ESL 600 - Graduate Writing and Communication

(3 to 6 units)

The Graduate Writing and Communication (GWC) course will give international graduate students the opportunity to develop academic skills in English that will enable them to effectively communicate and advance in their chosen academic field. The course will help students develop academic writing skills that include awareness and use of advanced grammar structures and various rhetorical modes. Students will practice reading and summarizing discipline-related texts, as well as writing short papers related to their field of study. Through focused exercises and various forms of collaborative work, students will learn to listen for lecture content, take effective notes, and give academic presentations. They will also develop an understanding of appropriate verbal and non-verbal communication as they become acculturated to actively participating in class discussions, as expected in U.S. universities.

Maximum units a student may earn: 6

Grading Basis: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
Units of Lecture: 3
Offered: Every Fall and Summer

Student Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
1. read, understand, annotate and summarize academic texts.
2. analyze underlying grammatical choices in academic texts.
3. assess and understand the differences between summary, analysis, and opinion.
4. write short academic papers related to their field of study.
5. demonstrate control of grammatical features of academic writing, such as complex sentence structures, noun phrases, and cohesive devices.
6. describe and adhere to university rules for academic integrity.
7. appropriately highlight, synthesize, cite, and document information from outside sources in writing.
8. use a range of academic vocabulary appropriate for formal, academic writing.
9. comprehend, take comprehensive notes on, and learn content material from academic lectures.
10. participate in interactive academic lectures utilizing correct verbal and non-verbal communication skills.
11. fully and meaningfully engage in class discussions drawing upon material from the course readings and beyond.
12. fully and meaningfully participate in small group discussions using conversation and facilitation strategies to extend and manage the discussions.
13. prepare and deliver academic oral presentations designed for two audiences: the classroom audience and the professional audience.
14. plan for, monitor, and evaluate their own academic listening and speaking skills.
15. demonstrate control over spoken grammatical structures, including common English tenses, voices, reported speech, and conditionals.

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