MEI offers part-time courses open to anyone in the university community or in the community at large. These courses:
- have no admissions requirements
- meet twice a week for two hours
- last from five to eight weeks
- are offered after 3 p.m.
American English Pronunciation
This is an eight-week course. It is designed for professionals and community members who want to improve their pronunciation. Participants will:
- have their main pronunciation needs identified
- learn methods to address these needs
- learn to evaluate their pronunciation
- learn practice techniques for continuing improvement
The course combines self-directed study with the guidance and feedback of an instructor. Features of the course include:
- customized assignments to address individual pronunciation needs
- pronunciation practice designed for the specific needs of participants
- extensive guidance on daily practice activities outside the classroom
- video and audio recordings for instructor and student evaluation
- evaluations at the beginning, middle, and end of the course
- strategies and practice activities for ongoing improvement
Dynamic Discussions
This is a six-week course. It is designed for professionals and community members who want to improve their ability to participate in business and academic discussions. Upon completion of the course, participants will be able to:
- describe the common types of discussion formats and the purpose of each
- identify and apply language used to perform speech acts required by discussion leaders, including opening a discussion, managing speaker contributions, maintaining discussion focus, and concluding a discussion
- identify and apply language used to perform speech acts required by discussion participants, including introducing a topic, taking the floor, holding the floor, taking turns, expressing opinions, reporting facts, offering alternative points of view, raising objections, and contributing supporting details
Features of the course include:
- regular participation in animated discussions based on current events and important issues of the day
- the opportunity to lead, with a partner, at least one discussion during the class
- private tutorial sessions for discussion leaders in preparation for the discussion they lead
- regular feedback to help participants develop their American English pronunciation patterns and their awareness of the roles and rules implicit in group discussions.
Writing in American English
This is an eight-week course to help participants improve their writing in the American English format. The course has three components:
- process writing
- peer review
- instructor input
Specifically, participants learn to:
- take a topic and develop focus
- identify purpose and audience before writing
- work with a menu of brainstorming methods
- organize writing into an outline according to a variety of formats
- give and receive peer feedback for writing done during the course
- work on skills for self-correction after receiving teacher feedback
- describe in detail the goals and methods of process writing
With active participation in this course, students enjoy two primary benefits: (1) an awareness of their needs as a writer; and (2) increased confidence in their ability to write in American English.
Schedule
These courses are generally run on an as-requested basis. If you or your group are interested in one of these courses, please contact MEI.
