SCLA 11000 and SCLA 11100

SCLA 11000 and 11100 comprise PLaCE’s two-semester course sequence for qualifying first-year international students at Purdue. In these courses, students build a strong foundation of university-level language, communication, and intercultural skills so that they can more fully participate in the life of the university and prepare for academic, social, and professional opportunities.

SCLA 11000 Language and Cultural Exchange I: Self in Context

This course uses the lens of personal narratives to explore how real individuals (starting with the students in the class) build their identities, interact with others, and make sense of their experiences, especially as multilingual members of the university. The course helps students to build skills in clear communication, critical and creative thinking, self-regulated learning, and reflection. 

SCLA 11100 Language and Cultural Exchange II: Texts and Contexts

This course expands on SCLA 110 through the reading of literary and cultural narratives, to explore interactions among cultural values and communities. In SCLA 111, we look outward from our own personal viewpoint, exploring how individuals in communities and settings outside of our class navigate the world. One of our main tools of study will be texts such as textbooks, nonfiction books, and short stories, novels, or other narratives. 

In both courses, students work on language proficiency for academic and interpersonal communication, including reading, writing, and speaking fluency, presentation and discussion skills, and collaboration and group work. The core elements of the curriculum is presented in the Course Guidebook for Language and Cultural Exchange (a textbook developed specifically for these courses and available for free to students). Topics in the Course Guidebook are organized in five units that build on each other, from personal to group level, from self-awareness to other-awareness, from personal reflections to public presentations:

1. Learning Spaces
2. Intercultural Learning
3. Transformative Learning
4. Language, Culture, and Community
5. Ways of Reading

Students in SCLA 110 and 111 also complete the ACE-In (Assessment of College English - International), a locally developed test of English language proficiency, along with other language assessments, to measure their language profieciency and development. 

Building on the Foundation of SCLA 110 and 111

SCLA 110 and 111 prepare students for a wide variety of classes and academic experiences, but they are specifically designed to prepare students for the rigor of language-intensive Written and Oral Communication courses, especially SCLA 101 and 102 in the Cornerstone Integrated Liberal Arts program. Cornerstone courses extend and deepen the learning from PLaCE courses so that students will develop knowledge and skills that will serve them throughout their lives: to write and speak with clarity and precision, to think critically and creatively, to assimilate and analyze information, to adapt to change and connect in multi-cultural environments, to make sound ethical judgments, and to understand the implications of decisions in both a historical and societal context.

Students who complete SCLA 110 and 111 are encouraged to continue working with PLaCE instructors through our English Boost offerings. English Boost offers training in advanced skills through Short Courses and Workshops, personalized support and feedback through Language Coaching, and social learning experiences through Language Cafés and Conversation Clubs. 

Note: International students in SCLA 10100 or 10200 are welcome to sign-up for Language Coaching sessions, even if they did not complete SCLA 110 or 111, if they would like support in language-based skills and assignments, such as writing, reading, classroom discussions, and presentations.