Core Curriculum English Required Courses
The Foundation Program English Department also administer two English programs that serve the Core Curriculum Program: The Post Foundation and Embedded.
A. Post Foundation Courses
After completing or being exempted from the Foundation English requirements, students studying majors taught in English take the two required courses: English Language I (ENGL 202) and English Language II (ENGL 203). Both are three credit-hour courses aimed at promoting advanced academic skills, with a particular focus on academic writing and critical thinking. In English Language I, students develop their ability to produce different fundamental essay writing genres. The course also develops students’ academic vocabulary, critical reading and reflection skills.
Finally, students are introduced to online learning platforms as well as paraphrasing skills for academic writing. English Language II introduces students to summary and response paper writing. It also fosters the skills necessary for students to develop a research topic, a research question and an appropriate outline. In addition, students are taught how to conduct independent library searches both physically and online, paraphrase and incorporate referenced source information into their writing and write a referenced academic term paper. After the completion of both courses, students will have the skills and abilities to successfully complete the academic writing requirements demanded by their major courses at QU.
B. Embedded Courses
There are six university required English courses taught by the Foundation Program Department of English for students who study in Arabic in the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business & Economics, Law, Education, and Sharia and Islamic Studies. Students will complete up to four courses maximum depending on their undergraduate study plan, and they are as follow:
- English 1 (ENGL 110)
- English 2 (ENGL 111)
- English for Communication 1 (ENGL 250)
- English for Communication 2 (ENGL 251)
- English for Business Communication (ENGL 252)
- English Communication for Law (ENGL 253)
Length & Structure of English for Communication Courses
All courses bear three credit hours and are delivered over five hours per week. This is to ensure active use of English with pair, group and project work. All courses integrate the four skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing. ENGL 110 and ENGL 111 provide practice in developing all four skills at the basic to lower-intermediate level. ENGL 250 builds upon these courses with a greater emphasis on reading and writing. ENGL 251, ENGL 252 and ENGL 253 also focus on reading and writing at a more advanced level scenarios. However, a student will only complete one of these three courses, with a Law major taking ENGL 253, a Business Major taking ENGL 252 and other majors taking ENGL 251. After completing all four necessary courses, students should have a comfortable level of competency in English, whereby they can cope flexibly with English in the university, the workplace and society.
C. Post-Graduate Course
English for Education (ENGL500) is designed to provide the necessary skills in English Language for Graduate students in the College of Education. In this course students read academic texts centered around education, discuss these articles, and critique the material in English. Students use these articles to develop vocabulary, grammar, and reading skills in English. The course also focuses on academic writing and research.
The credit hours are 3, but 5 contact hours. To get into the course the student must have at least a 5 on IELTS or equivalent.