LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 16:3 March 2016
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.
         C. Subburaman, Ph.D. (Economics)
         N. Nadaraja Pillai, Ph.D.
         Renuga Devi, Ph.D.
         Soibam Rebika Devi, M.Sc., Ph.D.
Assistant Managing Editor: Swarna Thirumalai, M.A.

HOME PAGE

Click Here for Back Issues of Language in India - From 2001

BOOKS FOR YOU TO READ AND DOWNLOAD FREE!

REFERENCE MATERIALS

BACK ISSUES

  • E-mail your articles and book-length reports in Microsoft Word to languageinindiaUSA@gmail.com.

  • PLEASE READ THE GUIDELINES GIVEN IN HOME PAGE IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE LIST OF CONTENTS.

  • Your articles and book-length reports should be written following the APA, MLA, LSA, or IJDL Stylesheet.

  • The Editorial Board has the right to accept, reject, or suggest modifications to the articles submitted for publication, and to make suitable stylistic adjustments. High quality, academic integrity, ethics and morals are expected from the authors and discussants.

Copyright © 2015
M. S. Thirumalai
Custom Search

Ignoring Language Curriculum in Designing Syllabi:
A Case Study of Universities in Haryana

Prof. Amrita, Ph.D.

Abstract

This paper discusses various aspects of English language curriculum adopted and used in the universities of Haryana. Haryana, a wealthier state of North India, which is said to have second highest per capita income, one of the largest producer of food grains and milk; with SEZ sectors like Gurgaon, Faridabad, Sonepat, Panipat which are rapidly emerging as major hub for IT, automobile industry, education, handloom industry and refinery -- is expanding rigorously. It has one Central University situated in Mahendergarh, and eleven State Government Universities located in Kurukshetra, Sirsa, Sonepat, Murthal, Rohtak, Hisar, Faridabad. English Departments in the State Universities of Haryana are largely English Literature teaching departments. A detailed survey of models of curriculum in general and the syllabi followed in the Universities in Haryana are presented.

Keywords: Curriculum, Design of syllabi, Haryana State in India, aspects of language curriculum in universities.

Introduction

English, in global world today, is the primary language of ICT, business, science, education etc. and its international link status demands a practical command of English rather than mastering typical literature-language courses. This undoubtedly necessitates developing an effective curriculum of English especially in Higher Learning Institutions/Universities to fulfill the needs of our learners. Traditionally, a curriculum, is taken to refer to a statement or statements of intent – the ‘what should be’ of a course of study whereas syllabus is, according to Allen, the selection of materials based on objectives, duration of course and level (p. 64). Richards (2001) describes curriculum development as “the range of planning and implementation processes involved in developing or renewing a curriculum” (p. 41). He defines the processes as focusing on “needs analysis, situational analysis, planning learning outcomes, course organization, selecting and preparing teaching materials, providing for effective teaching and evaluation” (p. 41). Therefore, curriculum involves the philosophical, social and administrative factors in an educational programme; practically speaking, these aforesaid factors are what the decision-making bodies in universities are obliged to observe in higher education committees. Borrowing words from Brown (1995), curriculum development is, therefore, understood as “a series of activities that contribute to the growth of consensus among staff, faculty, administration and students.” (p. 19).

Though the development of linguistic skills and literary appreciation are common goals in many language programmes, yet historically speaking, teaching language has consistently been viewed as a less sophisticated, andtherefore less difficult task than teaching literature (Barnett 1991; Kramsch, 1993). This reflects a historic divergence between language and literature, which Short (1996) refers to as a ‘border dispute over territory’ between linguists and literary critics. Not only is this dichotomy fatal to an integrated teaching-learning experience but this divergence has resulted in two ‘disconnected pedagogic practices’ (Carter and McRae, 1996: xxiv). This is even truer in India, especially with regards to University education. Researchers, teachers and instructors (Bernhardt,1995; Scher, 1976; Schulz, 1981) have commented on the lack of articulation between courses in many foreign language departments. Bragger and Rice (1998) commented that language/literature courses often are organized in ways that create sudden jumps in difficulty level in both content and in language, and that expectation levels of instructors often do not correspond to the realities of student proficiency.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Prof. Amrita, Ph.D.
Chairperson
Department of English
BPS Women’s University
Khanpur Kalan
Sonepat-131301
Haryana
India
amrita1177@gmail.com
Custom Search
  • Click Here to Go to Creative Writing Section

  • Send your articles
    as an attachment
    to your e-mail to
    languageinindiaUSA@gmail.com.
  • Please ensure that your name, academic degrees, institutional affiliation and institutional address, and your e-mail address are all given in the first page of your article. Also include a declaration that your article or work submitted for publication in LANGUAGE IN INDIA is an original work by you and that you have duly acknowledged the work or works of others you used in writing your articles, etc. Remember that by maintaining academic integrity we not only do the right thing but also help the growth, development and recognition of Indian/South Asian scholarship.