7 undergraduate courses in the 2024–25 Undergraduate Calendar, and 5 graduate courses in the Spring 2025 Graduate Calendar.
Undergraduate
EMLS 101ROral Communications for Academic Purposes0.50 units
Designed specifically for students for whom English is not the first language, this course introduces group discussion strategies and presentation skills. Students will improve their informal and formal speaking skills to meet current social, academic, and business practices. A focus on pronunciation and vocabulary assists learners to better engage in conversations and listen to and deliver English presentations. Materials organization, rhetorical devices, nonverbal communication, group management, and intonation patterns are examined.
EMLS 102RClear Communication in English Writing0.50 units
Designed specifically for students for whom English is not the first language, this course offers sentence-level instruction in grammar and idiom to teach students to produce, evaluate, and edit writing under time constraints. It emphasizes readability and error reduction in sentences and paragraphs.
EMLS 103REffective English Pronunciation0.50 units
Designed specifically for students for whom English is not the first language, this course has an intensive focus on the structure of the English sound system with a view to improving pronunciation. Vowel and consonant sounds are practised as well as the phonetic elements above those sounds, such as stress, intonation, and rhythm. The goal is for students to identify their problem areas and to develop strategies to improve their comprehensibility.
EMLS 104RReading and Listening for Academic Purposes0.50 units
Designed specifically for students for whom English is not the first language, this course offers instruction in reading and listening strategies. Students learn macro and micro reading and listening strategies to improve their reading comprehension and speed and their listening and note-taking skills. Students also build their academic vocabulary.
Designed for students for whom English is not the first language, this course draws attention to linguistic and workplace cultural features that support essential employment skills such as clarifying instructions, collaborating effectively, providing feedback, and using small talk appropriately.
Antirequisites
Not open to fluent speakers and writers of English
EMLS 110RCommunicating in Canadian Academic Contexts0.50 units
Designed specifically for students for whom English is not the first language, this course introduces students to North American academic expectations. Students learn to identify attitude and intent in text, to recognize North American patterns of organization, to select and acknowledge appropriate primary and secondary sources, and to present ideas cohesively in speaking and writing.
Designed specifically for students for whom English is not the first language, this writing skills course provides instruction in grammar, sentence and paragraph structure, elements of composition, and academic essay writing, including a focus on theme, development of central ideas, exposition, and argumentation.
EMLS 601RSpeaking English for Professional Purposes0.50 units
A focus on speaking, pronunciation, vocabulary, and listening skills helps second language speakers of English in both academic and professional contexts. The course targets pronunciation errors that prevent comprehensibility and develops delivery skills for teaching, presenting papers, and defending theses. It includes strategies for reducing errors in speech and improving listening comprehension.
Designed specifically for graduate students for whom English is not the first language, English 602R introduces the skills and knowledge required to write a variety of informative and persuasive documents, both at university and at work. A primary goal is to enhance students' ability to write for readers with varying levels of technical knowledge. To that end, the course focuses not only on vocabulary building (including idioms) but also on clear, concise and correct communication.
EMLS 612RProfessional Writing for Engineers0.50 units
Designed specifically for graduate students for whom English is not the first language, English 612R introduces the skills and knowledge required to write a variety of documents frequently required of engineers both at university and at work. The course goals are to teach the conventions of professional documents, increase vocabulary, and enhance the writer's ability to write clearly, concisely, and correctly.
EMLS 621RSpeaking Effectively About Your Research0.50 units
Designed specifically for graduate students whose first language is not English, this course supports students in developing their communicative competence in oral assignments directly related to their graduate thesis work. Through oral-defense scenarios, students will receive extensive feedback on their speaking, listening, and paralinguistic skills to develop greater confidence in their thesis proposals, comprehensive exams, and thesis defenses.
This course develops the skills and knowledge required to write theses and journal articles. A guided analysis of academic texts clarifies disciplinary conventions. Written assignments are directly related to the student's research work, and feedback is customized. [Notes: This course is not open to fluent writers of English. It is recommended, but not required, that students take EMLS 602R: Scholarly Writing in English before they take EMLS 622R. It is recommended that students take EMLS 622R close to the time they write their theses. Graded on a CR/NCR basis.]