International Language Program (ILP) - Course Curriculum

Though instructors may modify the sequence of specific items in the curriculum to meet the needs of a specific cohort of students, the broad ILP curriculum is as outlined below. Each course runs for a year and classes typically meet twice a week. Students have access to learning and testing material on the online platform. Furthermore, ILP provides an online "language exchange" where students can meet in a safe, closed online environment to practice their developing language skills. Students also have access to audio-visual material that helps in the development of their skills.

ILP I (Beginner):

This 6-month course is designed to provide the critical foundational elements for students to develop their language skills. Over the year, students are expected to acquire the skills to understand basic conversations and to convey basic concepts in the new language. This course includes the following modules:

• Introduction to the cultural norms, traditions, customs and context that underpin the language.
• Overview of the geographic scope and the various dialects associated with the language.
• Outline of the basic structure, alphabet and vocabulary of the language.
• Basic counting and enumeration for conversational purposes (cardinals and ordinals).
• Understand the appropriate forms of greetings in the language, and respond appropriately in context.
• Expression of basic courtesies, greetings and other normative social grace unique to, and common in, the language.
• Development of the skills to introduce oneself and to convey basic biographical information (name, place of origin, residence, family, etc.) in a conversational setting to a stranger.
• Recognition of normative sounds and exclamations.
• Recognition of basic intonations used in normal dialogue (question and answer).
• Introductory and appropriate usage of tenses in the language.
• Development of the skills to engage a stranger in simple dialogue and to elicit basic biographical information from the stranger.
• Development of the skills to convey and elicit the time, date, days of the week and other chronometric information.
• Engagement of colleagues in a simple dialogue simulating a (purchasing) scenario in a shop.
• Engagement of colleagues in simple conversations relating to basic needs - food, lodging, transportation, etc.
• Beginning recognition of basic grammatical structures and relationships, and increasing responsiveness to simple questions in the language.
• Increasing recognition and responsiveness to dialogue in (simulated) social settings.
• Demonstrated ability to make requests, convey feelings & frustrations, and discuss personal information (e.g. family relationships) in contextually appropriate terms.
• Increased cultural awareness and insight in social settings.
• Demonstration of basic writing skills.

ILP II (Intermediate):

• Ability to convey basic needs and communication in writing (such as email, text messaging and other platforms).
• Routine utilization of appropriate expressions and physical gestures to convey warmth and cordiality in the language.
• Increasing recognition of dialects or stylistic variations in the language.
• Routine delivery and reception of requests in (simulated) formal settings, including polite conveyance of preferences and dislikes.
• Improved ability to write about experiences or concepts in a variety of circumstances.
• Increasing ability to appropriately parse and interweave written and spoken content in a conversational setting.
• Improved ability to read basic articles in newspapers or other publications, to discuss the content with colleagues, and/or ask questions for clarification in the language.
• Demonstrated ability to participate in a sustained social discussion around topical issues of interest in a group setting.
• Demonstrated expansion of social grace and familiarity with cultural and social norms.
  
  

 ILP III (Advanced):

• Significantly improved ability to convey conceptual ideas in writing, including longer format essays.
• Demonstrated ability to watch and respond in real-time to a television discussion program as part of a simulated classroom activity.
• Demonstrated ability to transcribe simple music from a song with higher than 85% accuracy.
• Demonstrated ability to TRANSLATE simple music to English with higher than 85% accuracy.
• Ability to document and convey linguistic sophistry by writing detailed descriptions  and observations of events using appropriately complex sentences and structures.
• Ability to contribute to DEBATE about a cultural or historical topic of common interest to the class.
• Ability to write an essay about a subject of interest holding opposing views in the delivery of the argument(s) in writing.
• Demonstrated appreciation of the nuances around social and cultural norms associated with the language by discussing these nuances with colleagues in a social setting.
• Ability to present an original essay, article or speech to an audience, conveying a reasoned position, and responding spontaneously and seamlessly to feedback, questions, and opinions from the audience.