Academic Track

Students who enter the program with a TOEFL iBT (or equivalent) score of 54 or below, or who enter with no standardized English proficiency score at all, but wish to eventually matriculate into the degree seeking Taylor program will take a minimum of twelve credit hours of the following courses.

•    ESL082: Academic Listening and Speaking (4 credits)

Course Description: This course provides students with the tools necessary to thrive in an American university, in and out of the classroom. Students will gain focused instruction and experience in speaking skills and listening skills through practical assignments that tailor the classroom experience to fit each student’s academic interests and needs. Students will learn and practice classroom communication, group work, presentation skills, note-taking strategies, classroom lecture comprehension, and conversational listening.

•   ESL072: Academic Reading and Writing (4 credits)

Course Description: Through this course, students will be introduced to the world of academic reading and writing in an American university. Students will not only learn reading skills necessary to comprehend a text, but also strategies to manage a typical reading load for a university student. Students will also receive practice and instruction in composing many different forms of writing assignments found in American classrooms.

•    ESL061: Grammar Lab (2 credits) fall semester elective

Course Description: This course integrates classroom grammar instruction with meaningful noticing and production of level-appropriate grammar points.

•    IAS171: American Pop Culture (2 credits) fall semester elective

Course Description: This course is designed to cause students to reflect on their home culture while learning through discussion, lectures, and experience key aspects of American pop culture.

•    ESL065: TOEFL Preparation (2 credits) fall semester elective

Course Description: This course provides students with the skills and strategies to succeed on the TOEFL through test simulations, vocabulary building, and four-skill instruction and practice.

•    ESL067: Advanced Vocabulary (2 credits) spring semester elective

Course Description: This course prepares students to be life-long vocabulary learners though content-based lexical instruction and vocabulary skill-building practice.

•    ESL068: American English Pronunciation (2 credits) spring semester elective

Course Description: This course focuses on improving both the accuracy and fluency of students spoken English through instruction and meaningfully contextualized practice in individual sounds, sound combinations, and intonation of English words, phrases, and sentences.

Students in the Academic Track who do not meet the requirements for matriculation, but wish to remain at Taylor for the following semester will be eligible to enroll in the academic track. Students who meet the requirements for Taylor admission will enter a bridge program for their first semester, taking ESL091 or ESL093 along with 9 credit hours of Taylor courses.