Course Title: Career Skills Course Code: Duration: Time: Location: Instructor: Contact Information: ENG 450 One semester Wednesdays, 2:00 – 4:25 pm Room ? John Mok 2408-8949, 9474-7842 jmok@chuhai.edu.hk, jmok@e2121.com _____________________________________________________________________ Aims This course has the following aims: To prepare students with the right attitude and proper skills to meet the challenges they will face in the competitive society and the work place. To introduce the principles of effective communication and help students develop strategies and skills to apply that knowledge to business related communication. To improve students’ ability to communicate in English by developing students’ reading, writing, listening and oral skills. Content This course consists of the following units: layout of business text-types most useful in Hong Kong; English punctuation and business abbreviation; job search communication skills; critical and creative thinking; introduction to internet research, graduate studies, entrepreneurship and investment; weekly assignments in reading articles of different topics from information websites and writing comments to the articles; preparing and sending out job applications; discussion of students’ writings. 1 Assessment There are continuous graded class participation, initiation, reading and writing assignments, as well as one final examination for the semester. 10 % 10% 35 % 5% 40 % Participation Initiation Assignments Attendance Final Exam Lecture Schedule Week Activities Date 1 lecture 02/23 Introduction, student career objective in letter format 2 lecture 03/02 Letter layout, give out company names, guest names 3 lecture 03/09 Invitation and enquiry letters, write letters 4 lecture 03/16 Job application letter and resume 5 lecture 03/23 Correct letter, resume and envelops, send out invitations 6 03/30 Syllabus Covered Easter and Ching Ming Holidays 7 lecture 04/06 8 lecture 04/13 Memo, e-mail, business report layouts, send out letters 9 lecture 04/20 Punctuation, punctuation test, send out job letters 10 lecture 04/27 Business abbreviation I, send out job letters 11 lecture 05/04 Business abbreviation II, send out job letters 12 lecture 05/11 Critical and creative thinking, send out job letters 13 lecture 05/18 Internet research techniques, send out job letters 14 lecture 05/25 Greatest books, graduate studies, send out job letters 15 lecture 06/01 Entrepreneurship and e-business, send out job letters 16 lecture 06/08 17 lecture 06/15 Career seminar 06/22 Final Exam 18 Job interview techniques, send out enquiry letters Investment tools, send out job letters 2 Text Notes prepared by the lecturer Supplementary Reading Materials www.cnn.com, www.time.com, http://news.bbc.co.uk, www.news.gov.hk/en/index.shtml, www.thestandard.com.hk, http://www.m-w.com/, http://hk.dictionary.yahoo.com/, http://www.acronymfinder.com/, http://www.britannica.com/, www.google.com, www.yahoo.com. 3