the emphasis at this level will be placed on activities of increasing complexity which require a greater degree of autonomy.

ESL 125 English Phonetics and Pronunciation
This course is designed to provide students with an in-depth knowledge of the
stress, rhythm, and intonation patterns of English. In doing so, it will assist students in their understanding of variations in formal and informal spoken English, and in improving the accuracy of their spoken language. Students will learn the International Phonetic Alphabet.

REQUIRED COURSES FOR EAP II – 5 COURSES

ESL 122 Advanced English Grammar: Tense, Stylistic and Text Analysis
This course provides an examination of more complex aspects of English grammar (particularly tense), and the features of the language which contribute to text coherence. In addition, students will develop an understanding of the factors that influence style and structure in written texts and register in spoken texts. They will also learn to employ different reading strategies to suit various texts and rhetorical situations.

ESL 127 Oral Discourse II
This course continues to focus on the objectives of Oral Discourse I. However, at this level students will be exposed to texts of greater complexity, and there will be an increasing emphasis on more demanding rhetorical situations. Students will analyse speeches, engage in debates and impromptu and extemporaneous presentations. Students will also carry out research on current issues and engage in related discussions.

ESL 210 Advanced Writing and Text Analysis
This course is intended for students who have reached an advanced level of
competence. Students will read a variety of texts from popular and academic
sources and analyse them for grammar, structure, and rhetorical strategies. Students will also learn the conventions of the academic essay and the characteristics of English style and discourse.

ESL 211 Advanced Communicative Skills I
This course is intended for students who have reached an advanced level of
competence. Emphasis will be placed on familiarizing students with more complex aspects of grammar and communication, increasing vocabulary and knowledge of different text types and improving listening and reading comprehension. At the end of this level students should be able to function comfortably in any anglophone environment, whether social, professional, or academic. There will continue to be a substantial writing component at this level. This may take the form of essays, reports or other assignments, at the discretion of the instructor.

ESL 212 Advanced Communicative Skills II
This course is a continuation of ESL211 in its approach, focusing on further
developing the four language skills: speaking, listening, reading and writing.
Additional and more complex grammatical forms will be examined, particularly those which are common in everyday speech and writing but which often prove problematic for even advanced speakers of English as a second language. As with ESL211, practice will take place in a communicative environment. The reading and listening content of ESL212 will focus on English Canadian popular culture, with the intention of providing an introduction to this culture for francophone Quebeckers, exchange students and new Canadians. There will continue to be an extensive writing component at this level.