Teaching English to German students of English Studies, I often hear colleagues bemoaning the lack of specific academic language or skills in English. Thus I am planning to research exactly what skills / language / etc students need in order to successfully follow a programme of academic study. I want to design a pre-course language course, of the kind that many universities in English-speaking countries offer to exchange or foreign students. So far, I haven't found much material on these types of courses taking place at universities outside the English-speaking world. My question is, for any of you who also teach in high-education, what kinds of language / skills do students actually need in order to study English / American Studies? Which of these is particularly problematic or unfamiliar to students fresh from high school and whose native language is not English?

I'd be grateful for any practical suggestions as well as books / articles / other sources where this type of course is discussed.

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