Academic English for Graduate Students
The Academic English for Graduate Students (GRST) program offers several advanced English courses for UO international graduate students--see below for descriptions--and the SPEAK test for international graduate employees who are applying for teaching positions.
GRST COURSES
GRST 621 Academic Discourse (4 units) (Not offered in 2022-23 school year)
Students develop the fluency, pronunciation, pragmatics, and strategic competence needed for clear, effective communication in various academic contexts including teaching as a GE. Cross-cultural differences in campus settings are explored. Open to all international graduate students.
GRST 624 Teaching in US University Settings (4 units) (Not offered in 2022-23 school year)
Students practice fluency, appropriate language use, and pronunciation while focusing on the culture of the U.S. university classroom and effective teaching strategies for this context. Students participate in a series of mock teaching sessions (on topics from their fields/departments) and receive feedback from peers and instructor. Open to all international graduate students.
GRST 626 Professional Presentations (4 units) (Not offered in 2022-23 school year)
Students examine strategies and techniques for presenting academic work in campus and/or conference settings with a focus on cross-cultural differences and clear communication. Students deliver practice presentations on topics of their choice, receive feedback on the effectiveness of their presentation style and language use, and complete follow-up activities to develop skills.
GRST 631 Graduate and Scholarly Writing I (4 units) (Not offered in 2022-23 school year)
Prepares international non-native English speaking graduate students to write academic, graduate-level papers with an emphasis on fluency, organization, academic discourse conventions, grammatical and lexical accuracy in writing, documentation, and appropriateness for specific writing tasks, including summaries, reviews, projects, reports, research papers, and theses.
All international graduate students who speak English as an additional language are welcome to enroll, regardless of year in a program, disciplinary field, or writing skill level (unless the student has been placed in AEIS 110 or AEIS 111 by the AEIS Accuplacer test). The course is flexibly designed to meet the needs of a wide range of students.
GRST 632 Graduate and Scholarly Writing II (4 units) (Not offered in 2022-23 school year)
Students continue the work started in GRST 631 but with a focus on research paper, thesis, and dissertation writing. Students improve their vocabulary, grammar, and general writing skills as they draft and revise the introduction, literature review, methodology, results, and discussion sections of a project they are currently working on. Open to all international graduate students who have completed GRST 631 (or with special permission).
SPEAK Test
Non-native speakers of English who plan to take Graduate Employee positions that include teaching duties must first meet the language requirement as outlined by the Graduate School. https://graduatestudies.uoregon.edu/funding/ge/english-language-policy
Students who receive a 40 on the SPEAK test will be required by the Graduate School to take GRST 621 and GRST 624. Students who receive a 45 on the SPEAK test will be required to take GRST 624.
Contact
To register for the SPEAK test or for more information about AEIGS courses, email Dr. Trish Pashby: pashby@uoregon.edu