The courses offered in the English Language and Culture Bridge are highly advanced, with a specific focus on university-level reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. In addition, the course work concentrates on the American academic culture and the specific preparation for requirements at Seattle University.
This course is designed to provide students with the foundation of academic reading and writing skills necessary for success at an American university. The class focuses on the writing process, development of essential writing skills, and the format and organization of academic writing in English. Throughout the course, students work on expanding their academic vocabulary and improving fluency, accuracy, and effectiveness in writing. The course also underscores effective reading strategies, reading comprehension, and critical thinking. The materials and ideas from readings serve as a springboard to writing assignments and tasks.
The class prepares students for active participation in American university classroom. It focuses on strategies for effective communication with peers, faculty, and staff. Students work on lecture comprehension and note-taking. The course also raises awareness of the distinction between formal and informal communication protocols and between social and academic registers. Students continuously work on spoken fluency development, overall intelligibility, and speech clarity.
This class focuses on elements of more formal public speaking assignments such as presentations and debates. Students also learn strategies, language, and cultural norms for communicating with peers in discussion groups or in group projects. In addition, the course focuses on choosing social or academic registers and employing appropriate formal or informal communication protocols. Students continuously work on spoken fluency development, overall intelligibility, and speech clarity.
This course helps students write well-researched, organized, and correctly documented research papers. Students learn how to find, evaluate, and document sources as well as incorporate information from research into their writing while following the principles of academic honesty. Throughout the course, students expand their academic vocabulary and writing fluency, accuracy, and effectiveness. This course is specifically designed for non-native speakers of English.
The course is designed to assist international graduate students with meeting the rigorous demands of graduate programs by providing them with communication skills necessary for American graduate classrooms and academic skills needed for conducting and presenting graduate-level research. The course provides students with strategies for successful participation in graduate classroom such as leading discussions, challenging ideas politely, and being inclusive. Students learn how to avoid plagiarism and find and utilize research resources online and on campus. Finally, students learn how to prepare and deliver clear, compelling, and visually effective presentations in order to present their research at conferences or in class. Throughout the course, students increase their awareness of U.S. academic culture and expectations. The course accommodates a broad range of student research areas and fields of study.
The class prepares students for the rigorous demands of reading and writing assignments in American university courses. Students practice effective reading strategies, summarizing, and paraphrasing academic texts. Students learn how to evaluate sources and incorporate information from readings into their writing while avoiding plagiarism. Throughout the course, students continue to expand their academic vocabulary and writing fluency, accuracy, and effectiveness.
Note: ENGL 1010 counts toward undergraduate degree as an elective.