EFS 693A - STANFORD UNIVERSITY
Listening Comprehension
EFS 693A - STANFORD UNIVERSITY
Listening Comprehension
Section 2: TuTh 30-102
Instructor:
Phil Hubbard
Office: 260-302G
Phone: 725-1557
Email: phubbard@stanford.edu
Course
website: www.stanford.edu/~efs/693a
Introduction.
The
purpose of this class is to help you increase your ability to understand both
formal and informal varieties of English and to retain what you have understood.
The focus will be on English for academic purposes, but there will also
be listening practice activities in other areas.
Classwork.
Classes (3 hours per week) will involve a variety of exercises and some
discussion of the grammatical and sound systems of English.
You will listen to lectures and other spoken material on audio and video
tapes, and I will present one or more live lectures as well. Given the close
relationship of listening and speaking, you will be expected to participate
actively in class discussions built on the material listened to.
Homework.
Our
department has developed computer-based materials and some of these will be used
in this course.
There will also be assignments, both required and optional, using
listening materials from other sources on the web. Additional assignments using audio or video
recorded material are also possible.
Requirements.
In order to receive credit (a grade of S = Satisfactory) in EFS 693A, you must 1)
attend at least 90% of the classes, 2) complete all assignments, 3)
participate actively, and 4) demonstrate improvement in your listening
proficiency.
Course
Content.
Due to the complex and subtle nature of listening comprehension in a
second language, we will not typically be going through a systematic sequence of
exercises aimed at isolating discrete skills and mastering them one at a time.
Material used in class will be exploited for a variety of purposes, and
underlying all activities will be the development of a larger vocabulary so that
individual words and phrases can be identified and understood. More
specifically, this course will give you experience in building skills in the
following areas, and most of our listening activities will involve some
combination of items from this list.
Note taking
Rapid recall of details
Everyday English
Academic English
Interpretation
Recognition of discourse markers
Reduced forms
Meanings of intonation
Common idioms
Clarification strategies
Intensive listening
Extensive listening
Formal lectures
Informal lectures and discussions
Listening preparation
Recognizing & understanding humor
Course Outline (subject to change)
Week
Topic(s)
1
Course introduction
2
Understanding listening; introduction to computer materials
3
English sound system; reduced forms
4
Building your vocabulary; recognizing discourse markers
5
Listening to lectures
6
Listening to lectures
7
Listening to lectures
8 Listening for information
9
Listening to conversational English
10
Learning on your own
11
Course review and final exam
Enrollment.
This is a 3-unit course. However, you may sign up for 2 or even 1 unit if that
is all you have available. Note that if you sign up for fewer than 3 units, you
are still required to do all the work to receive credit.
DISABILITY NOTICE:
Students who have a disability which may necessitate an academic
accommodation or the use of auxiliary aids and services in a class, must
initiate the request with the Student Disability Resource Center (SDRC), located
within the Office of Accessible Education (OAE). The SDRC will evaluate the
request with required documentation, recommend appropriate accommodations, and
prepare a verification letter dated in the current academic term in which the
request is being made. Please contact the SDRC as soon as possible; timely
notice is needed to arrange for appropriate accommodations. The Office of
Accessible Education is located at 563 Salvatierra Walk (phone: 723-1066; TDD:
725-1067).