Undergraduate English Programme (UEP)

Undergraduate English Programme Unit runs separate English courses for the students of English and Turkish medium departments.

The Undergraduate English Programme, which also includes the ENGL1201, 1202, 2203, and 2204 courses for Turkish Medium Departments, aims to help students succeed both in their field of study and in their future professional lives. The UEP is designed for English medium departments and aims to support Işık University students enrolled in EMI programmes to acquire and develop the essential academic skills necessary to achieve success in their academic careers. The specific objective is to equip students with knowledge and skills to identify, retrieve, evaluate, and ethically use and communicate information from various information resources. The programme emphasizes critical thinking, logical argumentation, and academic research. The UEP currently comprises the core freshman courses of ENGL1101 and ENGL1102 and the field-related sophomore courses of ENGL2101, 2102, 2103, and 2104 for EMI students. The institutional credit value is 3 and ECTS credit is 4 for all ENGL courses.

 

ACADEMIC ENGLISH COURSES

Course Description

  • Data description. Text analysis. Summary and paraphrase of simplified research articles and data charts. IMRAD Summary. Critical thinking and logical argumentation skills to express an informed opinion. Presentation of information to an audience in an academic setting.

Course Objectives and Outcomes

  • Objectives: The overall learning objective of ENGL1101 is to develop students' essential academic English skills, and vocabulary to prepare them for English 1102, sophomore English courses and other courses they will take at the university. The skills include data description, reading and writing paragraphs, paraphrasing, and summarising.
  • The expected outcomes of the course are broken down into the main areas of reading, writing, speaking, and listening,

Assessment Rubric

  • Academic vocabulary quiz (15%)
  • Data description assignment (15%)
  • In-class summary/paraphrase- 2 assignments (40%)
  • Oral presentation of a short academic text (10%)
  • Attendance and participation (including homework) (20%)

Course Description

Critical thinking and logical argumentation. Academic research. Annotations, citations, quotations. Identification of arguments, reasoning, and logical cohesion. Debates. Evaluative summary. Interview.

Learning Outcomes and objectives

ENGL1102 aims to take the key skills attained in ENGL1101 and put them into practice in a practical context while also introducing information literacy skills essential for academic success. Most of the course objectives are focused on research and academic writing skills; they include strategies for locating and accessing relevant information, developing skills to analyse and critically evaluate research findings and identify the legal and ethical issues relating to the use of information. They also include the necessary citation and referencing skills for acknowledging other authors' work.
 

 Assessment Methods Overview

  • Research Project (3 assignments)  40%
  • Research Project Interview  25%
  • Debate  20%
  • Classroom Participation/Quizzes 15%
     

The Research Project 

The Research Project consists of three separate assignments on a single topic and counts as 30% of the total grade. In addition, there will be an interview where students will report on their project. This will be conducted by the instructor at the end of the semester and will bring the total to 40% of the course.
 

ASSIGNMENT 1

1A: Research Question     Due Week 4 

Each student will be given a general topic from which he/she must develop a specific subject to be researched. The Research Question/Central Issue should be field related, within the interest area of the student and, above all, worthy of investigation.

 

1B: Library Research     In-class - Week 4

Once a good research question has been defined, students will then have to find suitable material on their subject using on-line journals, databases, and books from the library. They will then write an "annotated" bibliography of the sources chosen to support their argument. 
 

ASSIGNMENT 2

Thesıs Proposal     Due Week 10

At this stage, students will state their point of view in the form of a valid logical argument (a thesis statement with supporting arguments). This thesis proposal is the answer to the research question.

 

ASSIGNMENT 3

Fınal Report     Due Week 13

In the final stage of the project, students will summarize all the information they have gathered which is relevant to their topic and, using carefully constructed arguments with reliable facts and figures from credible sources, explain why the reader should accept their thesis as a good answer to the Research Question.
 

INTERVIEW

Portfolıo/PowerPoint presentatıon     Due Week 13

Upon the completion of the semester-long research project, students will be interviewed by their instructors after submitting their portfolios. In these interviews, students will be expected to report on and present key elements of their project. 
 

DEBATE

Students will take part in an in-class debate. In teams of 4­–6, students will debate a chosen topic which they have researched as a group. 

Business Management and International Relations   (Prerequisite: ENGL1102)    

ENGL2101 and 2102 are consecutive content-based EAP courses specifically designed for EMI sophomore students. They run across two semesters, as 'Advanced Academic English I' and 'Advanced Academic English II'. Specifically, the courses aim to develop and equip students with the skills and techniques necessary to understand, analyse, discuss, and produce in-depth writing on complex ideas, extended lectures, and a wide range of texts related to the specific field of study, emphasizing critical thinking, reasoning, and logical argumentation.

The overall learning outcome of the courses is to develop and support students' essential academic skills and vocabulary in a field-specific context at a C1 CEFR level.

Assessment on ENGL2101 and 2102 includes a range of formative and summative methods designed to assess the specific course outcomes and objectives.

ENGL2103 and 2104 are content-based EAP courses specifically designed for EMI Psychology and MIS students. They run consecutively across two semesters, as 'Advanced Academic English I' and 'Advanced Academic English II'. Student-centred, resource-based teaching and learning methods are applied in both courses.

The overall learning aim of the courses is to develop and support students' essential academic skills and vocabulary in a field-specific context at C1 CEFR level. Specifically, the courses aim to develop and equip students with the skills and strategies necessary to understand, analyze, discuss, and produce in-depth writing on complex ideas, extended lectures, and a wide range of texts related to the specific field of study. To achieve this, students will need to hone academic skills such as critical thinking, reasoning, and logical argumentation as well as the information literacy skills required to identify, locate, evaluate, apply, and acknowledge academic sources.

Assessment on the ENGL2103 and 2104 courses includes a range of formative and summative methods designed to assess the specific course outcomes and objectives.

ENGLISH for TURKISH MEDIUM COURSES

 

The aim of these courses is to teach general English to Isik University students who are enrolled in Turkish medium programmes. Students in those programmes are required to take a sequence of general English courses divided into two freshmen courses (1201 & 1202) taught over two semesters. Two further sophomore courses (2203 & 2204) are taught in some departmental programs.

Regardless of the language level of incoming students, the programme aims to ensure that students achieve at least an A2 level of general English.

 

ENGL1201 develops students' reading/listening comprehension and written/spoken abilities towards 'Basic User' level, corresponding to A1 level under the Common European Framework Criteria (CEF). A balance of grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and skills teaching is provided through information-rich topics and texts. The tasks are designed to help students sense their own progress while the number of situations in which they can communicate effectively increases. All assessment materials increase in difficulty as the course progresses. The course objectives are assessed through assignments, quizzes, and a final exam. 

This course aims to develop students' four basic language skills towards 'Basic User' level, corresponding to A2 in the Common European Framework (CEF). A balance of grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and skills teaching is offered through information-rich topics and texts. The tasks are designed to help students to experience a sense progress while the number of situations in which they can communicate effectively increases. All assessment materials are designed to increase in difficulty as the course progresses. The course objectives are assessed through assignments, quizzes, and a final exam. 

ENGL2203 develops the four basic language skills of students towards 'Independent User' level (CEF level B1). Students explore real world issues, discuss academic topics, and study content-based and thematic materials. The course provides students an opportunity to directly apply the skills they are learning and get immediate feedback and assessment on their progress. All assessment materials increase in difficulty as the course progresses. The course objectives are assessed through assignments, quizzes, and a final exam.

ENGL2204 reinforces the four basic language skills of students working towards 'Independent User' level, corresponding to CEF B1 level. Students explore real world issues, and thematic materials, helping them express themselves accurately in a variety of situations through written and spoken means.

The course enables students to directly apply the skills they are learning and obtain immediate feedback and assessment on their progress. All assessment materials are scaled to increase the level of difficulty as the course progresses. The course objectives are assessed through assignments, quizzes, and a final exam.