The course provides ESL students guidance and extensive practice in listening and speaking in academic and professional settings. Listening focuses on understanding spoken English in formats such as college lectures and news broadcasts. Note-taking tasks are also included to reinforce aural comprehension. Students learn to recognize organizational patterns. Students also practice outlining main ideas and supporting details through audiotaped, videotaped and live presentations. Speaking focuses on increased fluency and communicative strategies used by native speakers in academic and professional settings.