Description

Communication Skills in English

 

FYBA Semester II

 

Syllabus

 

Unit 1 : English Usage in Communication 8 Lectures
1. Distinction between American English and British English
2. Indianism and Indian English
3. Appropriacy in the Use of English
4. Non-verbal Communication
5. Elevator Pitch
6. Information and Communication Technology and Use of English
7. Modes and Types of Interview
8. Principles of Creative Writing
This unit shall work as theoretical base for the following units that are practical in nature.

Unit 2 : Enhancing Reading Competencies 12 Lectures
A variety of passages of 200-250 words may be taken such as extracts from novels, short stories, plays, magazine, newspapers, reports, documents, academic texts. The passages should have complex text type, function and lexis. The learners may be encouraged to gather meaning contextually or by referring to offline and online sources such as dictionary, thesaurus, and encyclopedia.
1. Augmenting active vocabulary
2. Understanding relations between parts of a text
3. Transferring information (Verbal to Non-Verbal)
4. Understanding concepts and arguments,
5. Developing skills in analysis and interpretation
6. Rewriting a passage from a defined perspective
7. Reading critically (presenting a reasoned argument that evaluates and analyses what you have read)
Weightage of questions on texts –
a. On vocabulary, synonyms and antonyms, prefixes and suffixes, collocations, making sentences of their own from the idioms or difficult words in the extract (50%)
b. On writing their opinions, perspectives on the passages in longer, more descriptive ways (50%)

Unit 3 : Advanced Oral Communication Skills 15 Lectures
A. Presentation Skills : (Formal presentations and skits)
1. Planning and structuring
2. Opening and closing a presentation
3. Use of body language
4. Use of technology in making a presentation
5. Drafting a skit (Not to be tested in theory exam)
6. Reading of a skit
7. Presenting a skit
Students are advised to prepare their own presentation scripts. Teachers should help them in drafting, reading and presenting those scripts in the class.
B. Group Discussion
1. Formal and informal discussion
2. Elements of group discussion
3. Using appropriate language: Initiating, seeking and giving opinions, suggesting, responding to a suggestion, agreeing, disagreeing, interrupting, requesting, clarifying, summing up
4. Types of discussion: Giving and sharing opinions of a given topic, making decisions, problem solving (case study)
C. Interview Skills
1. Interviewing others
♦ Researching the interviewee (writer, social worker, entrepreneur, actor etc.)
♦ Preparing questions
♦ Conducting interview
2. Attending an Interview (Job/Entrance)
♦ Researching the organization
♦ Reviewing job-profile and your bio-data/CV
♦ Preparing for standard questions
♦ Responding to questions
♦ Preparing your questions to ask to the interviewer/s
3. Analyzing Interviews
Students can be tested on forming actual interview frameworks including questions.
Teachers must form the groups and conduct actual interviews involving full strength of students.

Unit 4 : Advanced Writing Skills 10 Lectures
A. Report Writing
1. News report
2. Activity/Event report
B. Creative Writing
1. Personal Essay
2. Memoir
3. Short Speech on the given occasion/event
4. Story writing

Tutorial Activities:
1. Dialogue-writing exercises
2. Writing skits and presenting them
3. Giving speeches
4. Group discussions
5. Mock Interviews
6 Development of stories, passages from hints given, in about 200-250 words
7. Report writing tasks
8. Statement of purpose