A major aim of this course is to help students transition from high school English to college/academic English. Thus, the course will introduce students to important cultural texts and ways to engage with these texts that lead to awareness of global issues related to race, class, and gender, etc. and development of critical thinking abilities. Both academic and popular culture texts, in print and audiovisual modes, will be used, in the form of guided reading/writing and student presentations/discussions, individually as well as in pairs and groups. Another goal of the course is to help students improve listening and speaking for practical purposes in everyday situations. For this component of the course, conversational strategies and listening skills will be emphasized. The medium of instruction for this course is English.