Syllabus for English Language & Technical Communication

PAPER NAME: ENGLISH LANGUAGE & TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION

PAPER CODE: HU 101

Guidelines for Course Execution:

Objectives of the Course: This Course has been designed

1. To impart advanced skills of Technical Communication in English through Language Lab. Practice Sessions to 1st Semester UG students of Engineering &Technology.

2. To enable them to communicate confidently and competently in English Language in all spheres.

Desired Entry Behaviour:

1. The students must have basic command of English to Talk about day-to-day events and experiences of life.
2. Comprehend Lectures delivered in English.
3. Read and understand relevant materials written in English.
4. Write grammatically correct English.

Strategies for Course Execution:

1. It is a Course that aims to develop Technical Communication Skills. It is, therefore, Lab- based and practical in orientation. Students should be involved in Practice Sessions.
2. The content topics should be conveyed through real-life situations. Lecture classes should be conducted as Lecture cum Tutorial classes.
3. Keeping in view the requirements of students, the teachers may have to prepare some learning aids task materials.
4. Some time should be spent in teaching stress and intonation.
5. In teaching ‘Speaking skill,’ emphasis should be on clarity, intelligibility, fluency,( as well as accepted pronunciation).
6. Micro Presentation and Group Discussion Sessions should be used for developing Communicative Competence
7. The Language Lab, device should be used for giving audio-visual inputs to elicit students’ responses by way of Micro-Presentation, Pair Conversation, Group Talk and Class Discussion.
8. The teacher must function as a creative monitor in the Language Lab for the following:

A. Developing Listening Comprehension Skill;

1. Developing Listening Comprehension through Language Lab Device
2. Developing sub skills of the Listening Skill by Conversational Practice Sessions
3. Focusing on intelligent and advanced Listening Sessions e.g. Seminars, Paper Presentation, Mock Interviews etc.
4. Conducting Conversational Practice: Face to Face & Via Media (Telephone, Audio, Video + Clips)

B. Developing Speaking Competence:
a) Helping students in achieving clarity and fluency ; manipulating paralinguistic features of speaking (voice modulation ,pitch , tone stress , effective pauses )
Conducting Task oriented interpersonal ,informal and semiformal Speaking / Classroom Presentation

b) Teaching strategies for Group Discussion
Teaching Cohesion and Coherence
Teaching effective communication & strategies for handling criticism and adverse remarks
Teaching strategies of Turn- taking, effective intervention, kinesics (use of body language) and courtesies and all componentss of softskills.

C. Developing Reading Comprehension Skill:
a) Developing Reading Skill through Non Technical (Literary) Texts
(See Recommended Book 5)
1. The Thief —— by Ruskin Bond
2. The Open Window ——- by Saki
3. Marriage is a private Affair ————- by Chinua Achebe
4. The Moon in the Earthen Pot ———- by Gopini Karunakar

b) Developing Reading Skill through Radio Commentary, Technical Texts and Case Studies (Refer to Recommended Book 1.)
* Freedom by G. B. Shaw (Radio Commentary)
a) Guiding students for Intensive & Extensive Reading( See Recommended Book 1 )

D. Developing Writing Competence:
a) Teaching all varieties of Technical Report, Business Letters and Job Application (Expressing Ideas within restricted word limit through paragraph division, Listing Reference Materials through Charts , Graphs ,Tables and Diagrams);

b) Teaching correct Punctuation & Spelling, Semantics of Connectives, Modifiers and Modals, variety of sentences and paragraphs

c) Teaching Organizational Communication: Memo, Notice, Circular, Agenda / Minutes etc.

SYLLABUS - DETAILED OUTLINES

A. ENGLISH LANGUAGE GRAMMAR:
Correction of Errors in Sentences
Building Vocabulary
Word formation
Single Word for a group of Words
Fill in the blanks using correct Words
Sentence Structures and Transformation
Active & Passive Voice
Direct & Indirect Narration
(MCQ Practice during classes)

B. READING COMPREHENSION:
Strategies for Reading Comprehension
Practicing Technical & Non Technical Texts for Global/Local/Inferential/Referential comprehension;Précis Writing

C. TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION
The Theory of Communication –Definition & Scope
Barriers of Communication
Different Communication Models
Effective Communication (Verbal / Non verbal)
Presentation / Public Speaking Skills
(MCQ Practice during classes)

D. MASTERING TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION
Technical Report (formal drafting)
Business Letter (formal drafting)
Job Application (formal drafting)
Organizational Communication
Group Discussion –Principle & Practice

MARKS SCHEME (Written Examination) ——— Total Marks 70
1. 10 Multiple Choice Questions(Communication & Eng. Language-Vocabulary & Syntax) ——Marks 10
2. Short Questions & Précis writing on unseen passages —- Marks 15 (10+5)
3. 3 Essay type Questions on Technical Communication (Technical Report / Business Letter / Job Application / Organizational Communication etc,) —— Marks 45(15X3)

MARKS SCHEME (Internal Examination) Total Marks 30
1. Attendance —- Marks 5
2. Testing Speaking Ability —- Marks 5
3. Testing Listening Ability —- Marks 5
4. 2 Unit Tests —- Marks 15

BOOKS - RECOMMENDED:

1. Board of Editors: Contemporary Communicative English for Technical Communication Pearson Longman,2010
2. Dr. D. Sudharani: Manual for English Language Laboratory Pearson Education (W.B. edition), 2010
3. Technical Communication Principles and Practice by Meenakshi Raman, Sangeeta Sharma( Oxford Higher Education )
4. Effective Technical Communication by Barun K.Mitra( Oxford Higher Education )
5. V. Sashikumar (ed.): Fantasy- A Collection of Short Stories Orient Black swan (Reprint 2006)

References:

1. D. Thakur: Syntax Bharati Bhawan , 1998
2. Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (New Edition) for Advanced Learners
3. Internet