English Syllabus - BHM (TU)

Course Objectives:

Objectives of the Course are to teach the writing modes, Discuss rhetorical devices ,Present language points required for academic success, Support serious reading and writing activities

Course Description:

The BBM English course is a two-level General English course with a strong emphasis on reading and writing. It is designed to help students get ahead fast with their core English skills in interdisciplinary contexts. The lessons cover important vocabulary, grammar, reading, writing, listening and speaking skills for general and technical English, along with literary pieces with reading/writing exercises build on them. It is a theme-based course with comprehensive coverage of English language and critical thinking skills.

Course Details

Unit 1 : The following pieces carry 70% of the weightage of this course:                    LH 29

1.     Invitation

Interactions (relating to the text) and Spotlights

2.    Ancient Tales

Yudhisthira's Wisdom; The Brave Little Parrot; If Not Higher; Interactions (relating to the selected texts) and Spotlights

3.   Education

Why go to a University?; Don't Cut Down the Trees, Brother Woodcutter; Surely You Are Joking, Mr. Feynman; A 1996 Commencement Speech;

Interactions (relating to the selected texts) and Spotlights

4.  Actions and Consequences

The Parrot in the Cage; A Sound of Thunder; No Smoke from the Chimneys' Interactions (relating to the selected texts) and Spotlights

5.   Television

The Wretched Stone; TV Can be a Good Parent; Interactions (relating to the selected texts) and Spotlights

6.   Cross-cultural Bridges

Marriage is a Private Affair; Then and Now: Finding My Voice; Interactions (relating to the selected texts) and Spotlights

7.  Cultural Anthropology

Arranging a Marriage in India; Life is Sweet at Kumansenu; Interactions (relating to the selected texts) and Spotlights

8.  The Human Condition

The Lunatic; How Sane Are We?; Gaia

Interactions (relating to the selected texts) and Spotlights

9. Natural Science

The Making of a Scientist; Scientific Inquiry: Invention and Test; Interactions (relating to the selected texts) and Spotlights

10.  Humor and Satire

King John and the Abbor of Canterbury; Thir Thoughts; The Clock Tower; Interactions (relating to the selected texts) and Spotlights

11. Critical and Creative Thinking

The Stub Book; Mr. Know-All; Keeping Errors at Bay; What Is Intelligence, Anyway; Interactions (relating to the selected texts) and Spotlights

12.  Love

To His Coy Mistress; The Telegram on the Table; Piano; Interactions (relating to the selected texts) and Spotlights

13.  Life and Death

The Great Answer; Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening; A Tale; Ethics; "Where the Mind is without Fear"; New Year;

Interactions (relating to the selected texts) and Spotlights

Appendix I. Sounds of English Appendix II. 99 Lousy Sentences Appendix III. Deloused 99 Sentences

Appendix IV. Documenting Scholarly Essays and Books

Appendix V. Speaking English in Chicago and London Appendix VI. Speaking in Public

Appendix VII. Answers to Selected Questions

Prescribed Book

Nissani, M, and S. Lohani, Flax-Golden Tales: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Learning English. Shorter Third Edition. Kathmandu; Ekta, 2013. (Sounds of English and Stories and Poems on CD)

Unit 2 : The following pieces carry 30% of the weightage of this course:                    LH 19

1. Paragraph to Short Essay

       The Paragraph

       Unity and Coherence

       From Paragraph to Short Essay Editing Your Writing

      Putting It All Together

2.        Descriptive Essays

3.          Narrative Essays

4.      Opinion Essays

5.         Comparison and Contrast Essays

6.       Cause and Effect Essays

(subtopics for all the different essay types): Stimulating Ideas

Brainstorming and Outlining Developing Your Ideas Editing Your Writing Putting It All Together

7.      The Writing Proces

8.      puntuation

9.      Connector

10.    Grammar Terms

 Prescribed Book

Savage, Alice, and Patricia Mayer. Effective Academic Writing 2: The Short Essay. Oxford: OUP 2005.

Teaching Method

The suggested teaching method is to introduce the theme and the writing task and then guide the students to practice specific skills and put language knowledge to produce their own writings. The recommended approach is to view the books not as mere language texts but to introduce students to many disciplines, to expand their intellectual and spiritual horizons, to underscore the nobility of humanity's never-ending search for truth, beauty, and compassion. The goal is, therefore, to teach language skills along with insight and wisdom. The specific methods are also suggested in the course books and teacher manuals, and it will prove valuable for teachers to follow them.

Evaluation

The examinations will cover the language skills and include a range of tasks which assess students' ability to use English in a variety of contexts. Above all, the examinations will assess the students' ability to communicate effectively in English, especially in reading and writing activities.

Reference Books

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary of Current English. Eighth Edition. Oxford: OUP, 2010. Crystal, David, ed. The Penguin Encyclopedia. 3rd rev. ed. Penguin Books, 2006.

Carter, Ronald, and Michael McCarthy. Cambridge Grammar of English. Cambridge: CUP, 2006. Thomson, Anne, Critical Reasoning: a practical introduction. Third Edition. London and New York:

Routledge, 2009.