Academic & Business Skills Course (ABSK 902)

(Summer-2015)

Instructor’s Name: Maged Habib

Email: Maged.habib@guc.edu.eg
Office location: B5 216
Office hours: by appointment via email
I. Prerequisites:

Satisfying the GUC’s required score on the Graduated Management Admission Exam

II. Course Description:

ABSK 902 is the second component of two 24 hour courses (of 1 credit each) which enhances the
graduate student’s critical thinking and scientific methodology skills with a business orientation. The
skills emphasized encompass analyzing information, with specific attention given specially to scientific
thinking skills — problem solving, observation, analysis, making inferences, interpretation, and
argumentation in reading, oral and written expression; in addition to designing a questionnaire and
producing a report based on a problem. Business reading and writing tools are also introduced through
training our graduate students to look at topics from various points of view leading to a more advanced
way of organizing ideas and writing about them in a structured, coherent way. The Graduate students
are also equipped with the skills needed for career presentations. The course fosters team work spirit
in problem solving while trying to teach the graduate students to become effective team leaders and
active team members during group discussions. The course duration is a one semester, one 90-minute
session per week.

III. Objectives:

Upon completion of the semester 1, graduate students will be able to:

1. Critically read a business text.
2. Paraphrase, summarize and synthesize a variety of business texts.
3. Distinguish among observations, facts, opinions, inferences, and assumptions.
4. Make inferences from premises.
5. Recognize good arguments.
6. Detect faulty arguments.
7. Present their arguments in a well structured academic written form.
8. Write grammatically

IV. Learning Outcomes:

I. Given a business article of 200 – 500 words, graduate students will be able to:
a. make inferences with an accuracy level of 100%.
b. distinguish among observations, facts, opinions, inferences, and assumptions with an
accuracy level of 100%.
II. Given an argument for/against a business issue, students will be able to:
a. evaluate whether it is valid, invalid, or faulty with an accuracy level of 100%.
b. analyze it with an accuracy level of 95%.
c. Criticize it with an accuracy level of 85%
d. evaluate it in an oral form with an accuracy level of 80%.
III. Given an business topic, graduate students will be able to:
a. Generate ideas using pre-writing techniques with an accuracy level of 90%.
b. Organize their ideas into a structured outline with an accuracy level of 90%.
c. distinguish between good and bad arguments with an accuracy level of 85%

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 d. produce a 4-6 paragraph argumentative essay made up of an introduction, a body, and
a conclusion with an accuracy level of 85%.
e. Use correct sentence structure and appropriate vocabulary in writing
with an accuracy level of 75%.
IV. Given a business text of 500-1000 words, graduate students will be able to:
a. Recognize main ideas with an accuracy level of 100%.
b. Distinguish major from minor details with an accuracy level of 100%.
c. Recognize organizational patterns with an accuracy level of 100%.
f. Draw inferences about main ideas with an accuracy level of 100%.
j. Draw inferences about supporting details with an accuracy level of 100%.
K. Identify the meaning of difficult vocabulary from context with an accuracy level of 100%.
L. Identify details with an accuracy level of 100%.
m. Identify sentence completion through using analogies with an accuracy level of a 100%.
V. Given a business text of 200 – 300 words, graduate students will be able to:
a. Recognize the most accurate paraphrase of the text with an accuracy level of 100%.
b. Paraphrase the text with an accuracy level of 85%.
VI. Given several business texts of 300 – 500 words about a given topic, graduate students
will be able to:
a. Recognize the most accurate summary with an accuracy level of100%.
b. Summarize the text with an accuracy level of 85%.
XII. Given several business texts of 300 – 500 words about a given topic Graduate students will
be able to
a. Recognize the most accurate synthesis of the texts with an accuracy level of 100%.
b. Synthesize with an accuracy level of 80%.

V. Evaluation

o 2 oral discussions (5%)

o Paraphrase (10 %)
o Summary (10%)
o Synthesis (10%)
o Outline + introduction of an argumentative essay (5%)
o Argument analysis (10%)

Final (argumentative essay) (25%)

Final Exam (25%)

VI. Reference

Browne, M. N. & Keeley, S. M. (2007). Asking the Right Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking, 8 th
edition. Pearson Education: U.S.A.
Burnett, R. E. (2001). Technical Communication, 5th edition. Thomson Heinle: USA.
Flemming L.: Reading for Thinking. 5th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006.
Gregory, H. (2005). Public speaking for college and career with speech mate 3.0, 7th edition. McGraw
Hill, Higher Education: USA.
Mayfield, M. (2004). Thinking for Yourself (6th ed.). Boston: Thomson Heinle.
Pfeiffer, W. S. (2003). Technical Writing: A Practical Approach, 5 th edition. Pearson Education: USA.
Sayce, K.(2006). What Not to Write: AGuide to the Dos and Don’ts of Good English. Words at Work:
London.
Searing, A. (2007). How to Live a Better Life (e-book). Online Express Limited: U.K.
Tullis, G. & Trappe, T. (2000). New Insights into Business: Student’s Book. Pearson Education Limited:
U.K.

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Course Outline

Session Date Materials Used Learning Content Assignment

outcome
1 Saturday Materials: IV Main idea, minor In tutorial
28th May. *Main idea, minor detail & inference: detail, pattern of practice
Technical Communication (book) Ch.4 organization,
pp.110-113. vocabulary in
*Patterns of Organization: context,
*Technical Writing (book) Ch. 5 pp inference
131-174 & Ch 6 pp. 176-207
*Reading for Thinking (book): Ch. 3 pp.
121-131 , ex. 166-169
*Inference Ch. 6 pp. 291- 320 , ex. Pp.
333- 352
*Vocabulary in Context: New Insights
into Business (book): selected
vocabulary exercises.
Extra materials for skimming, scanning
maid idea, minor details : How to live
Better Life (e-book) Ch. 7,9 10 Reading
for *Thinking (book) Ch. Putting It All
Together, selected ex pp 559-631
2 Saturday More on Main In tutorial
28th May. idea, minor practice
detail, pattern of
organization,
vocabulary in
context,
inference
3 Saturday Thinking for Yourself : I Observation, oral
28th May. Observations: Ch. 1 fact, opinion, discussion
Inferences: Ch. 4 inference,
Asking the Right Questions assumption
Assumptions:ch.5 & 6
Thinking for Yourself
Facts & Opinions Ch. 7
Critical Thinking: tools for taking…
Ch.6 Distinguishing between
assumptions and inferences
4 Saturday I More on
4th Jun. Observation,
fact, opinion,
inference,
assumption
5 Saturday Asking the Right Questions: Ch. 2,3,4 & II Strong – weak Oral
4th Jun. 7: argument analysis and fallacies arguments discussion
Group
In tutorial group argument
argument analysis
analysis

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6 Saturday Model Essay on a given topic related to Outline & Group
4th Jun. business introduction (in outline &
tutorial group) introduction
7 Saturday Model Essay on a given topic related to III Writing an Assign
11th Jun. business argumentative individual
essay argumentati
ve essay
8 Saturday III Group
11th Jun. Paraphrase (in paraphrase
tutorial group
paraphrase)
9 Saturday III & VI Group
11th Jun. Summary (in summary
tutorial group
summary)

10 Saturday III & VI More on: Group

18th Jun. Summary (in summary
tutorial group
summary)

11 Saturday Research article VII Synthesis (in Submit

18th Jun. tutorial group individual
synthesis) argumentati
ve essay,
group
synthesis
12 Saturday ABSK 902 Final exam
25th Jun. 9:30 – 11:00

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