COLLEGE ACADEMIC SKILLS IN ENGLISH
Course Synopsis
The course prepares students to be lifelong learners through the development of study habits and
key academic skills, foremost of which are critical reading and analytic writing. It trains students
to reflect on and assess their own thinking and learning strategies; gather, weigh, and organize
relevant information; draw connections between ideas; distinguish sound and unsound
arguments; and express their own sound arguments in clear and concise academic language.
Course Status
Credits : 3 units
Total Learning Time : 54 hours (18 weeks)
Pre-requisite : None
Course Purpose
The course aims to develop individuals who can extract necessary information from various
sources: written texts, audio-visual materials, online platforms, and actual events, and use these
information critically and creatively in appropriate situations.
Course Expected Learning Outcomes (CELO)
Upon completion of the course, you should be able to:
1. demonstrate extensive note-taking, outlining, and annotation skills in processing diverse
genres of reading materials;
2. exhibit analytical thinking skills by critiquing print, broadcast, and social media resources
and identifying reasoning fallacies therein;
3. use critical thinking skills in evaluating arguments embedded in multimodal texts as to the
truthfulness and validity of their claims;
4. exhibit creative thinking skills through production of multimodal materials;
5. exhibit fortitude, excellence, and uprightness in writing a well-documented argumentative
paper on a relevant social issue;
6. defend a position about an issue through a persuasive speech;
7. appreciate the importance of study and thinking skills in processing information from
multimodal sources.
Delivery Methods
Total Contact Hours : 54 hours / 18 weeks
Face-to-Face : 44 hours / 14 weeks
TIES : 10 hours / 4 weeks
Assessment Methods
Formative Assessment Summative Assessment
Pretest Long Quiz
Recitation Position Paper
Writing exercises Midterm Examination
Group dynamics Debate
Final Examination
Reading List
Berehulak, D. (2016, December 7). They are slaughtering us like animals. The New York Times.
Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/12/07/world/asia/rodrigo-
duterte-philippines-drugs-killings.html
Carter, H. (2012). We’re losing the drug war because prohibition never works. In
McDonald, S. & Salomone, W. (2012). The Writer’s Response: A Reading-based
Approach to Writing. UK: Wadsworth.
Ciardi, J. (1976). Another school year—why? In J. Berke, (Ed), Twenty Questions for the
Writer: A Rhetoric with Readings. USA: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
Del Rosario, R. J. (2017, July 8). Education for better lives. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved
from http://opinion.inquirer.net/105424/education-better-lives.
Gelernter, D. (2011). Computers cannot teach children basic skills. In Kennedy, X., Kennedy,
D., & Muth, F. The Bedford Guide for College Writers. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s.
Golding, W. (1986). Thinking as a hobby. In McCuen, J.R. & Winkler, A. C. Readings for
Writers. NY: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Publishers.
Gross, B. (2005). Bitch. In Selzer, J. & Carpini, D. L. Conversation: Readings for Writing. USA:
Pearson Education, Inc.
Jose, F. S. (2011, September 12). Why we are shallow. The Philippine Star. Retrieved from
http://www.philstar.com/arts-and-culture/725822/why-we-are-shallow
Schor, J. (2011) The creation of discontent. In Kennedy, X., Kennedy, D., & Muth, F. The
Bedford Guide for College Writers. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s.
Simpson, A. (1972). The marks of an educated man. Retrieved from
http://www.csus.edu/indiv/m/monkd/marks_of_an_educated_man.html
References
APA Style. Retrieved from https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/10/
Freeley, A.J. & Steinberg, D. (2009). Argumentation and debate: critical thinking for reasoned
decision making. California: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Kennedy, X., Kennedy, D., & Muth, F. (2011). The Bedford guide for college writers. Boston:
Bedford/St. Martin’s.
Langan, J. (2013). Reading and study skills (10th ed.). NY: McGraw-Hill Companies.
Mayfield, M. (2014). Thinking for yourself: Developing critical thinking skills through reading
and writing. MA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Purdue Online Writing Laboratory. Available at https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/
Rosenwasser, D. & Stepehn, J. (2015). Writing analytically (7th ed.). DT: Cengage Learning.
Topic Outline and Scheme of Work
Week No. of Topics Planned activities
Days
1 1 1. Orientation to the course,
classroom policies and grading
system Discussion
2. Discussion of FEU mission, vision, Open forum
and core values
3. Levelling of expectations
1-2 3 1. Staying motivated 1. Reading of assigned article:
2. Knowing one’s dominant learning “Another School Year—
style Why”* by John Ciardi
3. Study goals and time management 2. Discussion of assigned
4. Eliminating procrastination reading
5. Organizing study space 3. Group dynamics
4. Reading of “Thinking as a
Hobby” by William Golding
5. Drawing/Sketching
6. Preparing a work
schedule/calendar or activities
7. Quiz
3 2 1. Reading “The Marks of an
Educated Man*” by Alan
1. Context Clues
Simpson
2. Skimming
2. Getting the general idea of a
3. Scanning
written text
4. Annotating
3. Answering specific questions
about a written text
4. Annotating written texts
4 3 1. Making a reading outline
1. The writing process: a review
2. Taking and making notes
2. Selecting a topic for investigation
from a lecture
3. Note taking: a review
3. Preparing notecards
4. Making an outline
4. Topic presentation with
PowerPoint
5. Quiz
5 2 1. Questioning 1. Reading the assigned text:
2. Distinguishing fact from opinion “Reading, the Most
Dangerous Game” by Harold
Brodkey
2. Group work: asking pertinent
questions
3. Analysis of the article
6 2 1. Viewing of a documentary
film :
(a) The Last Generation:
The Lives of Foot-bound
1. Drawing inferences Women
2. Predicting outcomes (b) Growing Up
Transgender and Mormon
(c) Iran: Behind the Veil
2. Analysis of a documentary
film
3. Quiz
7 2 1. Analysis of assigned reading:
1. Making generalizations “Bitch” by Beverly Gross
2. Reflecting on an issue 2. Group activity: making
generalizations from a text
3. Quiz
8 2 1. Analysis of reading model:
“The Creation of Discontent”
by Juliet Schor Producing an
original video in response to
1. Summarizing, paraphrasing, and
the message of the text
quoting
analysed
2. Citing sources
2. Distinguishing between a
summary and a paraphrase
3. Summarizing, paraphrasing,
and quoting exercises based
on given reading materials
1. Analysis of “We are Losing
9 2 the Drug War because
Prohibition Never Works” by
Hodding Carter III
2. Analysis of “They Are
Slaughtering Us Like
Comparing and contrasting texts
Animals” by Daniel
Berehulak
3. Comparison of written texts
to visual texts with the same
topic
4. Workshop
10 1 MIDTERM EXAMINATION
11 2 1. Film viewing: “Seeds of
Freedom”
2. Lecture on the structure of
arguments
1. Identifying arguments
3. Identifying arguments
2. Evaluating arguments
4. Reading of assigned text:
3. Types of evidence
“Education for Better Lives”
by Ramon del Rosario Jr.
5. Group work: distinguishing
arguments from
nonarguments
12 2 1. Gathering evidence through
library research
Selecting and gathering evidence
2. Gathering evidence from
interviews and observation
3. Peer critiquing of outlines
13 2 1. Types of appeal: ethos, logos, 1. Responding to a text:
“Computers Cannot Teach
Children Basic Skills” by
pathos David Gelernter
2. Formulating sound arguments 2. Peer critiquing
3. Writing arguments
4. Quiz
14 3 1. Discussion of assigned
reading: “Love is a Fallacy”
by Max Shulman
2. Lecture on different logical
1. Valid and invalid argument fallacies
2. Logical fallacies 3. Analysis of sample
commercial advertisements,
political campaigns, movie
clips and literary excerpts
containing logical fallacies
2 1. Writing a library research
15 paper about the social issue
Organizing ideas
selected
2. Peer critiquing of drafts
16-17 4 1. Viewing and critiquing
persuasive speech models
1. Writing a persuasive speech
2. Delivering a persuasive
2. Delivering a persuasive speech
speech
3. Critiquing ideas
3. Questioning and refuting
arguments
18 2
1. Submission of position paper
FINAL EXAMINATION
Prepared by:
Acab, Deborah A.
Chavez, Mycah Amelita C.
Era, Joy Shellah B.
Madriaga, Joventina D.
Manaois, Fely Rose V.
Rivera, Richelle M.
