Directed research leading to completion of an extended essay to be submitted to the Honors Committee. Both courses are required of honors candidates. Graded on a year-long basis. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.engl.virginia.edu/courses.

Political propaganda often persuades through conspiracy theories that create suspicion and fear. This course examines the rhetorical strategies of conspiracy-driven propaganda from the 20th and 21st centuries. By examining the arguments, evidence, images, myths, and tropes that animate propaganda and conspiracy theories, we will identify how they are circulated to inflame our emotions, exploit our prejudices, and bias our decision-making.

This course prepares first year doctoral students for the teaching they will do here at UVa in both literature classes and the writing program. Covers topics such as classroom management, leading discussion, grading papers. Limited enrollment. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.engl.virginia.edu/courses.

Participants learn and practice ways to improve oral and written communication in the workplace. Activities relate to the participant's work. Goals include improving fluency, accuracy, and comprehensibility. Learning and practicing vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar in work related contexts are an important part of the course. Participants will also learn about and discuss issues relating to workplace culture in North America.

This course is designed for students who need work on controlling English syntax. Students review and practice important structures. Norms of organization and rhetorical expression are introduced. Writing tasks, which complement the work with structures, will be contextualized in the student's field of study.

Students focus on organization and rhetorical models of academic English. Sentence structure, grammar, and mechanics are reviewed as needed. Writing tasks, which complement the work with rhetorical models, will be contextualized in the student's field of study.

This course, for students whose first languages are not English, focuses on building oral and aural skills to successfully navigate interactions in the university and larger community. Instruction includes small group conversational practice as well as idiomatic vocabulary building and English pronunciation and discourse strategies. 

Students will learn and practice strategies to enhance oral communication with colleagues, classmates, and professional contacts. They will gain skills in conversing with individuals and groups, in group problem solving, and in giving presentations. While pronunciation and listening skills are not the main focus of this course, recommendations for self-study in this area will be given. Vocabulary and structures will be addressed as needed.

ESL 909 is a course designed for students who need both to practice speaking in academic contexts and to develop their presentation skills. Course activities include discussing academic topics, summarizing texts, paraphrasing, reporting research, and organizing and giving oral presentations, particularly in a poster presentation. Pronunciation is addressed as needed.

This course addresses skills and strategies international graduate students need to carry out teaching responsibilities and provides practice for effective intercultural communication. These skills transfer to other settings. Students successfully complete the course by demonstrating their ability to convey content information from their field to either undergraduate students or to other audiences in a comprehensible and appropriate manner.