ESL Program

     The English as a Second Language (ESL) Department at San Jose City College provides a wide range of general interest and college preparatory courses for immigrants and international students for whom English is not a native language. During fall and spring semesters, credit-bearing listening & speaking, reading, and writing courses are offered at six levels of proficiency. Additionally, the ESL Department provides selected grammar and pronunciation courses as well as an array of ESL Skills Development Lab Courses to enhance and extend the ESL department's curriculum. During shortened summer sessions, many ESL courses are offered at their full credit value by meeting more hours per week. Day, evening, and weekend classes are available.

Special Services
The ESL Lab  offers many interactive software programs that provide extensive interactive practice across all levels of the ESL curriculum.  In addition, CD-Roms and audio CDs for ESL textbooks and a variety of Dictionaries are available in the ESL Lab. Our online Lab--ESL Station --provides the best links on the web for language practice for  each of our series of courses.  Most importantly, the ESL Lab is staffed with a full time instructional assistant and ESL instructors who work with individual students or small groups during day and evening hours.  Workshops enhance and extend the ESL department's courses in all skill areas.

Special Courses
Each semester one section of English 1A, an A.A./A.S. degree applicable, CSU/UC transferable composition course, is offered with an ESL Focus for ESL students who have passed ESL 91 (College Reading/Writing 2). This course is paired with ESL 1R, an advanced critical reading course. English 1A and ESL 1R are taken together, forming a learning community.

One section of ESL 91 is offered online each semester, and many ESL courses are web enhanced by instructors who use Blackboard.

A Summer Intensive Program offers a true immersion experience for students who wish to spend 8 hours per day, 4 days a week for 8 weeks engaged in English classes, field trips, cultural activities, and special projects. ESL for Beginners will be held at InnVision in San Jose beginning fall semester 2008.

Email us at  eslsjcc@sjcc.edu or call Margaret Muench at (408) 288 - 2181 X3313 or Dorothy Pucay at (408) 288 2181 X3860.