Business and Culture

Business and Culture is a four-week program designed for professionals (intermediate or advanced) who are interested in improving their Business English skills and expanding their knowledge of the United States. Offered in July and in August, the program features 20-25 hours a week of the following:

• Language Classes
  Each week, participants take 15 hours of classes in one of two levels:  intermediate or advanced. With an emphasis on speaking and listening, the classes are designed to help participants develop essential business communication skills and become more fluent and confident using the language of business.  Participants examine topics related to the business environment in the U.S. Examples include: leadership, entrepreneurship, brand strategy, foreign investment, and teamwork.
• Community Interaction Activities
  Twice each week for a total of about six hours, participants go into the Philadelphia community with their instructors, where they complete activities that help them practice their English language skills and learn more about US society. Examples of these activities include: visiting historical sites, touring businesses, and interviewing Americans from a variety of backgrounds. Students prepare for the community interaction activities in class by practicing useful grammar and vocabulary. There are also group projects that take place every week.
• Cultural Field Trips 
  The program includes two half-day trips during the week and two full-day trips on Saturdays.  Participants explore a major attraction in the region, such as Philadelphia's historic district, New York City, Washington, D.C., the Amish countryside, a sporting event or a resort town on the beaches along the Atlantic Ocean.
• Independent Study
  Participants are encouraged to spend three to six hours per week in independent study using our language and computer labs. There they have the opportunity to work on the language skills that they need most. In addition, students can use other tools for learning English that are available on the Internet.