Learning English as a second language is a key factor to promote globalization, because the language has spread widely. Furthermore, learning English vocabulary for the fast-paced global business environment is highly dependent on the imagined future of a business major; he or she must imagine in what context the business career will take place: what sphere of activity will be involved, in which scenarios of language usage, and what lexical items will be needed. Vocabulary learning has long been characterized by the use of decontextualized vocabulary academic word lists. As an alternative, this project researches the use of an integrated language thematic mode--the theme being business communication-with a focus on incorporating various linguistics aspects of learning English. This research will emphasize the integrated linguistics approach to the acquisition of academic vocabulary. Additionally, the project explores the use of an individual’s imagined community in setting vocabulary goals and second-language-acquisition strategies. The study took place at the English Language Program and College of Business and Public Administration (CBPA) at California State University, San Bernardino in the spring of 2016. International students were asked to participate in a survey; an interview questionnaire was designed to discover the students’ preferences strategies and in learning English with respect to their future career. The results varied based on students’ backgrounds, their specific majors, and their personalities and preferred ways of learning.

As the title of this essay suggests, Paul Auster’s 2003 novel Oracle Night is studied with regard to what is here considered to be a search for a way out of estrangement. This search, as narrated from the point of view of the protagonist, is followed by a certain recognition of the limits of human existence – which may be essentially meaningless but is nevertheless portrayed as an intentional state of being, not least through the act of writing as a means of subjectification. Thus, the novel is read with a special focus on the thematic representation of writing and human subjectivity. These overarching themes may be approached with reference to two different philosophies or theoretical positions – postmodernism and existentialism. The purpose of the essay is to study the extent to which Oracle Night may be understood in terms of an existentialist (reconstructive) critique of, or challenge to, a postmodernist (deconstructive) perspective. In order to follow this line of inquiry, the analytic method rests on narrative thematics. This kind of narratological study answers the question what Auster’s novel is about and in what ways the theoretical perspectives in question are expressed in the novel. Thematic motifs are examined within the frame of a six-step model of narrative units. These units are based on Carsten Springer’s (2001) elaboration on the theme of identity crisis in Auster’s fiction and made it possible to put different motifs into a context and convey the point of view of the text in a systematic way.

The focus of this research project was to determine whether thematic unit instruction or traditional, single-subject instruction was perceived to be the more effective and engaging way of teaching as decided by pre-service teachers. Research has shown that incorporating multiple subjects into one unit or topic of study helps to create more engagement and connections to which students can relate. In creating these connections, students can relate the content to their real life and in turn, better comprehend and retain the material. The pre-service teachers attend the University of Central Florida's College of Education and Human Performance. They voluntarily participated in completing a survey about their perceptions of single subject instruction versus thematic unit instruction. In the survey, the pre-service teachers seemed to be varied on what they believed was a better method of instruction for their future students. The pre-service teachers were split 50/50 as to whether they will teach traditionally, single-subject, or thematically. The pre-service teachers were unanimous in the idea that if they had the support of other teachers and administration as well as resources and research to guide them, that thematic instruction is a method of teaching that they would consider using. Nearly all of the teachers surveyed referred back to doing what is in the best interest of their students.