Course Descriptions

Six Levels

The Institute for International Studies places students into one of six levels. Students are placed into a level according to a TOEFL score and/or the placement test IIS administers before classes begin.

Level 1 focuses on functional language that students need to cope with the challenges of daily living in an English-speaking environment. It also concentrates on strengthening grammar skills and building a large vocabulary of basic words to enable students to express their ideas on a variety of general and personal topics in both speech and writing.

Level 2 refines oral, listening, reading, and writing skills for personal purposes giving students confidence to communicate successfully with Americans. It begins to introduce and familiarize students to academic skills utilized in a college classroom.

Level 3 continues to provide communication and writing practice on general topics and develops critical reading and listening skills. Level 3 also moves students from an emphasis on functional language toward English for academic purposes. Classroom topics become more factual than personal in nature, and tasks increasingly require objective responses as students practice simplified academic tasks in all language skills.

Level 4 assists students to engage in meaningful conversation with native speakers and offers extensive writing that practices the expression of more complex subjects. Level 4 prepares students for academic success by helping them refine their receptive and productive language skills in the context of academically oriented topics, tasks, and materials.

Level 5 develops the ability to communicate depth of thought through expression of opinions and debates on controversial subjects in speaking and writing. It provides students with academic tasks and materials similar to that used in college courses.

Level 6 is designed for students who will enter, or are already enrolled in a university undergraduate or graduate program. This level provides academic tasks in the context of challenging topics and advanced vocabulary that parallel college level courses.

Main Courses

ENG0032 Oral Communication I
Develops basic listening and speaking skills used in everyday situations, such as greetings, introductions, telling time, making appointments, requesting information, and listening for specific information.

ENG0042 Oral Communication II
Increases conversational fluency on day-to-day topics related to daily life. Practices listening for main ideas and simple content details. Introduces presentation and note-taking skills.

ENG0052 Oral Communication III
Teaches listening, speaking, and presentation skills needed for a college-level class. Practices identifying the main topic and supporting details through short academic lectures and discussion.

ENG0062 Oral Communication IV
Further exercises listening skills in order to comprehend college-level lectures. Develops oral fluency in current events, social issues, and academic interest.

ENG0072 Oral Communication V
Continues extensive practice in listening to academic lectures and taking notes. Develops listening skills to recognize main ideas in a lecture. Practices preparing and delivering formal oral presentations. Focuses on discussion skills in supporting opinions and responding to the opinions of others.

ENG0082 Oral Communication VI
Offers advanced listening and note-taking skills in an authentic academic setting. Engages students in discussion and presentations on a variety of academic content.

ENG0033 Reading and Writing I
Introduces simple and compound sentences as well as writing basic paragraphs using proper formats. Provides reading practice to improve comprehension of narrative and simple, factual texts relating to daily life.

ENG0043 Reading and Writing II
Practices writing simple, compound, and basic complex sentences in compositions. Applies content of readings to specific tasks such as problem solving or decision-making by identifying the main idea, topic sentences, and supporting details.

ENG0053 Reading and Writing III
Refines knowledge of paragraph structure and organization. Focuses on producing well-developed essays and expository writing on academic topics. Develops a variety of critical thinking skills in reading comprehension.

ENG0063 Reading and Writing IV
Gives techniques to plan, write, and revise well-formed essays in different rhetorical modes. Teaches students to analyze, synthesize, and critique reading and writing.

ENG0073 Reading and Writing V
Reviews formal academic essays and refines research-writing techniques culminating in a formal research paper. Practices research skills, and learn how to present, synthesize, analyze, and evaluate information in a research paper. Provides extensive reading of authentic advanced academic texts with the purpose of evaluating the information.

ENG0083 Reading and Writing VI
Refines writing skills through different types of college-level writing, which includes a research paper similar to one required in an undergraduate class.

ENG0069 American Culture A (Levels 1-2)
Introduces American culture through values, thought patterns, language, and customs. Provides opportunities to practice communicative language to gain vocabulary, confidence, and skills necessary to interact with Americans in routine situations related to American life and culture.

ENG0079 American Culture B (Levels 3-4)
Explores the meaning behind the American values, thought patterns, language, and customs through lectures, individual and group activities.

ENG0089 American Culture C (Levels 5-6)
Engages in an in-depth analysis of American culture through readings and research. Allows students to choose their own research topic for cultural comparison.

Elective Courses (offered as needed)

ENG0065 Business English (Levels 4-6)
Prepares students for success in the world of international business by providing oral and written communication tools, knowledge of management concepts, and familiarity with etiquette and corporate culture needed to succeed professionally and socially in the global market place.

ENG0034 Drama
Introduces drama, drama styles, and drama history. Improves skills in reading, writing, listening, speaking, physical expression, mental discipline, and self-confidence.

ENG0037 Pronunciation
Provides individualized help to perfecting pronunciation. Practices pronunciation, stress, intonation, and phrase reductions to improve intelligibility of speech production.

ENG0045 Song Lyrics
Uses English-language music to practice listening, writing, and speaking skills and to develop an awareness of American culture.

ENG0050 TOEFL Preparation (Levels 3-6)
Prepares students for the Test Of English as a Foreign Language exam. Isolates specific skills for development. Offers diagnostic and practice tests to check progress.

ENG0070 TOEIC Preparation (Levels 3-6)
Teaches students the purpose, format, scoring system, and test-taking strategies of the Test of English for International Communication. Gives special attention to the vocabulary of business, commerce, and industry as an integral part of the test. Offers diagnostic and practice tests to check progress.

ENG0035 Video
Uses videos of popular TV series and movies to help improve their listening, speaking, and writing skills while learning about American culture.

ENG0036 Vocabulary and Idioms
Introduces techniques for learning and remembering vocabulary and idioms. Practices context clues and word analysis to help develop strategies to discover the meaning of unfamiliar words using monolingual dictionaries.

ENG0055 World Events (Levels 4-6)
Improves reading, writing, and speaking skills through examining current world issues on TV, movies, newspapers, and weekly magazines.