The skills development courses in academic writing and reading are courses meant to help students develop and sharpen their skills in these two key areas of college study.  Whether those students need additional capabilities from an English as a Second Language standpoint or simply as a way to master these vital skills as native speakers of English, this multi-level sequence of courses is aimed at readying students for English 101 and other basic university coursework in the varied disciplines offered by Northeastern Illinois University.

Course Offerings

ESL-108 Listening and Speaking, 3 cr. (English language

learners.) Practice in the listening and speaking skills used

in American universities, with emphasis on comprehension

of brief academic lectures, presentation of brief reports, and

participation in class discussion.

ELP-112 Academic Writing Workshop I , 3 cr. Basic principles of personal essay writing

in English, with emphasis on developing sentence level skills.

ELP-114 Academic Writing Workshop II, 3 cr. Introduction to the basic principles used

in writing expository essays based on personal experience,

and intensive work to improve sentence level skills.

ELP-120 Academic Writing Workshop III, 3 cr. Practice and instruction in writing expository

essays, with emphasis on paragraph development,

increased fluency in written English, and proofreading skills.

ELP-121 English Grammar Skills, 3 cr. (English language learners.) Analysis of and practice in selected English

grammatical patterns, with special emphasis on their

academic application. To be taken in conjunction with

ELP-120.

READ-115 Academic Reading Workshop I, 3 cr. Designed

to meet the needs of those students who

wish to improve their English reading comprehension. Active

reading of English is promoted through intensive reading,

vocabulary development, conversation and writing. Reading

for meaning is emphasized. Understanding the importance

of intercultural communications and understanding the

relationship between language and culture is developed.

Registration by permit only.

READ-116 Academic Reading Workshop II, 3cr.

Designed to meet the needs those students who have advanced English language proficiency

and wish to further develop their reading comprehension.

Advanced reading skills such as interpretation, inference,

critical analysis, evaluation, application, author style and

tone, and technical and literary terminology are emphasized

in order to comprehend more complex literary genres, including

content-specific materials. Registration by permit only.

READ-117 Vocabulary Enrichment, 3 cr. Designed to meet

the needs of students who wish to enhance their vocabulary

to promote success in reading college text and work-related

materials. Strategies for coping with unfamiliar words in text

are emphasized. Registration by permit only.