Disciplines & Courses
The academic program at PALS has been completely revised recently. In its new version, the program has become more learner-centered and pedagogically more challenging. At PALS, courses are delivered at eight levels:
- Beginners
- High Beginners
- Low Intermediate
- Intermediate
- High Intermediate
- Advanced
- Academic
- Pre-Professional
New students are placed at one or more levels based on the results of the Placement Test. Continuing students are placed according to the grades obtained in their completed session.
Disciplines
Courses of study are organized around four major disciplines covering both the written and spoken streams:
- Reading/Writing
- Structure
- Phonology/Listening
- Discussion
Each student has an individual schedule and may be attending different level classes in different skill sets.
Courses
Although courses are designed for different levels, each course carries a title and comes with well-defined learning objectives and exit criteria. Students cannot choose their courses. Courses are assigned according to the level of existing competency level and the learning needs of the student.
Some typical Courses in Reading-Writing
- Basic Writing in English
- Reading and Writing to Communicate
- Effective Paragraph Writing
- Functional Reading/Writing
- Developing Composition Skills I
- Developing Composition Skills II
- Essays: Reading & Writing
- Academic Writing
- Advanced Reading & Writing
- TOEFL prep
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Some typical courses in Phonology/Listening
- The English Sound System
- Listening & Communicating
- Mastering English Sounds
- The Stress Pattern in English Speech I
- The Stress Pattern in English Speech II
- Rhythm & Intonation
- Focus on Fluency
- Developing Clarity & Confidence
- Speaking Persuasively
- Advanced Speaking and Listening
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Some typical Courses in Structure
- Introduction to English Grammar
- Applying Basic Grammar Rules
- Verbs & Tenses I
- Verbs and Tenses II
- Understanding Sentence Structure
- Perfecting Sentence Structure
- Common Grammatical Errors
- Applied Grammar
- Advanced Grammar
- Grammar Issues in Formal Writing
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Some typical courses in Discussion
- English in Everyday Life
- People, Places & Events
- The Campus and the Workplace
- Life and Technology
- Experiencing American Culture
- Issues & Opinions
- Discussing Cross-Cultural Issues
- Global Perspectives
- Evaluating Media
- Making Presentations
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Schedule of Classes:
All courses in different disciplines meet at the same time. This allows students to attend different level courses in different disciplines. Each class meets for 80 minutes. Language Lab sessions meet for 40 minutes. To see a typical schedule of classes per week, please click here.
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