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This course is intended for international teaching assistants, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who are not native speakers of English. This course aims to enable students to succeed in academic, professional, and social discussions and conversations. By focusing on strategies for initiating oral communication, responding to the comments and ideas of others; as well as improving listening skills, students will become better overall at speaking and listening to English. Fiction and non-fiction media from a variety of sources will be used to stimulate discussion, sharpen listening skills, and build vocabulary. Exercises and drills will target specific grammar trouble spots and explicit pronunciation errors. So as to empower students in formal speaking situations, they will be asked to deliver two short 2-4 minute presentations and one longer 5-8 minute presentation. Extensive practice and feedback from instructor and classmates encourage students’ confidence in their public speaking skills.