Course Code : Eng. 301
Course Title : Introduction to English Language Teaching (ELT)
Course Credits : 4
Full Marks : 100
Introduction to the course
This course will provide an overview of the major theories, research and principles in the field of English language teaching (ELT). It will introduce students to the major approaches and methods of language teaching. Additionally, it will familiarize them with concepts related to assessment and language teacher education. The course will sensitize students to the Bangladeshi context of language learning and teaching.
Objectives
This course aims to:
- familiarize students with the major approaches and methods of ELT
- acquaint students with the basic principles and concepts in the field
- develop a critical understanding of the Bangladeshi context of ELT.
Course Contents
- Key acronyms/terms in the field: ELT, TESOL, TESL/TEFL, ESL, EFL, EAP, ESP, EOP, ELF, L1, L2
- A brief History of English Language Teaching (The Grammar-Translation Method, The Reform Movement, The Direct Method)
- Approaches, Methods and Techniques
- The Audio-lingual Method (ALM), Total Physical Response (TPR)
- Communicative Language Teaching (CLT): the Bangladeshi context and the major reform initiatives
- Learning styles
- Learner-centred approach
- Learner autonomy and learning strategies
- Technology-enhanced language learning
- Curriculum, syllabus and materials
- Testing and assessment (Types of tests, formative and summative assessment)
- Teacher training and development
Intended Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:
- understand and discuss key concepts in ELT
- demonstrate knowledge of the current approaches, methods and principles of ELT
- apply their acquired knowledge of language learning and teaching to the Bangladeshi context
- evaluate the suitability of different approaches and methods across diverse educational contexts.
Instructional Strategies
- Lectures and discussions
- Oral and multimedia presentations
- Assignments
- Pair and group work.
Core Texts
Larsen-Freeman, D. (2011). Techniques and principles in language teaching. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
Richards, J. C. and T. S. Rodgers. (2016). Approaches and methods in language teaching.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Recommended Readings
Howatt. A. P. R. (2004). A history of English language teaching. Oxford: Oxford University
Press.
Brown, H. D. (2006). Principles of language learning and teaching. New York: Pearson.
Harmer, J. (2015). The practice of English language teaching. New York: Longman Pearson
Nunan, D. (1999). Second language teaching and learning. Florida: Heinle and Heinle
Publishers.
Nunan, D. (2015). Teaching English to speakers of other languages: An introduction. London:
Routledge.
Stern, H. H. (1983). Fundamental concepts of language teaching. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
Course Code : Eng. 302
Course Title : English for Professional Purposes
Course Credits : 4
Full Marks : 100
Introduction to the Course
This course provides students with knowledge and skills to express their opinions, develop and refine arguments as well as demonstrate analytical and critical thinking skills that are relevant to professional workplace environments. It intends to strengthen students’ oral and written language skills to function in professional contexts. Additionally, it equips students with language resources to communicate in professional contexts.
Objectives
The course aims to:
- develop spoken and written English skills required for interacting in professional settings
- enable students to prepare stylistically and contextually appropriate documents for professional communications
- raise awareness of formal and informal communication styles.
Course Contents
Different genres of Business Correspondence
- Features of business English
- Format, style and content of business letters
- Formal emails
- Notes and memos
- Job advertisement and job descriptions
- Letters of application and cover letters
- Writing professional resumes and CVs
- Business-specific register, idioms/expressions/vocabulary
Meetings
- Setting the agenda, chairing, controlling the conversation
- Participating, turn taking, listening, being diplomatic, agreeing and disagreeing
- Taking minutes of simulated meetings
- Demonstrating knowledge of business words and phrases and basic English grammar to conduct meetings and write minutes
Negotiating
- Negotiating with suppliers and customers
- Language of negotiation and framing of argument
- Letters of complaint, enquiry, and apology
Reports
- Reading reports and news feeds
- Learning how to write reports that include analysis and offer recommendations
- Writing reports – style, register, conventions
Press Release
- Writing intriguing headlines
- The “five Ws (and one H)” of journalism
- Use of active voice
Proofreading and editing
- Editing symbols
- Sentence skill errors (Run-ons, fragments, dangling/misplaced modifiers)
- Punctuation and spelling
Presentation & Interview skills
- Overview of presentation and interview
- Learn how to answer interview questions: the “Tell me about yourself” question, answering job related questions
- Learn specific interview techniques such as body language, building rapport with the interviewer, concluding interviews
- Participate in simulated job interviews
Intended Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:
- demonstrate a sound understanding of terminologies and skills related to business communications
- use formal vocabulary and expressions in business-related environments both orally and in writing
- prepare effective job applications and curriculum vitae
- write effective business letters, reports, and press releases.
Instructional Strategies
- Projects
- Peer feedback with guidelines provided by course teachers
- Using samples of poor and good writings of students for classroom discussion
- Using online platforms for student interactions
Core Texts
Ashley, A. (2009). Oxford handbook of commercial correspondence. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
Taylor, S. (2005). Communication for business. London: Pearson Longman
Recommended Readings
Jones, L. and Alexander, R. (2011). New international business English. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
Mascull, B. (2018). Business vocabulary in use: Advanced book with answers. Cambridge:
Mackenzie, I. (2010). English for business studies student’s book: A course for business studies
and economics students. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Sandler, C. and Keefe, J. (2008). 1001 business letters for all occasions. (Kindle Edition).
Adams Media
Course Code : Eng. 303
Course Title : Ancient Epics in Translation
Course Credits : 4
Full Marks : 100
Introduction to the Course
This course gives students a glimpse of antiquity through some of the earliest and finest epics in the world. This is designed to create an awareness of the diverse origins and growth of world civilizations across time and place. The course highlights the significance of literary traditions with a focus on universal aspects of epics.
Objectives
This course aims to:
- introduce students to epics from different parts of the world
- formulate an understanding of the evolution of human civilizations
- generate scopes for inter-cultural discourse by investigating the similarities and diversities of societies and cultures around the world
- enhance students’ ability to evaluate the values, ethics, ideals and principles present in these texts.
Course Contents
Anonymous: Gilgamesh
Anonymous: Beowulf
Abolqasem Ferdowsi: Shahnameh
Vyasa: The Mahabharata
Homer: The Iliad
Intended Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:
- learn about the ancient world through reading a selection of epics
- develop a basic understanding of ancient codes of heroism, chivalry, justice, honour and respect for humanity
- draw connections among issues of cross-cultural significance
- appreciate and critique the relevance of the ancient classics to the contemporary world.
Instructional Strategies
- Lectures and discussions
- Oral and multimedia presentations
- Group work
Recommended Readings
Anonymous (2001). Beowulf. (S. Heaney, Trans. & Ed.). W. W. Norton & Company.
Homer (2003). The Iliad. (E. V. Rieu, Trans. & P. Jones, Ed.). Penguin Books.
Narayan, R. K. (2016). The Mahabharata: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian
Epic. University of Chicago Press.
Anonymous (2003). The Epic of Gilgamesh. (A. George, Trans.). Penguin.
Ferdowsi, A. (2007). Shahnameh: The Persian Book of Kings. (D. Davis, Trans.). Penguin
Classics.
Jenkyns, R. (2015). Classical Literature: An Epic Journey from Homer to Virgil and
Beyond. Penguin Books.
Hieatt, B. Constance (1988). Beowulf and Other Old English Poems. Penguin Books.
Williamson, C. (2013). Beowulf and Other Old English Poems. University of Pennsylvania
Press.
Browne, E. G. (1956). A Literary History of Persia (Vol. 2). Cambridge University Press.
Selected critical essays to be provided by course teachers.
Supplementary materials will be available in the course pack kept in the seminar library.
Course Code : Eng. 304
Course Title : Victorian Poetry and Prose
Course Credits : 4
Full Marks : 100
Introduction to the Course
This course introduces students to a wide array of texts written during the Victorian period. It identifies key social and economic features of Victorian England and discusses the underlying values of the rising middle class with respect to urbanisation, imperial expansion and religious crises. It charts out the massive political, cultural and religious changes that occurred as a result of such powerful dynamics as colonialism, Darwinism and industrialisation. The course fosters an understanding of the social, political and intellectual contexts of this exciting and tumultuous period of English literature.
Objectives
This course aims to:
- introduce students to the underlying values of Victorian society with respect to religion, coloniality, family, class and gender
- identify the key social and economic features of life in Victorian England
- ask questions about how imperial expansion, urbanization and Darwinism came to reflect on the study of the literary works of the Victorian times and those of the fin de siècle
- discuss and interpret the Victorian values and ideals, and to understand how issues such as sexuality, coloniality and religion affected contemporary society.
Course Contents
Selections from the following:
Poetry
Alfred Lord, Tennyson: ‘Lotos Eaters’; ‘Ulysses’; ‘Locksley Hall’,
Robert Browning: ‘Fra Lippo Lippi’; ‘Andrea del Sarto’; ‘My Last
Duchess’
Matthew Arnold: ‘The Scholar Gipsy’; ‘Dover Beach’;
Christina Rossetti: ‘Goblin Market’(extract)
Elizabeth Barrett Browning: ‘Mother and Poet’; “To George Sand: A Desire”,
Gerard Manley Hopkins : ‘The Windhover’; ‘Felix Randal’,
Lewis Carol: ‘The Walrus and the Carpenter’; ‘The Hunting of
the Shark’; ‘Jabberwocky’
Prose
John Stuart Mill: ‘Autobiography’ Chapter 5 (as in Norton Anthology
of Literature Vol. II)
Cardinal Newman: ‘The Idea of a University’
Mary Wollstonecraft: ‘Prevailing Opinion of a Sexual Character’, Chapter
2, Vindication of the Right of Women (excerpts)
Charles Dickens: A Tale of Two Cities/ Oliver Twist
Thomas Hardy: Tess of the D’Urbervilles/ Return of the Native
Intended Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the course, the students will be able to:
- demonstrate an understanding of the social, political and intellectual contexts of the contemporary society
- critically engage with a variety of literary forms to think about the different ways in which individual authors reflected on social change
- deepen our understanding of Victorian phenomena such as imperial expansion, urbanization, colonialism, religious crises, class conflict and steel power
- examine this tremendous change of the era, focusing on colonial expansion as a powerful dynamic in Victorian society and politics
- understand the corollaries of the newly installed social apparatuses of the Victorian era.
Instructional Strategies
- Lectures and discussions
- Oral and multimedia presentations
- Group work
Core Text
Abrams, M. (ed.). (2012). The Norton anthology of English literature. Vol. 2. W. W. Norton &
Company.
Recommended Readings
Armstrong, I. and Mrs Armstrong I. (1996). Victorian poetry: Poetry, poets and politics.
Routledge.
Armstrong, I., Joseph B., and Cath S. (eds.). (1997). Nineteenth-century women poets: An
Oxford anthology. Oxford University Press.
Beer, G. (1983). Darwin’s plots: Evolutionary narrative in Darwin, George Eliot, and
nineteenth‐century fiction. Routledge & Kégan Paul.
Buckley, J. H. (1969). The Victorian temper: A study in literary culture. Harvard University
Press.
Chesterton, G.K. (2008). The Victorian age in literature. House of Stratus.
Cunningham, V. (2000). The Victorians: An anthology of poetry and poetics. Wiley-Blackwell.
Ford, B. (1963). From Dickens to Hardy, The pelican guide to English literature. Vol 6. Penguin
Books.
Karlin, D. (1999). The Penguin book of Victorian verse. Penguin Classics.