March 10, 2012
GE STATUS REQUEST FORM: FOREIGN LANGUAGE
Course ID/Name:
 ESOL 1500 Intermediate Reading in English
 ESOL 1550 Intermediate Academic Writing
 ESOL 1560 Intermediate English Grammar
 ESOL 2700 Advanced Reading in English
 ESOL 2750 Advanced Academic Writing
 ESOL 2760 Advanced English Grammar
Step 1: Describe how your course provides broad introduction to the content or methods in
the study of foreign languages. Demonstrate how your course is broadly foundational,
rather than narrow or limited to the interest of specialists. Is your course available and
taught in a manner accessible to non-majors?
DSC ESOL courses are open to all English Language learners, including both residential and
international students. No special program admission is required, although a combined ESL
placement score is required. As of Fall 2011, the ESOL program was organizationally moved
from the Developmental Studies department to the Foreign Language portion of the Humanities
& Social Sciences department. Concomitant to this request for General Education Foreign
Language status, a request is being submitted to the Curriculum Committee to renumber the
above listed six classes to college-level (1000/2000) and increase each course to four credits.
Students learning English as a Second Language are not engaged in developmental learning;
they are learning another language just as native English speakers study Spanish, German, or
any other foreign language. Therefore, ESOL classes should be college level as other foreign
language classes are, which will allow students to fulfill foreign language requirement for AA/BA
degrees.
Foreign language classes are 4 credits because of the nature and intensity of second-language
acquisition. In fact, the proposed 1000 and 2000 level ESOL courses require more advanced
skills and knowledge than other 1000 and 2000 foreign language classes. Four hours of class
time per week is required to accomplish the course objectives.
ESOL is proposing six courses for GE FL status because students do not take a set program. In
other words, one student may read well in English but has to take the Grammar and Writing
classes. Another student might need Reading and Writing but not grammar. In addition, the
FLATS ESOL test could provide up to 12 FL credits to students who pursue that route, just as it
provides that number of credits to students who pass the exam for a myriad of other languages.
The overriding objective of DSC’s ESOL program is that when English Language learners finish
our program, they should be able to function communicatively as members of the Dixie State
College community.
1. In reading, students will be able to comprehend most standard written English
and have strategies for comprehending what is not immediately understood.
2. In listening comprehension, students will understand standard English spoken
in and out of the classroom and have strategies for effective note-taking for
specific academic material.
3. In speaking, students will be able to appropriately respond orally to the
demands of college life and college-level classes, including giving classroom
responses, speeches and presentations.
4. In writing, students will be able to produce appropriately clear and coherent
responses to in-class or extended assignments.
Students who graduate from an English-speaking high school will not be eligible to fulfill their
GE Foreign Language requirement using ESOL courses. This restriction is similar to
Step 2. Every GE area has established learning objectives that every student is expected to
achieve as a result of any class which has been granted GE status in that area. Below is a
list of the area learning objectives for Foreign Language GE courses.
Foreign Languages General Education Learning Objectives
As part of the requirements for an Associate of Arts and Bachelor of Arts degrees, students
must meet a foreign language requirement. The study of a foreign language can broaden a
student’s cultural and intellectual pursuits, increase the understanding of one’s own
language, improve career options, and enlarge one’s understanding of other cultures.
Therefore, students taking courses that meet the General Education Foreign Language
requirement will, at a minimum:
1. Demonstrate communication skills appropriate to the level of the course (beginning,
intermediate, or advanced) in the following areas: speaking (signing for ASL students),
listening (understanding the signing of others for ASL students), reading, writing, and
vocabulary.
The standardized test or course prerequisites and grading standards ensure that students
are demonstrating English oral and written communication skills appropriate to the level of
the course.
2. Communicate at the appropriate level with people of other ethnic and cultural
backgrounds within their own country and from around the world.
When learning English reading, writing, and grammar skills, ESOL students are building
their communication skills. In addition, students receive instruction and practice in
communication suitable for different environments: academics, business, social, etc.
Students are frequently encouraged to share their own experiences in their home countries
and in the U.S.
3. Gain an awareness of linguistics and a greater appreciation of their own languages.
It is our belief that the study of any non-native language enhances one’s understanding and
appreciation of one’s own language.
4. Develop global awareness by fostering a better understanding of and sensitivity towards
people of other cultures and their human experience.
All DSC ESOL classes enhance students’ abilities to relate to native students and their peers
from other cultures. Every ESOL class includes a component focusing on American culture in
order to help students succeed in their classes and other environments during and after their
collegiate experiences. Students are frequently encouraged to share their own language
experiences in their home countries and in the U.S. Since language is so intimately
involved in all our relationships, discussion about the role of language in cross-cultural
interactions and how language reflects our experiences is a frequent component of all
ESOL classes.