Class format: Class meets 3 hours per week, broken down into:
2-hr Monday session: theme and article based talking/discussion session
1-hr Thursday session: reading or other activities with conversation
exercises
Enrollment: 14 (divided into 3 to 4 groups of 3 to 4 each).
Textbooks: None (handouts galore)
Tasks: Some or all of the following: close reading, questions and responses, short speeches, prepared (scripted) speeches, role play, introducing learning tools, guest speaker sessions, movie/video viewing, oral exercises, discussions and peer critiquing.
Exams: None.
Final presentation: each of you will deliver a 3-minute speech on a pre-arranged topic in front of student reviewers.
Restrictions: no electronic device is allowed in class. Unless I ask you to access a piece of information on your smartphone or notebook computer, you will not use such gadgets in class.

Initial lectures will cover such topics as accent and pronunciation, style and preparation, learning tools and online resources, etc. I will email you a dozen modern articles for this semester. Each article will be “adopted” by a group of 4 student speakers. In principle we will focus on 1 article per week. Speakers assigned to the weekly article will take turns presenting the contents of the article to the audience who will then give feedback and ask the speakers questions. This is what I meant by “plenty of chances to practice speaking.” Each student is expected to participate in such groups at least 4 times during the semester. Those who are not speakers-of-the-week will also have to read the articles ahead of time and give informed feedback in subsequent conversation sessions.

A note to those to whom usually mum is the word: our goal is purely educational. I am not here to judge you but to encourage you to speak and speak clearly and confidently. Each session will end with a comment on your performance. When I correct you in class, and when your peers offer their comments, the purpose is to help you become a better speaker, n