Passed June 24, 2013
Overview
American Culture IV is designed to be an upper-intermediate level content-based English course for those students who want to gain a better understanding of the values and conventions of American society. It will have comparable linguistic outcomes to General IV Reading/Writing as well as expose students to basic concepts about American culture such as values, history and government, home and family life, media and the arts, and diversity. Grammar objectives will be identical to those currently used in General IV; reading, vocabulary, and writing objectives will be similar but will be reflect the cultural content of the course.
Rationale
Experience with ELI students has demonstrated that most have little general knowledge of American culture, and this knowledge is vital to successful study in the U.S. As a broad survey, this Level IV elective could also serve as a precursor to more specific cultural study at the higher levels, including courses such as English through American History (V), English through the 1960s (V), and American Voices (VI). In addition, it may serve to stimulate interest in these more specific upper level culture electives. Finally, with the exception of Written Business IV, there are currently no alternative courses in Reading/Writing IV.
Target Students
This course is intended for any student (general, business-oriented, or academically bound) who has successfully completed Level III R/W or who is repeating Level IV.
Course Sequence
This course will follow Level III R/W and meet the requirements for Level IV. As with R/W IV, after successful completion of this course, students may proceed to General V, English through American History, Read It, Watch It, or Advanced Written Business; eligible students may also take the EAP skip test.
Texts
Required
Academic Encounters 2 Reading & Writing by Jessica Williams (Cambridge)
Understanding and Using English Grammar (with online component) by Betty Azar and Stacy Hagen (Pearson)
Recommended
Longman Dictionary of American English, 4th ed. (Pearson)