Instructor: Leslie Wiles
Class location and time: NH 362     2:00 - 3:50  T, Th
Office: East Hall 343
Office Hours: Monday 3:15 - 4:15
Phone: 725-9189
E-mail: wilesl@pdx.edu
Homepage: http://web.pdx.edu/~siebertl

Textbook: Academic Listening Encounters: Listening, Note Taking, & Discussions, by Miriam Espeseth

Materials: Cassette tape

Class Objectives:
The main goal of this class is to improve your speaking and listening skills for academic study and everyday conversation.  We will focus on listening practice, communication skills, pronunciation practice, learning strategies, and cross-cultural communication.

In the speaking part of this class you will:

• Prepare and present a 5-7 minute individual presentation and several group and pair presentations
• Practice interviewing skills by interviewing your classmates and others outside of the classroom
• Speak in impromptu situations on familiar topics
• Develop the skills necessary to participate in small group discussions such as
• Asking and answering questions
• Requesting clarification
• Stating opinions
• Talking about past events
• Increase your awareness of personal pronunciation problems and diminish these through practice and exercises
• Demonstrate mastery of level 3 grammar in spoken English

• Develop a system of note taking to use primarily when listening to academic lectures
• Use telephone menus to retrieve information
• Practice a variety of listening skills including
• Guessing meaning from context
• Recognizing lexical phrases and cohesive devices
• Recognizing reduced forms and stress and intonation patterns in American English

Attendance: Attendance is part of your grade. If you miss 3 or more classes, it will lower your grade. If you must miss a class, please call or e-mail me before the class. Also remember that you are responsible for any information you miss if you are absent. If you miss a quiz, test, or your presentation you cannot make it up, so please make sure to be in class on those days.

Participation: Active participation in all class activities is required. If you participate actively, you will learn more in this class. Please try your best!

Grading: Your final grade will be based on your class participation (both listening and speaking) including homework, presentations, midterm listening exams, and final exam. Scores must be above 70% in all areas in order to pass to level 4 listening / speaking.