English for Academics and Professionals (EAP)

The English Language Center EAP offers one English language course per fall and spring semester at no tuition charge to Vanderbilt international undergraduate and graduate students. (Tuition is $440 for one course for Medical Center affiliated.)

One course addresses writing issues for internationals and the other will address speaking issues. Students will meet both as a group and individually with an instructor to work on their specific language needs. The focus of the classes will be on attending to language and organizational concerns rather than content. ELC instructors will work with professors in the departments involved to ensure the Honor Code is not being violated.

Students will complete a language assessment which will include a writing sample for the academic writing class and a short interview for the academic speaking class. The instructor will use these assessments to develop a language profile for each student with specific areas to focus on during the course. In the writing courses these areas may include language issues such as reducing wordiness, emphasizing main points, summarizing and using parallel structures. In the speaking courses areas of focus would include accent reduction, preparing and using visuals, and asking and answering questions effectively.

Please note -- Once registered, 75% attendance or better is required. If you register for a course but receive a failing grade due to insufficient attendance/performance, you may not be able to register for future EAP courses and departments will be notified.

EAP COURSES ARE ONLY OFFERED DURING FALL AND SPRING SEMESTERS.

 

Procedure for Applying for EAP COURSES:

1] Go to Click HERE below to complete the survey.
2] Your survey will only be processed if you include information in ALL fields of the survey. You must include a VU email address and department.
3] Only 1 course may be selected.
4] Submit survey.
5] Wait for someone from the ELC to contact you regarding testing date.
6] Placement into course sections is basd on 1) first-come, first-served basis and 2) schedule availability.

The survey may close before testing date depending on the number of applicants.

 

SURVEY CLOSED DUE TO NUMBER OF APPLICANTS
Click HERE starting December 1 to apply for Spring '09 TESTING AND COURSES

Course Descriptions and Schedules

ACADEMIC WRITING
The course in “Academic Writing” is designed for international students who need assistance with completing their writing assignments. The activities in the “Academic Writing” course will be tailored to the students' individual writing needs and goals. Students will choose individual assignments based on the real-life writing that their academic fields require. Possible assignments include writing a technical report, completing an annotated bibliography, and writing an abstract. Skills such as gathering and citing sources, quoting, paraphrasing, and synthesizing information will be addressed. In addition, for all assignments, difficulties at the sentence, paragraph, and text level will be dealt with in an effort to encourage clear, accurate communication of content. Students will receive feedback on assignments in class and in individual writing conferences with the instructor. Enrollment in each section of the course will be limited to fifteen students to allow instructors to meet individually with students to address their specific language needs.

When:
Days/Times TBA
September 8 - December 9, 2008

Fee:

No tuition fee for VU Students for one course. (Tuition is $440 for one course for Medical Center affiliated.)

Textbook:

Success with Graduate and Scholarly Writing. Sheryl Holt. Aspen Productions.
Available at VU Rand Bookstore

Class Location:
ELC, Room number TBA

ACADEMIC SPEAKING
The “Academic Speaking” course will be designed for international students whose English speaking skills need improvement. The objective of “Academic Speaking” will be to strengthen all aspects of speaking ability, especially in academic contexts. Objectives of the course will include increasing intelligibility, increasing fluency, increasing accuracy, and improving public speaking skills. Activities will include developing discussion skills, improving pronunciation, and preparing for conference presentations. Students will receive feedback on assignments in class and in individual meetings with the instructor. Enrollment in each section of the course will be limited to fifteen students to allow instructors to meet individually with students to address their specific language needs.

When:
TBA
September 8 - December 11, 2008

Fee:

No tuition fee for VU Students for one course (Tuition is $440 for one course for Medical Center affiliated.)

Textbook:

TBA Available at VU Rand Bookstore

Class Location:

ELC, Room number TBA

Students, staff and faculty who cannot take EAP courses can register for courses in our Pre-EAP program. Classes generally meet five days per week and students can take courses in a variety of different skill areas including writing, speaking, pronunciation, and reading.

Registration

Students who are interested in taking either of these courses should CLICK HERE TO Sign up FOR TESTING AND COURSES. Testing for Fall 2008 is on September 3 at 9:00 at the ELC. Late testing is TBA.

For more information regarding content, testing, and registration, please contact:

Linda Roth, Language Teaching Specialist
Tel: 615-322-7571 Fax: 615-343-9842
Email: linda.s.roth@vanderbilt.edu

For more information regarding eligibility, please contact:

Susan Barone, Director
Tel: 615-322-7571 Fax: 615-343-9842
Email: susan.m.barone@vanderbilt.edu


Back to top.