English 181 Course Syllabus

 

Course Description:

English 181 is designed to provide students of the Health Sciences Centre with skills in composition, listening, and reading. Students will review the fundamentals of English grammar. They will also acquire the necessary vocabulary, reading, and listening skills that will facilitate both their learning in the more advanced English courses as well as in all their other courses throughout their years at the Health Sciences Centre. The focus of English 181 is paragraph development. The students will learn how to write a well-developed paragraph. This will transition into English 182, where they will develop these paragraphs into essays, and then into 183, where they will write and present a complete research paper.

 

Course Objectives:

Ø        To demonstrate the ability to write the following well-developed paragraphs: definition, comparison and contrast, and process

Ø        To demonstrate a firm grasp of the fundamentals of English grammar

Ø        To demonstrate the ability to utilize vocabulary acquisition skills to decipher meanings

Ø        To demonstrate the ability to listen to and comprehend various types of texts, as well as to take notes on such texts

Ø        To demonstrate the ability to read and comprehend various types of texts, as well as to take notes and answer questions on such texts

Ø        To demonstrate the ability to utilize a word processor for written assignments

Ø        To demonstrate the ability to utilize the library facilities

 

Required Texts:

1.         Arnaudet, M. L. and Barret, M. E. (1990).  Paragraph development (2nd ed.).  New Jersey: Prentice Hall Regents.

2.         Azar, B. S. (1999).  Understanding and using English grammar (3rd ed.).  New Jersey: Prentice Hall Regents.

3.         English 181: Required Course Packet (available at ‘Campus’, the Shuwaikh copy center for students)

4.         Medical dictionary of student’s choice (such as Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary)

5.         English dictionary of student’s choice (not a bilingual dictionary)

 

Additional Recommended Texts (Optional):

6.         Chabner, D. (1996).  The language of medicine (5th ed.).  Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Company.

7.         English/Arabic or Arabic/English dictionary of student’s choice

 

Required Supplies:

q      White, lined, A4 paper for in-class writing

q      White, unlined, A4 paper for assignments

q      Black or blue ink pen

 

Grading: (Note: Detailed rubrics will be provided for each graded assignment.)

§         Paragraph Outline                           5%

§         3 Graded Paragraphs (15% each)     45%

§         Essay Outline                                  5%

§         Midterm                                          10%

§         Final                                               30%

§         Library Visit                                    1%

§         Word 2000 Lecture                         1%

§         Classwork (explained by instructor)  3%

 

Attendance Policy:

ATTENDANCE IS MANDATORY. Attendance will be taken at the beginning of class by students signing an attendance register. If students come to class more than ten minutes after the start of the first hour of the class period, they may attend class, but they are considered absent for that hour. Students who are not present at the start of the second hour of the class period are considered absent for that hour. Students missing more than ten unexcused hours of class will automatically be awarded a grade of ‘F/A.’ To check on their attendance status, students should go to the Student Affairs Office, Faculty of Medicine, not their instructor or the departmental secretary. If students are ill, they can get a medical excuse form from the Student Affairs Office, Faculty of Medicine, or the Student Affairs Office, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences and Nursing. This must be handed in within three days after students return to class. Students in Jabriyah should hand in the excuse to the departmental secretary of the English Language Unit. Students in Shuwaikh should hand in the excuse to their instructor.

 

Late Work:

Class assignments should be handed in at the start of the lecture on the assigned due date. Students will have 25% taken off their grade for every class day that they are late in submitting an assignment. Students are forgiven for their first late assignment, provided that they hand it in within three days of the due date. Students with an excused absence must submit missed assignments within three days of their return to class.

 

Examinations:

Students who are 15 minutes late to an examination will not be allowed to sit for the examination without written permission from the Vice-Dean Academic, Faculty of Medicine. Any students wishing to be excused from examinations for medical reasons should, prior to the examinations, submit a request to the Dean/Vice-Dean Academic, Faculty of Medicine, who will decide the validity of the request and, in cases where necessary, will refer students to the relevant faculty specialist for care.

§         The MIDTERM EXAMINATION will be held on Thursday, 1/11/01 at 9:30 a.m. in FOM Lecture Theatres, Jabriyah.

§         The FINAL EXAMINATION will be held on Thursday, 3/1/02 at 9:30 a.m. in FOM Lecture Theatres, Jabriyah.

§         The RESIT EXAMINATIONS dates will be announced later in the semester.

§         Mobiles, pagers, computers, and dictionaries are not permitted inside the lecture theatres during an examination.

 

Resit Examinations:

The following students are eligible to sit for the resit examination:

ü      Students who have received an ‘F’ for the course

ü      Students who have a medical excuse for missing the examination

The following students are not eligible to sit for the resit examination:

û       Students who have already received an ‘F/A’ due to unexcused excessive absences

 

Course Coordinator: Ms. Rania Al-Nakib, Jabriyah - Office 9, 5312300 ext. 6188