This course will focus on the development of listening skills and more effective note-taking skills in an academic setting. Scholars will listen actively and deliberately to lectures and content using a variety of strategies, including: learn common note-taking methods; take accurate, concise and organized notes using a variety of methods such as using abbreviations and symbols, key words and supporting details; identify the main idea of a lecture; make inferences and predictions about content in lectures based on background knowledge and explicit and implicit information; and use information from a lecture to answer comprehension questions, write responses and engage in discussion.

This course is taught by Askia Bilal.

This seven-week course will emphasize selected readings from the Old Testament and New Testament of the Bible with the goal of an increased understanding and appreciation of the Bible as literature. In addition to giving an introduction and overview of the Bible, this course will highlight famous passages while giving an explanation of the different styles of language and literary devices presented in the diversity of writings contained in the Bible. Through readings and discussion this course will help students understand how Christianity and biblical knowledge have influenced religion, culture and lifestyle in America.

This course is taught by Susam Malone.

These days, most Americans celebrate Thanksgiving with turkey, pumpkin pie and football, but how did these traditions come about? The “first Thanksgiving” was in 1621 between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag tribe. Records indicate that this celebration did happen; however, there are misconceptions that need to be addressed. Without Native American narratives, there is an incomplete picture of what really happened. November is Native American Indian History month. A perfect time to learn about Native American people. Thanksgiving facts and Thanksgiving myths have blended together for years, like mashed potatoes, and separating them is complicated.

This course is taught by Sue Nordberg.

This course will investigate what leadership skills are evident in the life and work of global business and cultural leaders and the dynamics inherent to their positions of leadership. The course will outline important personal and organizational skills that are prerequisite to offering effective leadership within corporate, governmental and not-for-profit settings. Seminar leadership will rotate among the participating scholars as each offer to the class a presentation that will profile the skills of a prominent leader. This course is designed to help non-native English speakers improve their pronunciation, listening, speaking conversing, reading, researching, writing and comprehension in the English language.

This course is taught by Dr. Tom Nordberg.

This course takes a communicative approach to develop your ability to use and understand Spanish in practical, everyday contexts. It focuses on conversation skills — listening and speaking — emphasizing pronunciation, fluency and vocabulary. The course will include the necessary oral practice of dialogue, vocabulary and basic grammar to communicate in Spanish at a basic level.

This course is taught by Elga Suarez, MBA.

This course will focus on an understanding of federalism and its role in political systems. It examines federalism’s philosophical justifications, the framers’ views on federalism as an organizational solution to the dilemma of how to prevent governmental tyranny, the centralization of governmental authority over time. During the second half, the course will also discuss these issues in a comparative exploration of the federalist systems in the world such as the European Union, Canada, Latin America, India and Australia with variety of issues. This course will be an excellent opportunity to understand U.S. as a federal state and broaden your perspective while discussing domestic and international topics in the federal state.

This course is taught by Seulhan Lee, ABD.

This is a continuation of Accelerated English I. It will focus on real English conversations, natural speaking grammar and some American pronunciation. This course provides a safe environment to practice speaking. Beginners only. Scholars should pre-enroll in this class.

This course is taught by Michelle Lancaster.

Food is a basic human need; however, beyond biological functions, food also has rich cultural significance. The food we eat serves more than the biological need to nourish. It is also a part of our cultural nourishment in social behaviors, relationships and ideas and culture. Taste, preference, ritual, tradition, gender, social class and nationality all influence food choices and behaviors. In addition, economic and environmental factors, globalization, localization and social movements all affect our access and attitudes toward food. This course will examine how food behaviors are shaped by culture.

This course is taught by Sue Nordberg.

This course is designed to help scholars make preparations for the final graduation requirement: a formal presentation before the AAC-GLP community on a topic of the scholar’s own choosing. Graduating scholars only. Scholars will be pre-enrolled in this class.

This course is taught by Dr. Tom Nordberg.

As temporary residents of any city, it can be a daunting task to learn about the community and everything it has to offer. This past year has been particularly challenging due to the restrictions brought by a global pandemic. This course is designed to introduce scholars to Columbia, Mo., as a wonderful place to live, work and play. Daily class discussion involves learning the history of Columbia, discovering the District (downtown), exploring different activities for individuals and families, and learning about and participating in volunteer activities.

This course is taught by Gary Dou.

The course involves learning new vocabulary, practicing contextualized business dialogue and analysis of real business case studies. In this course, scholars will discuss topics such as cultures, human resources, international markets, ethics, leadership and competition. By the end of the course, scholars should feel comfortable interacting with native English speakers in a variety of business contexts.

This course is taught by Elga Suarez, MBA.

This will be a scholar-directed course in current events. During class, each scholar will choose an article from that day’s local newspaper, the Columbia Missourian (available for free), read and briefly summarize the article for their classmates, then lead a brief discussion of the article/subject. The focus will be on current events/culture and also language development by summarizing the main idea of the article.

This course is by Linda Breedlove.

This is a fun and exciting course that will take you through the basics of traveling across America! It will cover in-depth geography of American regions and insider knowledge about the dos and don’ts of travel.

This course is taught by Michelle Lancaster.

The age of “near networks,” emergent in the mid to latter 20th century, continues into the 21st through cross-cultural connections driven by increased global interactions. Cross-cultural connections require an on-going need to develop diplomacy as an important competency for navigating international relationships, whether professional or personal, public or private. This course will explore principles and practices of diplomacy by understanding the role of culture while recognizing the worth of each individual in tactful negotiation.

This course is taught by Dr. Greg Morrow.

The purpose of this course is to improve your reading skills through the practice of vocabulary enrichment, reading comprehension exercises, and discussions. Through a combination of lectures, in-class activities, and group discussions, you will become a more confident, independent, effective, and efficient reader. Beginners Only. Scholars should pre-enroll in this class.

This course is taught by Elga Suarez, MBA.

This course will provide basic knowledge of the institutions that comprise the U.S. financial system and information about how this system operates. We will study various types of financial markets and the role different financial institutions play within these markets. In our study, we will understand the role that the Federal Reserve plays in the economy and how the decisions of U.S. monetary policy affect other areas of the global economy. We will also compare the U.S. financial system to the financial systems of other countries.

This course is taught by Dr. Diane Suhler.

Giving a presentation can be stressful, especially the final GLP speech! Let’s manage the stress as we work through the steps of a presentation from the topic and title to the final talk. Learn how to speak with poise as you use eye contact, voice and gestures to effectively communicate. Learn PowerPoint and Zoom speaking skills. A native English speaker will proofread your script and PowerPoint. You will give your speech in class before the final GLP graduation speech. Graduating scholars only. Scholars will be pre-enrolled in this class.

This course is taught by Gina Bailey.

This class is to improve intermediate students’ fluency using English in various everyday business and life situations. We will compare and contrast some business conversations as they occur in America and Asia. Students will target handling situations that visiting internationals encounter while living in America, such as store clerk-customer conversations, doctor-patient interactions, landlord-tenant, etc. Students will do lots of dialogues and roleplays, and will learn the pleasantries of conversation that English speakers use in person and on the phone. We will practice, practice, practice until the dialogue seems fluent and comfortable to use!

This course is by Linda Breedlove.

This course will provide an in-depth look at the structure of American education, ranging from elementary schools to universities. We will examine the history of public school education, classroom culture, alternative education, and attitudes towards education in the United States. By the end of the course, scholars should be able to understand: Structure and stages of American education; school culture and expectations, and how they compare to the scholars’ home country; how education differs by socio-economic and regional boundaries; trends and current issues in U.S. education.

This course is taught by Lesley Sapp, MBA.

The U.S. Census Bureau identifies nearly 97% of the country’s land mass as rural. Nevertheless, the 2010 U.S. Census categorized only 19.3% of the population as rural. Estimates anticipate the percentage of U.S. rural dwellers may drop to as low as 15% in 2020. This course will examine the changing landscape of life in rural America. By the end of the course, scholars should know current demographics of rural America, rural communities and culture in the United States (including the people who live there), current issues facing rural communities in the United States and potential solutions.

This course is taught by Dr. Greg Morrow.

This course will explore three of the major challenges facing our world from an economic perspective. First, scholars will study the impact of climate change and explore the economic consequences of proposed policy solutions. Second, we will focus on environmental degradation and its economic consequences. Third, scholars will study possible economic impacts of artificial intelligence on labor and other economic resources.

This course is taught by Dr. Diane Suhler.