COURSE INFORMATION Course Title: DEVELOPMENT OF READING AND WRITING SKILLS IN ENGLISH I

Code	Course Type	Regular Semester	Theory	Practice	Lab	Credits	ECTS
ENG 103	D	1	3	0	0	3	4

Academic staff member responsible for the design of the course syllabus (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature)	Dr. Mirela Alhasani malhasani@epoka.edu.al
Main Course Lecturer (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature) and Office Hours:	M.A. Ada Cara acara@epoka.edu.al
Second Course Lecturer(s) (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature) and Office Hours:	NA
Language:	English
Compulsory/Elective:	Compulsory
Study program: (the study for which this course is offered)	Integrated second cycle study program in Architecture (5 years)
Classroom and Meeting Time:
Teaching Assistant(s) and Office Hours:	NA
Code of Ethics:	Code of Ethics of EPOKA University Regulation of EPOKA University "On Student Discipline"
Attendance Requirement:
Course Description:	Development and Writing Skills in English aims to help students develop as writers within the English-speaking academic community by raising awareness of, practicing, and reflecting upon the regulations, norms and written conventions of a standard piece of writing. The course will implicitly improve the overall English language mastery of students by utilizing scaffolding learning methodology of task- based assignments in a step by step learning process. The course will reinforce academic reading skills aiming to improve students’ reading and learning style towards more effective reading of professionally and scientifically intermediate/advanced English level texts. It also aims at developing critical thinking thus enabling students to respond to ideas in a cohesive and coherent and original, well-organized written style.
Course Objectives:	To enhance English proficiency from low intermediate to high intermediate towards advanced level - To improve speaking. writing, reading and listening skills - To build up confidence in general English and academic English jargon - To make a smooth gradual introduction to academic writing - To comprehend and use sophisticated grammar knowledge accurately - To enrich vocabulary needed for daily, professional and academic usage

BASIC CONCEPTS OF THE COURSE

1	Critiquing the logic and evidence of arguments presented in text.
2	Students will have built up verbal interaction confidence in colourful discussions.
3	Drafting a well refined research paper related to a topic of their interest.

COURSE OUTLINE

Week	Topics
1	Introduction; Review guideline; This section explains and practises all the stages of producing a piece of academic writing, from analysing the title, reading the sources, note-making and referencing through to rewriting and then proofreading the final draft (Bailey, 2024, p.3-11).
2	Every academic writer begins by writing for a captive audience: someone who is literally being paid to pay attention. Long before they set foot in graduate school or venture beyond it, academic writers spend years getting used to a reader who can’t be distracted or discouraged, because that reader receives cash to read to the end. The main problem with writing for a captive audience is that it teaches us to take the reader’s attention for granted. Student writers learn to be long-winded because they know—consciously or not—that their reader won’t quit on them (Cassuto, 2024, p.15-50).
3	In academic writing, the argument makes an essay an essay. Argument is the currency of the realm, the measure of what a piece of writing is worth. Most of all, argument is what academic readers read for. Knowing how to make a good argument (or thesis) is an academic writer’s central skill, which is why it’s taught as the main goal of first-year English (“Composition”), the gateway course to college education (Cassuto, 2024, p.50-86).
4	Students are expected to take a critical approach to their sources, which means challenging what they read, rather than passively accepting it as reliable. This is particularly important when dealing with internet sources. The approach first requires a thorough understanding of the text, using the skills developed in the previous unit. This unit explores and practises the critical analysis of texts (Bailey, 2024, p. 31-60).
5	Summarising and paraphrasing are normally used together in academic writing. Summarising aims to reduce information to a suitable length, allowing the writer to condense lengthy sources into a concise form. Paraphrasing means changing the wording of a text so that it is significantly different from the original source, without changing the meaning. Both are needed to avoid the risk of plagiarism, and this unit practises them both separately and jointly (Bailey, 2024, p.67-76). Exercises
6	Paragraphs are the basic building blocks of academic writing. Well-structured paragraphs help the reader understand the topic more easily by dividing up the argument into convenient sections. This unit looks at: The components of paragraphs. The way the components are linked together. The linkage between paragraphs in the overall text (Bailey, 2024, p. 83-89; Cassuto, 2024, p. 86-108). Exercises
7	An effective introduction explains the purpose, scope and methodology of the paper to the reader. The conclusion should provide a clear answer to any questions asked in the title, as well as summarising the main points discussed. With coursework, it may be better to write the introduction after writing the main body. (Bailey, 2024, p. 89-95; Awad, 2024, p. 30-35).
8	Literature reviews are sections of a paper in which the writer summarises relevant published work on the topic. They are standard in dissertations and theses, and allow the writer to show awareness of the leading authorities in the field and the state of the current debate (Bailey, 2024, p.125-127; Awad, 2024, p. 46-54). Exercises and Review
9	Midterm Exam
10	While essays are often concerned with abstract or theoretical subjects, a report is a description of a situation or something that has happened. In academic terms it might describe: i) a problem that you have studied and developed several solutions for; ii) a survey you have carried out; iii) a proposal for a new product or service (Bailey, 2024, p.134-141). Exercises
11	Students in many subjects, such as Medicine, Business, Humanities, or Agriculture, are required to write clearly and accurately about statistical data. This unit first explains and practises the language of numbers and percentages, and then deals with presenting data in charts and tables (Bailey, 2024, p.175-186).
12	Acceptable academic style can vary from subject to subject, but in all disciplines a good written style displays accuracy, objectivity and clarity. Students should make these criteria their priority, while aiming eventually to develop their own individual ‘voice’. This unit gives guidelines for an appropriate style, and provides practice with varying sentence length and the use of caution (Bailey, 2024, p.192-199). Debrief Semester
13	Research paper presentations- Students will be presenting their final research paper draft submission in a 5 minutes presentation and will be graded individually for their work reflected on the research paper and during their presentation.
14	Research paper presentations- Students will be presenting their final research paper draft submission in a 5 minutes presentation and will be graded individually for their work reflected on the research paper and during their presentation.

Prerequisite(s):	None
Textbook(s):	Dr Dina Awad (2024). Advanced Academic English. Grosvenor House Publishing. Bailey, S. (2022). Academic writing for university students. Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, Ny: Routledge. Cassuto, L. (2024). Academic Writing as if Readers Matter. Princeton University Press.
Additional Literature:
Laboratory Work:
Computer Usage:
Others:	No

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES

1	Students will be able to distinguish and to successfully write formal essays, persuasive writing, reports, professional emails.
2	Students will have improved their critical and analytical reading skills through exposure to authentic materials such as newspapers, magazines, journals, books, leaflets, brochures.
3	Students will strengthen collaborative skills, socialization and group coherence in fulfilling the projects and presentations.
4	Students will overall improve the four skills and possess a better command of grammar structured as applied for academic context.

COURSE CONTRIBUTION TO... PROGRAM COMPETENCIES (Blank : no contribution, 1: least contribution ... 5: highest contribution)

No	Program Competencies	Cont.
Integrated second cycle study program in Architecture (5 years) Program
1	Speaking and Writing Skills Ability to read, write, listen, and speak effectively	4
2	Critical Thinking Skills Ability to raise clear and precise questions, use abstract ideas to interpret information, consider diverse points of view, reach well-reasoned conclusions, and test them against relevant criteria and standards	5
3	Graphics Skills Ability to use appropriate representational media, including freehand drawing and computer technology, to convey essential formal elements at each stage of the programming and design process	5
4	Research Skills Ability to gather, assess, record, and apply relevant information in architectural course work	4
5	Formal Ordering Systems Understanding of the fundamentals of visual perception and the principles and systems of order that inform two- and three-dimensional design, architectural composition, and urban design	5
6	Fundamental Design Skills Ability to use basic architectural principles in the design of buildings, interior spaces, and sites	5
7	Collaborative Skills Ability to recognize the varied talent found in interdisciplinary design project teams in professional practice and work in collaboration with other students as members of a design team	5
8	International Traditions Understanding of the International architectural canons and traditions in architecture, landscape and urban design, as well as the climatic, technological, culture-economic, and other cultural factors that have shaped and sustained them	5
9	National and Regional Traditions Understanding of national traditions and the local regional heritage in architecture, landscape design and urban design, including the vernacular tradition	5
10	Use of Precedents Ability to incorporate relevant precedents into architecture and urban design projects	4
11	Conservation and Restoration of Historical Districts Knowledge on historical districts and the gain of conservation consciousness documentation of historical buildings and the understanding the techniques which are needed to prepare restoration projects.	5
12	Human Behavior Understanding of the theories and methods of inquiry that seek to clarify the relationship between human behavior and the physical environment	5
13	Human Diversity Understanding of the diverse needs, values, behavioral norms, physical ability, and social and spatial patterns that characterize different cultures and individuals and the implication of this diversity for the societal roles and responsibilities of architects	5

COURSE EVALUATION METHOD

Method	Quantity	Percentage
Midterm Exam(s)	1	30
Presentation	1	20
Term Paper	1	40
Other	1	10
	Total Percent:	100%

ECTS (ALLOCATED BASED ON STUDENT WORKLOAD)

Activities	Quantity	Duration(Hours)	Total Workload(Hours)
Course Duration (Including the exam week: 16x Total course hours)	16	4	64
Hours for off-the-classroom study (Pre-study, practice)	14	2	28
Mid-terms	1	9	9
Assignments	1	15	15
Final examination			0
Other	1	9	9
Total Work Load:			125
Total Work Load/25(h):			5
ECTS Credit of the Course:			4

CONCLUDING REMARKS BY THE COURSE LECTURER

Students will critically discuss research articles and ideas in a seminar format and present their research in an ethical way.