English Partners in Communication
WELCOME TO EPIC!
Thank you for your interest in the EPIC Program. Each spring, EPIC offers six weeks of classes to adult nonnative speakers of English to help them improve their oral communication skills in a free, goal-driven program.
In the spring of 2025, classes will be in person in Wells Hall on the MSU campus on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 6:30 p.m. starting after Spring Break. In addition to our classes, EPIC will host a weekly online asynchronous activity open to all. Registration for the classes will be available online starting in late January.
Here are some comments from recent participants in EPIC:
“I really appreciate this valuable opportunity to join this joyful journey again! As a second language speaker who didn’t have much chance to practice and was not confident/comfortable to speak in public, EPIC gave me the opportunity to grow, to improve, to practice, and to go beyond. I can definitely feel the difference before and after joining this program every time. One of the amazing things that impressed me the most is, every time the topics are completely different! (except the small talk, which is the key and necessary 😊). The teachers have all been super nice and helpful. The recap session at the end of each class to correct our pronunciation and misuse of words is very helpful…EPIC is an ideal learning opportunity for second language speakers.”
Cheng Yu
“This program helped me a lot in acknowledging American culture, and I hope it will help more people in the coming semester. It gives us an occasion where people from different backgrounds respect and talk with each other.”
Li Wei
“This is a great program! I love the team.”
Jaturong
“Great appreciation for this EPIC program and I really enjoyed it!”
Ming
“I think the program is useful and meaningful to me. I can feel my English is better than months before. Especially, I think teachers did really excellent jobs. It was a really happy experience with all participants.”
Minho
“Thank you very much for conducting the EPIC program every year. I thoroughly enjoyed the class and I learned a lot from all the instructors and my classmates! I am grateful and truly appreciate the effort that the instructors put towards constructing each and every lesson plan for us. I would like to return next year as well.”
Vishaal
Classes in 2025 will focus on the elements that participants in the past have requested the most. These include using idioms and phrasal verbs in speaking, and building confidence through speaking practice covering a range of situations, such as –
- Appropriate topics for starting a conversation
- Ways to keep a conversation going
- Small talk
- The elevator pitch!
- How to disagree politely and offer a different opinion in a discussion
- Vocabulary for daily English conversation in person or online.
Just a few of the benefits of learning English with EPIC:
- All levels of ability are welcome!
- Experienced teachers and native-speaking conversation partners
- Opportunities for speaking practice.
WHO DO I CONTACT IF I HAVE A QUESTION?
Contact Dr. Debra Hardison at hardiso2@msu.edu for more information.
Please continue to watch this site for details. We hope to see you in the spring. In the meantime, the photos and videos below will give you an idea of some of our classes in previous years.
EPIC Photos
EPIC Potluck – Spring Semester 2024
