Undergraduate credit courses

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What's it like to take an English for Multilingual Speakers (EMLS) credit course? Richie, a University of Waterloo undergraduate student, shares her experiences taking EMLS credit courses. 

English for Multilingual Speakers (EMLS) courses for undergraduate students

English Language Studies offers EMLS credit courses for University of Waterloo undergraduate students who want to improve their English language skills.

Undergraduate EMLS Course Offerings

EMLS 101R: Oral Communications for Academic Purposes

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.

[Note: Not open to fluent speakers of English.]

EMLS 102R: Clear Communication in English Writing

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.

[Note: Not open to fluent writers of English.]

EMLS 103R: Effective English Pronunciation

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.

[Note: Not open to fluent speakers of English.]

EMLS 104R: Reading and Listening for Academic Purposes

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.

[Note: Not open to fluent speakers or writers of English.]

EMLS 105R: English in Employment Contexts

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.

[Note: not open to fluent speakers and writers of English.]

EMLS 110R: Communicating in Canadian Academic Contexts

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.

[Note: Not open to fluent speakers or writers of English.]

EMLS 129R: Written Academic English

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.

[Note: Not open to fluent writers of English.]

(Cross-listed with ENGL 129R)