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Linguistics 380, 381, 480

Study English in a group setting

Group English classes are offered through the Department of Linguistics for international graduate students and scholars to help improve their spoken and written skills. Classes are offered throughout the academic year and are limited to fifteen students (including auditors). Please note that beginning in Summer Quarter 2016, all of our services (group classes, tutoring, and NativeAccent) are offered as non-credit courses. These courses will appear on student transcripts: the possible grades are "satisfactory" and "unsatisfactory". Although students will receive a grade, the grade will not affect GPA. Because these courses carry zero-credit, they will also not affect student courseloads. Non-students, including faculty, postdocs, staff, and visiting scholars, will be registered unofficially as auditors. Both students and staff/scholars must register for services through English Language programs.

Courses are designed for students at intermediate and advanced levels of English proficiency. Courses are taught by advanced linguistics graduate student teaching assistants or experienced instructors with advanced degrees in Linguistics and/or TESOL.

Linguistics 380 covers spoken English skills and is offered in all four quarters. In the fall, this course focuses on pronunciation and intonation. In the winter, the focus is on fluency, conversation, and culture and academic presentations. In the spring, we offer a section on functions of American English and preparation for the SPEAK test. Special sections of Linguistics 380 are designated for students in the Integrated Academic Skills program in fall and winter quarters.

Linguistics 381 covers written academic English and is offered in the fall and spring quarters. 

Students and scholars of The Graduate School have first priority for registration in our courses, and students who register via CAESAR have priority over auditors. Please note that TGS graduate students may not audit courses, they may only participate as registered students.

To be notified when registration opens, please make sure to sign up for our mailing list by sending a request via e-mail to elp@northwestern.edu. For more information on eligibility and how to register for our courses, please visit our registration page.

Linguistics 482 and 483 are noncredit courses for students enrolled in our Tutoring Program or NativeAccent™ speech training software. Eligible students are enrolled automatically by The Graduate School once students have successfully applied online through our English Language Programs application for these services.

For more information on course meeting dates, times, and instructors, please see our yearly course schedule.