COMSATS-Lancaster Dual Degree Programme

Lancaster Block, CIIT, Defence Road, Off Raiwind Road, Lahore

COURSE HANDBOOK
1 Course Title English Comprehension & Composition
2 Course Code HUM- 100
3 Credit Hours 3(3,0)
4 Semester FA 2015.
5 Resource Person Dr Filza Waseem, Ms Shazia Aziz
6 Supporting Team Members Will be informed later
7 Contact Hours (Theory) 3 hours per week
8 Contact Hours (Lab)
9 Office Hours Mon.-Fri. 8.30am-4.30 pm
10 Course Introduction
The module aims to enhance the English language proficiency of students. It
focuses mainly on the four skills of listening, reading, speaking and writing skills,
together with the grammar of English language. The basic objective of the module is to
help learners in the application of these skills to improve their active skills of the
language through an ‘integrated skills’ approach. The students will be familiarized with
different reading sub-skills (skimming, scanning and inferring) which will help them
improve their reading comprehension. This module will provide the students a solid
foundation for comprehending and producing texts in English language as is required for
all the core modules of Bachelors programmes. By combining vocabulary and grammar
with various class activities the module aims for learners to develop a sense of
correctness of the target language. The course is tailored to help students to achieve
success in their IELTS examination, a prerequisite for DDP students. It is expected that
with extensive practise students will have better chances to pass their IELTS test.
11 Learning Objectives
The module aims to develop the students’ listening, reading, speaking and
writing skills in English. It aims to improve the student’s ability to paraphrase,
summarize, and synthesize passages in English language. They will learn to write
effectively through a variety of assignments from sentence construction to controlled and
free composition, paragraph development and various essay and letter formats. The
module will enhance their ability to perceive and analyze simple and complex ideas
conveyed in English language. They will learn to organize ideas effectively and logically
in essays and develop arguments and counter-arguments using the styles and registers
appropriate for the task, maintaining a consistent and appropriate viewpoint, tone, and
voice. Students will be given extensive speaking practise, starting from simple, familiar
topics to more complex and to public speaking. Listening and reading comprehension
will be combined with grammar teaching.
By the end of this module, students will be able to:
 Develop reading comprehension sub-skills (skimming, scanning)
  Figure out meaning of difficult words with the help of contextual
clues
 Read and describe graphs, tables, diagrams and charts
 Develop listening comprehension
 Develop argumentative skills
 Use language correctly and appropriately in writing and speech
 Organize and develop ideas effectively and logically in essays
 Apply rhetorical principles of writing in developing effective
sentences, paragraphs, and essays
 Use language effectively and accurately in real life situations
 Sit for IELTS or other English language tests

12 Course Contents
The contents of the course are focused on the four basic skills of English that are
parts of a person’s general proficiency in English enabling the students to enhance their
receptive skills i.e., reading and listening (with understanding) and as a result, improve
their productive skills i.e., speaking and writing thus equipping them with the level of
English necessary for success in all other disciplines and in their future careers.
13 Lecture/Lab Schedule
Weeks Topic of Lecture and Reading Assignment Language Lab and Related
Readings
Week 1 Speaking and Writing Skills, Grammar Developing Writing
Talking on Familiar Topics Patricia Wilcox Peterson
Basic Sentence Construction Chapter 1 & 2
Mechanics: Capital Letters & Periods
Controlled Composition: Dicto Composition
Grammar: Subject Pronouns, Articles

Week 2 Speaking and Writing Skills, Grammar Developing Writing

Talking on Descriptive Topics Patricia Wilcox Peterson
Subject Verb Agreement, Article Chapter 3 & 4
Controlled Composition: Responding to
Questions
Grammar: Object Pronouns, Adverbs
Sentence Construction with Present Tense verbs
Week 3 Reading and Listening Comprehension 1. Wren & Martin. High
Skills-1 School Grammar
 Skimming, scanning, predicting, &Composition,
previewing and inferring pgs.281-4
 IELTS Practice Reading Test 1
 IELTS Practice Listening Test 1. 2. IELTS Reading Pack
Book 1

Week 4 Paragraph Writing 1. Wren & Martin. High

Integrating reading and listening with School
writing skills
  Finding the topic sentence and what a 2. Grammar
paragraph is about &Composition,
pgs.281-4
 Topic sentence, supporting details
and concluding sentence, coherence
 ( Relevant Exercises)

Week 5 1. Jakeman, Vanessa &

Basic Grammar Review Clare McDowell
 Verb tense consistency Insight into IELTS,
 Subject-verb agreement pgs. 127-130
 Noun-pronoun agreement 2. IELTS Reading Pack
 Articles/determiner 3. Developing Writing,
 Punctuation marks(to be revised) Patricia Wilcox
Peterson
Sessional 1. Chap. 5 & 6

Week 6 Writing and Advanced Sentence structure Developing Writing, Patricia

,Grammar Wilcox Peterson
Chap 5, 6 & 7
 Dangling Modifiers
 Run-on Sentence
 Practice tests, and exercises.

Controlled Composition: Incomplete

Dialogue & Letter
Sentence Combining
Making Negative Statements, Questions
Week 7 Vocabulary and Speaking Skills 1. Jakeman, Vanessa &
 Vocabulary, pronunciation, syllable, Clare McDowell.
stress Insight into IELTS,
 Speaking in response to questions, pgs. 19-27.
speaking with an outline, speaking 2. IELTS Reading Pack
extempore using appropriate Exercises and
pronunciation and vocabulary activities from
www.esl-lab.com
Listening Comprehension 3. Oxford Advanced
Learners Dictionary
www.dictionary.com

Week 8 Vocabulary and Speaking Skills 1. Jakeman, Vanessa &

Vocabulary building, synonyms, Clare McDowell
antonyms, phrasal verbs & idioms Insight into IELTS,
Watching a video/news pgs. 96-105.
 report/documentary and reporting orally 2. IELTS Reading Pack
what they saw and heard Exercises and
activities from
 Humorous Short Stories www.esl-lab.com.
1. Sayyid Saadat Ali
Shah. Exploring the
World of English: A
Practical Module in
Composition,
pgs.236-257
Week 9 Reading and Listening Comprehension 1. Jakeman, Vanessa &
Skills-II Clare McDowell
Integrating reading with listening, Insight into IELTS,
speaking and writing pgs. 106-110.
 Contextual learning of the meanings 2. IELTS Reading Pack
 Introducing authentic material 3.  http://www.readbooko
nline.net/stories/leacock/
1423/
Poetry and Humorous Short Stories

 Poetry listening sessions

 Authentic texts usage for poetry
(reading from students)
 Famous Poems

 Humorous Short Stories

 Writing poems and short stories

Sessional II

Week 10 Reading, Writing & Grammar Developing Writing, Patricia

Contractions with have & will Wilcox Peterson
Present Perfect Tense, Indefinite Pronouns: Chap 18, 19 & 20
some, any & one. Subject-verb Agreement.
Indefinite Pronouns.
Controlled Composition: writing complete
sentences. Definitions. Dicto Composition,
Variety in Sentences.
Week 11 Pre-writing Techniques 1. Jakeman, Vanessa &
  Free-writing, note taking, brain Clare McDowell
storming, mind mapping, journalistic Insight into IELTS,
questions (5 W’s) pgs.28-41.
 Exercises for students 2. Listening Exercises
and activities from
www.esl-lab.com
Week 12 Presenting an Argument orally 1. Jakeman, Vanessa &
Expressing views: personal and general, Clare McDowell
making concession. Insight into IELTS,
Refuting an argument, defining or pgs. 49-52.
explaining. 2. IELTS Reading Pack
Making use of examples, experiences and Exercises and activities
evidences to support the argument. from www.esl-lab.com
Presenting Arguments 3. Jakeman, Vanessa &
Presenting arguments after watching Clare McDowell
documentaries or on a given topic. Insigh 49-52, 88-92.t
into IELTS, pgs
Week 13 Argumentative Writing 1. Jakeman, Vanessa &
 Expressing views: personal and Clare McDowell
general, making concession, Insight into IELTS,
 refuting an argument, defining or pgs. 53-6. 49-52, 88-
explaining 92
Making use of examples, experiences 2. IELTS Reading Pack
and evidences to support the 3. Developing Writing,
argument. Patricia Wilcox
Writing Arguments for/against after Peterson
watching videos

Week 14 Essay Writing Jakeman, Vanessa & Clare

 Characteristics and types McDowell Insight into
 Organization and common methods IELTS, pgs.76-7, 82-4. Wren
of effective essay writing & Martin. High School
 Cohesion and Coherence Grammar &Composition,
 Practice activities pgs. 335-346
Shah, Sayyid Saadat Ali.
Exploring the World of
English: A Practical
Module in
Composition, pgs.755-
92.

Week 15 Presentations or Role-Plays 1. Jakeman, Vanessa &

 Gathering material, organising data Clare McDowell
and use of appropriate language and Insight into IELTS,
style 111-121.
 Use of audio visual aids 2. IELTS Reading Pack
Week 16  Terminal Examination
14 Course Assessment
The assessment of this module shall have following breakdown structure

First Sessional Exam 10%

Second Sessional Exam 15%
Quizzes/Assignments/Presentation 25%
Terminal Examination 50%
________________________

The minimum pass marks for the course shall be 50%. Students obtaining less than 50%
marks in the course shall be deemed to have failed in that course. The correspondence
between letter grades, credit points, and percentage marks at CIIT shall be as follows:
Grades Letter Grade Credit Points Percentage Marks
A ( Excellent) 4.0 90 and above
A- 3.7 85-89
B+ 3.3 80-84
B (Good) 3.0 75-79
B- 2.7 70-74
C+ 2.3 65-69
C (Average) 2.0 60-64
C- 1.7 55-59
D (Minimum passing) 1.3 50-54
F (Failing) 0.0 Less than 50
Note: The marks to be assigned to students shall be in whole numbers and are not same
as followed in the annual system of Lancaster University.
15 Assessment Schedule
Week 2 1st Assignment
Week 3 1st Quiz
Week 4 2nd Quiz
Week 7 2nd Assignment
Week 9 3rd Quiz
Week 11 3rd Assignment
Week 14 1st Presentation
Week 15 Final Presentation
16. Format of Assignment
Assignments should be formatted according to parameters and details provided in class.
Broadly, the assignments will be assessed on the following parameters: presentation,
power of expression, skills, knowledge and understanding and meeting the expected
length/word limit.
17. Text Book  Jakeman, Vanessa & Clare McDowell. Insight
 into IELTS. New York: Cambridge University
Press, 1999.
 Wren & Martin. High School Grammar
&Composition. New Delhi: S. Chand and Co,
Ltd, 2005.
 www.esl-lab.com
18. Reference Books  Burton, S.H. Mastering English Grammar.
Hampshire: Palgrave, 1984.
 Thomson A.J. and A.V. Martinet. A Practical
English Grammar (Fourth Edition). Oxford:
Oxford UP, 1986.
 Heinemann English Grammar, An Intermediate
Reference Book.
 Lester Mark and Larry Beason. The McGraw-
Hill Handbook of English Grammar and Usage.
 Shah, Sayyid Saadat Ali. Exploring the World of
English: A Practical Module in Composition.
Lahore: Ilmi Kitab Khana, 2004.
19. Plagiarism
Plagiarism involves the unacknowledged use of someone else’s work, usually in
coursework, and passing it off as if it were one’s own. Many students who submit
apparently plagiarised work probably do so inadvertently without realising it because of
poorly developed study skills, including note taking, referencing and citations; this is
poor academic practice rather than malpractice. However, some students plagiarise
deliberately, with the intent to deceive. This intentional malpractice is a conscious, pre-
mediated form of cheating and is regarded as a particularly serious breach of the core
values of academic integrity. The Dual Degree Programme has zero tolerance for
intentional plagiarism.

Plagiarism can include the following:

1. collusion, where a piece of work prepared by a group is represented as if it were

the student’s own;
2. commission or use of work by the student which is not his/her own and
representing it as if it were, e.g.:
a. purchase of a paper from a commercial service, including internet sites,
whether pre-written or specially prepared for the student concerned
b. submission of a paper written by another person, either by a fellow student
or a person who is not a member of the university;
3. duplication (of one’s own work) of the same or almost identical work for more
 than one module;
4. the act of copying or paraphrasing a paper from a source text, whether in
manuscript, printed or electronic form, without appropriate acknowledgement (this
includes quoting directly from another source with a reference but without
quotation marks);
5. submission of another student’s work, whether with or without that student’s
knowledge or consent;
6. Directly quoting from model solutions/answers made available in previous years;
7. cheating in class tests, e.g.
a. when a candidate communicates, or attempts to communicate, with a fellow
candidate or individual who is neither an invigilator nor a member of staff
b. copies, or attempts to copy from a fellow candidate
c. attempts to introduce or consult during the examination any unauthorised
printed or written material, or electronic calculating, information storage
device, mobile phones or other communication device
d. personates or allows himself or herself to be impersonated.
8. Fabrication of results occurs when a student claims to have carried out tests,
experiments or observations that have not taken place or presents results not
supported by the evidence with the object of obtaining an unfair advantage.

These definitions apply to work in whatever format it is presented, including written

work, online submissions, group work and oral presentations.
20. Attendance Policy
Students are expected to maintain at least 90% attendance during the course which includes
lectures/seminars and language lab. Any student falling short of the required percentage of
attendance of lectures and/or lab will not be allowed to appear in the terminal examination of this
course and will be treated as having failed this course.
21. Field Trips/Case Studies/Seminars/Workshop
Not applicable