Course Descriptions

ESL 101 Listening and Speaking (3)
As students focus on the reproduction of sounds, accents, and sentence flow as heard from the instructor and from a variety of spoken sources, they will have opportunities to improve both listening and speaking skills.

ESL 102 Reading (3)
Through the use of practical print media, students will expand their basic vocabulary, improve their reading speed, and enhance their ability to understand and remember what they read.

ESL 103 Writing (3)
This course builds skills in sentence and paragraph writing. The “4 Square” pattern of developing mature sentences from single context words will be used to create coherent five paragraph written documents.

ESL 104 Grammar (3)
The focus of this course is to increase students’ knowledge of and usage of simple verb tenses, sentence structure, subject-verb agreement, how sentence make-up differs from their first language structure, as well as other basic components of grammar.

ESL 201 Listening and Speaking (3)
Instruction will emphasize auditory comprehension of new vocabulary in the context of the spoken word. A variety of activities will be used to give the student listening experiences, followed by practice in the verbal reproduction of those experiences.

ESL 202 Reading (3)
This course will develop word recognition, spelling and vocabulary improvement as the student experiences practice in both oral and silent reading with resources such as the text materials, print copy and the Internet.

ESL 203 Writing (3)
Writing emphasis will focus on gaining a greater familiarity with more complex sentences in the context of multiple-sentence paragraphs. Students will move from shorter simple sentence construction to the use of connecting words to create more mature writing.

ESL 204 Grammar (3)
Students will examine the several parts of speech normally employed in the use of English and will gain a greater understanding of how and where those parts form the basis for English communication.

ESL 301 Listening and Speaking (3)
By developing listening and response strategies, the student will have opportunities to understand and reproduce the English language at a greater speed. Increased contextual vocabulary will result in an improved ability to understand and repeat the flow of English.

ESL 302 Reading (3)
Using multiple written sources of varying lengths, students will explore main ideas, themes, symbolism, and recognition of some figurative language while improving their active vocabulary.

ESL 303 Writing (3)
Students will gain skills in increasing sentence and paragraph maturity by understanding how to add descriptive detail through “brainstorming” methods and by drawing on dynamic words to add clarity and interest to their writing.

ESL 304 Grammar (3)
This study will explore complex English syntax as the student moves to more sophisticated tenses, to reproducing the four main types of sentences, to comparatives and superlatives, in addition to various other grammar elements.

ESL 401 Listening and Speaking (3)
Topical conversations, dramatic readings, and lectures will be some of the listening sources used to stimulate confidence in daily conversations, in text-related question/answer sessions and in oral presentations.

ESL 402 Reading (3)
Reading longer passages from a variety of sources of interest, the student will gain skills in critically analyzing subject matter. This course will impact the student’s ability to actively use a higher level of English.

ESL 403 Writing (3)
The student will develop skills in pre-writing strategies, organizational activities, rough drafting, editing and final drafting. Summarizing and essay construction will assist the student in preparing for academic classes.

ESL 404 Grammar (3)
Students will examine various texts in order to understand and define what constitutes good grammar. Analysis and correction of examples of poor grammar will help students prepare for academic classes.

ESL 001 Intensive Pronunciation Workshop (3)
This intensive course is designed specifically for students who have difficulty mastering in English pronunciation. Students will experience practice in various vowel and consonant sounds, vowel glides, consonant digraphs, and normal intonation and sentence flow. Instruction will focus on targeted sounds, followed by practical use in sentence contexts.

ESL 011 Introduction to American Culture (3)
This course is designed for high-intermediate to familiarize them with American life and to help facilitate their adjustment to American culture. The class will introduce students to basic concepts and current issues of American society and help them learn more about US history, geography, government, and popular culture.

ESL 021 Current Events (3)
The current events class gives students an opportunity to improve their listening ability, increase their vocabulary, and intelligently discuss the events that are in the news. In-class activities will include the use of current news videos, radio news, newspaper and magazine articles, group discussions, and group presentations.

ESL 031 TOEFL Preparation (3)
This course is designed for advanced ESL students to prepare the Test of English as a Foreign Language. Students will learn appropriate skills and test-taking strategies to improve their performance on the test. Students will practice taking sample TOEFL tests. After taking practice tests, the students will review all the sections and figure out mistakes.

ESL 041 English for Ministry (3) This course focuses on vocabulary and language functions common to church, liturgy, and community contexts. Students will learn how to communicate effectively for church ministry in English. They will write and give a personal testimony and will understand general vocabulary for Christian education.

ML 501 Linguistics (3)
Students will examine a broad range of linguistic structures for the purpose of understanding the components of language and how those elements relate to one another, in addition to applying their understanding to the study of language.

ML 502 Second Language Acquisition (3)
This course will examine the similarities and differences between language acquisition and language learning and the necessity of understanding their respective roles and significance in language pedagogy.

ML 503 Methods of Teaching ESL (3)
ESL methodology has often concentrated on adult literacy programs. This course will not ignore those methods, but will offer detailed examination of methods pertaining to a wide range of learners of various ages.

ML 504 Language and Culture (3)
The relationship between language and culture is of great significance to the ESL teacher. Customs, home life, traditions, and religion are among the several factors which impact the teacher's work. This course will present the teacher with the opportunity to turn these factors into successful experiences.

ML 505 Assessment and Testing (3)
The aim of this course is to present basic concepts of language proficiency assessment and to give ESL teachers the skills necessary to interpret test results so that their teaching might be focused on areas of greatest concern in their chosen environment. Students will investigate not only initial placement assessments, but also ongoing testing.

ML 506 Curriculum and Materials Design (3)
By assessing needs, students will learn to develop goals and a curriculum which have a broader base than individual lesson planning.
Emphasis will be placed on developing course outlines for a particular set of needs, then creating course units and lesson plans from a wide range of available materials.

ML 507 Program Management (3)
Though many teachers become adept at student management, there are other management concerns which are often overlooked. This course will address issues such as describing and marketing the ESL program, budgetary considerations, and personnel development.

ML 508 Teaching Grammar (3)
This course will emphasize the importance of knowing how grammar awareness plays an integral part in the learning of appropriate oral and written discourse. Students will gain an appreciation of how good grammar can lead to good learning acquisition.

ML 509 Teaching Reading and Writing (3)
Students will explore theories and issues relating to reading and writing in the ESL classroom and will have the opportunity to gain skills in the practical application of these theories.

ML 510 Teaching Pronunciation (3)
Pronunciation is often a problem for English language learners. This course will address these problems by analysis of phonetics and phonology and applying techniques which can assist the ESL teacher in identifying and correcting those problems.

ML 511 Sociological Implications for Language Study (3)
The basic tenets of seven world religions will be examined, as well as examples of how these religions have imbedded themselves in the language, thinking and life styles of various societies.

ML 512 Practicum in ESL (3)
Midwest University ESL programs will be used as a base for students to apply principles learned in lesson planning, curriculum development, methods and other practical ESL classes.
Attempts will be made to coordinate the student's area of concentration (elementary, middle school and high school) with students of approximate age level by establishing cooperative programs with local educational institutions.

ML 513 Second Language Research Methodology (3)
This course will familiarize students with the basic types of research design in second language acquisition studies and provide a feel for what research activities are like in second language studies by engaging students in several roles within a variety of mini-studies.

ML 514 Socio-cultural Theories in SLA (3)
This course will explore a view of learning and teaching the second language in view of current socio-cultural theories in the SLA and will outline the core statement of socio-cultural theory and its operationalizing in learning.

MLL 515 Understanding American Language and Culture (3)
Students will explore the nature of American English as one of the world Englishes and American cultural patterns in terms of history, language and tradition so that students can cultivate broad view on the U.S. culture within the spectrum of world cultures.