English for Speakers of Other Languages


Hamilton College has a nationally recognized writing program, an outstanding oral communications center, and an array of distinguished language study programs including a Critical Language component and study abroad opportunities ranging from Beijing to Madrid. An impressive network of connections binds these programs together, and this includes the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program.

Hamilton College's principal language of instruction is English, and the dominant cultural framework is North American and academic. Multilingual students thrive when they engage in ongoing opportunities for academic and social advancement while maintaining their skills in American Standard English. The ESOL program offers individual and small-group tutoring, independent study. and informal conversation tables.

Our students enhance their English reading, writing, speaking and comprehension skills in order to fulfill their intellectual potential and to take full advantage of all that a liberal arts college has to offer. Multilingual students, whether from the United States or abroad, bring a richness to Hamilton that must be matched by making resources available to them.

We also have TESOL Education Studies classes, Methods of Tutoring English to Speakers of Other Languages and Seminar in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, for students who are interested in teaching certification courses. Support from Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees allows students to complete upward of 120 hours of field experience in the adult education.

For more information, please contact Barbara Britt-Hysell (bbritthy@hamilton.edu).