Freshman English is a first-year required course. The goal of the course is primarily to improve the proficiency of students in communicative language skills with an emphasis on speaking and writing. A functional, notional approach is taken to planning objectives to help students gain confidence in using English in social interactions. Therefore, active participation in the class is a prerequisite for successful completion. A variety of activities are used throughout the year including dialogues, role-plays, pair work, small group projects and whole class discussions. The syllabus includes a general review of grammar and many class activities attempt to integrate these grammar components. Therefore, students are given the opportunity to apply the rules to real-life situations that they might encounter in an English-speaking country. Teachers encourage students to monitor their grammar usage while improving their level of fluency.

On completion of this course, (1) in terms of ability (or skills), students will be able to listen, speak, read, and write better in English than before they take this course, (2) in terms of knowledge, (a) students will know more about the English language and how to learn it; (b) they will also know more about the life and culture of the English-speaking world, and (3) because of 2a, students will have a more positive attitude toward learning English, and because of 2b, students will have a more open, even appreciative, attitude toward other people and their culture and lifestyle.

1. Textbooks - for lab ~ Sounds Good 3 (SG 3)
- for class ~ (1) A Listening Handout (Audioscripts of Sounds Good 3)
(2)(a reading handout) Selected Readings from In Context, Between the Lines, Active Skills for Reading (Books 3 & 4), & Multiple Reading Skills
2. Simplified Readers ~ (1) Princess Diana &
(2) One of the four: The Love of a King, Sherlock Holmes Short Stories, Braveheart, & The Call of the Wild