Course Descriptions

Grammar in an Academic Context 3 GAC1003

Course Description
Grammar in Academic Context (GAC) 1003 is an intensive English language course extending over a semester of 112.5 contact hours at the rate of 7.5 hours per week. Students taking this course must have a TOEFL score of 450 to 477.The syllabus of GAC 1003 consists of verb tenses, question forms, gerunds and infinitives, adjective and adverb forms, modal forms and similar expressions, verb forms, pronouns, nouns; count and non-count, different forms of conditionals, wishes and regret items, the subjunctive mood, prepositions, the passive voice, and phrasal verbs.

GAC 1003 focuses on communicative tasks which privilege “use” rather than “form”. It is also learner-centered; therefore, most of the activities aim at developing the learner’s ability to use English in appropriate contexts, rather than just mastering language forms.

Course Objectives
GAC 1003 aims to equip students with language skills so as to be successful both in their academic courses and in a global multicultural society through

• helping them understand and use in an academic context  basic as well as the more advanced grammatical structures of English at a high- intermediate/advanced level of language proficiency;
• preparing them for their academic programs.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
By the end of the course, students will be able to

1. understand and use a wide range of verb tenses in appropriate contexts;
2. use question forms appropriately;
3. understand and use gerunds and infinitives in appropriate contexts;
4. understand and use pronouns appropriately;
5. understand and use equatives, comparatives and superlatives;
6. understand and use different forms of modals;
7. understand and use the passive voice in appropriate contexts;
8. understand and use different types of conditional forms, wishes and regrets, and the subjunctive mood;
9. understand and use articles, quantifiers, count & non-count nouns;
10.  understand and use a wider range of prepositions;
11.  understand and use common phrasal verbs, both separable & inseparable;
12. proofread texts for accuracy;
13. use grammar learnt in listening and speaking, reading, and writing.

Evaluation
Midterm portfolio quizzes & homework            20%
Midterm Exam                                                  20%
Final portfolio quizzes & homework                  25%
Final exam                                                        25%
Teacher evaluation                                            10%

Course Materials
1- Focus on Grammar 3: An Integrated Skills Approach (Course book &  Workbook).
2- Focus on Grammar 5: An Integrated Skills Approach (Course book &  Workbook).