For Non-Native English Speakers

 

Course Offerings:

Part-Term (8 weeks) Courses:

• "Meets With" 3 credit course where students join the Intensive Program four days per week
  • ESL 095: Academic Writing for International Graduate Students, meets with ESL 061 Level 6 Intensive Writing
    • Meets MW 12:00 - 12:50 pm AND TR 12:30 - 1:45 pm, plus additional asynchronous work
    • Part of term: Fall I, Fall II, Spring I, Spring II (Calendar)
  • ESL 093: Academic Speaking/Listening for International Graduate Students, meets with ESL 064 Level 6 Intensive Listening and Speaking
    • Meets MW 1:00 - 1:50 pm AND TR 2:00 - 3:15 pm, plus additional asynchronous work
    • Part of term: Fall I, Fall II, Spring I, Spring II (Calendar)

 

Full Semester (16 weeks) Courses:

• 3 credit courses for non-native English speakers
  • ESL 090: English for International Teaching Assistants
    • Meeting times vary each semester – check Course Catalog
    • Full Semester: Fall
  • ENG 098: English for Speakers of Other Languages
    • Meeting times vary each semester – check Course Catalog
    • Full Semester: Spring

 

 

Course Registration:

Students can simply complete the following Microsoft Form to request an override, allowing them to register for the courses they prefer.

Please Note:

• Students may not count credits earned in ESL classes toward their graduate degree requirements nor toward credit hours for visa purposes. 
• The courses, which may be repeated, do not count towards a student’s GPA.
• The student pays normal tuition and fees for degree courses, and can use any financial aid or scholarships granted to them in their student account.

 

 

Course Descriptions:

 

ESL 095: Academic Writing for International Graduate Students

This class is designed to assist international students prepare for academic writing at the graduate level. Particular attention is given to writing conventions in the United States, and there is an emphasis on learning and applying the process of writing (drafting, revision, editing, and proofreading). Students will also learn about the importance of academic honesty at the American University, including how to avoid plagiarism as well as how to evaluate and cite sources in their specific disciplines.

Assignments in the class will allow students to investigate writing in their disciplines and then apply what they learn to their own field-specific writing. Sample assignments include  an annotated bibliography and a proposal/problem-solution paper. In this class, students will aim to:

• Explore what effective writing means in their specific disciplines and become more confident in completing writing assignments required for their departmental courses.
• Develop grammatical accuracy and stylistic variety through contextualized review of problematic areas of grammar.
• Increase accuracy and range of academic vocabulary.
• Become more independent language learners by improving the ability to revise and edit one’s own work.
• Improve familiarity with American norms of academic honesty, including plagiarism and ways to avoid it.

 

ESL 093: Academic Speaking/Listening for International Graduate Students

This class is designed to help international students develop their oral and aural skills in a practical environment. Students’ pronunciation patterns are assessed at the beginning of the semester and time is spent developing a sense of American English sounds, rhythms, and intonation patterns. Course time will also be devoted to helping students develop communication strategies, prepare for and present short presentations, and lead group as well as roundtable discussions. Instruction is often individualized to meet the specific needs of the students and some class time is planned to enable all students to develop better listening strategies and confidence when speaking.

More specifically, students in this class  will aim to:

• Enhance awareness of the sounds, rhythms, and intonation patterns of American English.
• Improve pronunciation and comprehensibility when speaking English.
• Develop fluency and confidence in speaking English.
• Deliver clear and effective academic presentations while incorporating appropriate nonverbal communication strategies.
• Improve English listening skills.

 

ESL 090: English for International Teaching Assistants

This course is designed for non-native English-speaking graduate assistants who either placed into or were recommended to take the course during ITA Language Screening conducted by the Graduate School. This course focuses on skills needed for international graduate teaching assistants to be successful in classroom teaching at the university level. Instruction in the course focuses on improving the communication and pronunciation skills of students with special emphases on listening/speaking skill, presentation skills, negotiation skills, and other classroom management tools such as interactive and pedagogical communication. Students required to take ESL 090 will be reassessed at the completion of the semester to determine the types of TA duties they may perform.  For more information about the International Teaching Assistant Language Screening process, please see: http://gradschool.uky.edu/ita-language-screenings

 

 

Interested in studying English only, before starting a degree program?

The Intensive English Program courses are non-degree, meaning that the student needs to apply following instructions online: https://esl.as.uky.edu/iep-timeline, pay the Intensive English Program (lower) tuition and fees: https://esl.as.uky.edu/tuition-and-fees, and is not able to use financial supports in this program.