Course Offerings

• Lecture, four units. Emphasis on speaking fluently in English by examining rules of conversation, participating actively in class discussions, making group presentations, and completing out-of-class assignments designed to promote interaction with native speakers and familiarize international students with UCLA campus and local community. Offered in summer only. P/NP or letter grading.

• Students who take this course are interested in enhancing their ability to hear and speak in English language interactions. They want to better understand how Americans communicate on a day-to-day basis, and they want to learn to apply this knowledge to their own interactions. For these students, conversational communication, norms, and practices are key.

• Lecture, four units. Designed to improve clarity, accuracy, and understanding of spoken English through study and practice of pronunciation features as they occur in real speech, using models from television, movies, and online talks. Emphasis on individualized feedback through audio and video recording technology. Offered in summer only. P/NP or letter grading.

• Students who take this course are interested in fine-tuning their speaking skills, specifically focusing on their pronunciation of sounds and on how they use and understand larger features of the spoken language, such as rhythm, stress, intonation, and reduction of sounds. For these students, the way in which we articulate the language, in other words mastery of sound-based features, is key.

• Lecture, four units. Emphasis on making presentations, interacting with audience members, and leading group discussions. Video-recording of student performances allows students to improve through self and peer evaluation as well as individualized instructor feedback. Offered in summer only. P/NP or letter grading.

• Students who take this course are interested in developing their oral skills in public settings, such as in classroom discussions and during presentations. They want to work on organization, clarity, language structures, vocabulary development, with the specific goals of carrying out meaningful public speaking interactions. For these students, the key skills that they wish to master involve leading meaningful public discussions and conducting exciting and unique academic presentations.

• Lecture, four units. Designed to improve listening comprehension and discussion skills by viewing and analyzing a variety of American films. Emphasis on understanding and using idiomatic language, expanding vocabulary, recognizing dialect differences, and reflecting on cultural similarities and differences. Offered in summer only. P/NP or letter grading.

• Students who take this course desire to know more about the culture of the United States and how that culture interacts with language. They want to learn idiomatic expressions and how to apply them in conversation. They also want to better understand why Americans are the way they are, why they believe the things that they believe, how their language reflects their cultural mindset, and how all of this information compares to one’s own culture. For these students, it is the connection between cultural practices and the language we use that is of interest.

• Lecture, four units. Designed for international students planning to study at an American university. Students research suitable undergraduate or graduate programs, interview advisors at local universities, and learn to write an effective personal statement. Additional focus on academic reading, vocabulary and speaking skills. Offered in summer only. P/NP or letter grading.

• Students who take this course aim to apply analytic skills towards real world English language interactional scenarios. They are interested in learning how to conduct analytical inquiry, report their findings, articulate their interests with regard to inquiry, and develop original written materials that they can apply to their educational goals. For these students, analytical know-how is key, as they learn to address personal goals that directly impact future success.

• Lecture, four units. Designed to improve reading speed and comprehension and knowledge of academic writing conventions. Emphasis on synthesizing information from sources, providing proper citations, and avoiding plagiarism.  A major focus is on developing the ability to revise and edit one’s own writing. Offered in summer only. P/NP or letter grading.

• Students who take this course want to focus on increasing their reading comprehension and on improving their academic writing skills. They want to read engaging pieces that challenge their own unique thoughts and perspectives, and they draw upon this reflexive process to build new arguments that they develop over short essays. For these students, critical thinking skills and argumentative expression are central.

• Lecture, four units. Emphasis on giving business and marketing-focused presentations (both individual and group), handling audience questions, and running effective meetings. Video-recording of student performances allows students to improve through self-evaluation as well as individualized instructor feedback. Offered in summer only. P/NP or letter grading.

• Students who take this course want to polish their oral professional skills in meaningful and impactful ways. They are interested in learning more about everyday business interactions, conceptualizing and leading meetings, pitching new information through presentations, and addressing business-related interactional scenarios. For these students, learning how to successfully conduct spoken business interactions is of the highest importance.

• Lecture, four units. Emphasis on writing persuasive texts for diverse business audiences. Topics include writing effective summaries and reports, researching a company, and developing a professional online profile. Offered in summer only. P/NP or letter grading.

• Students who take this course want to polish their written professional skills in meaningful and impactful ways. They are interested in learning more about everyday business correspondence, understanding professional documents, developing their resume, and enhancing their presence in business-related social media outlets. For these students, learning how to successfully conduct written business communications is the desired outcome.

Theme for Summer 2019: Sex, Gender & Sexuality

• Lecture, four units. Survey of selective language structures through their occurrence within contemporary cultural and societal topics within thematic, content-based English language learning environment. P/NP or letter grading.

• Students who take this course are interested in surveying language structures as they emerge through contemporary cultural and societal topics. Topics may include gender, sexuality, politics, humor, intercultural communication, media, environmental issues, local/regional identity, etc. This class focuses on developing students’ oral and written ability to use language within authentic contexts through meaningful discussions and assignments.

• Lecture, four units. Review of form and use of common grammatical structures found in written and spoken American English discourse. Analysis of the stylistic function of certain structures and practice in developing self-editing strategies. P/NP or letter grading.

• Students who take this course want to gain higher proficiency in their structural command of English. They want to ensure that others fully understand the meaning they wish to convey, be it through written or spoken messages. They know how difficult grammar can be, but are determined to crack the code so that it is more readily accessible to them. For these students, the chief objective is a general refinement of form and meaning.

• Lecture, four units. Specialized topics in English as a second language or English for academic purposes. Emphasis varies according to topics covered and/or audience to whom the course is directed. May be repeated for credit with topic change. Offered in summer only. P/NP (undergraduates), S/U (graduates), or letter grading.