II. Read the text with an eye for the vocabulary units in bold; come up with their explanations and translations. Higher education in the usa: curriculum

course

curriculum

Academic Advisor/Faculty Advisor

class schedule

semester

enroll

credit

semester calendar

earn a credit

major

elective

The courses given by a college or university are called the school’s curriculum. Institutions vary considerably in the amount of freedom given students in selecting their courses. With a help of Academic Advisors or Faculty Advisors, students make up their own individual class schedules for each semester they are enrolled.

The catalogue of the institution outlines the complete curriculum. It gives the requirements for taking each course, as well as the credits given. Each course is designed as giving a specified number of credits. These usually equal the number of class hours devoted each week to the course. For example, a course that meets three times a week usually gives three credits for graduation. Schools using the semester calendar require about 120 credits for graduation; between 30 and 40 of the required credits must be earned in the major subject.

The undergraduate curriculum typically consists of two components – general education and the major field of study (the major). The purpose of general education is to provide students with broad knowledge and prepare them to be engaged and informed citizens. General education is delivered predominantly through either a core curriculum, in which all undergraduate students take the same courses, or an elective format, in which students choose courses from a pre-specified list representing a range of topics (such as science, art and aesthetic appreciation, humanities, etc.). General education requirements typically constitute between one-quarter and one-half of a student’s courses. The other courses include those related to the major. Students choose their major either upon enrolling or after completing their second year of studies; students may change their majors if their interests change. Many schools permit a student to have two majors.

III. After you read

1. Imagine you are a mature senior student at an American University. Answer the following question an applicant puts you.

1. Will I have a set schedule of classes? How should I know what courses to sign up for?

2. What is a credit? How many credits do I have to earn?

3. Should I take courses within the range of my major only?

4. When am I to define my major? Am I allowed to take up two majors?

2.Think of one word from the text to fit into each of the gaps. Do not overlook polysemy.

Group1.

2. We always travel first…………………….

3. Let's go - I have my first …………………….. in 10 minutes!

4. People were excluded from education based on ………………… and race.

Group2.

1. My favourite ………………………..is math.

2. You know money is a touchy ……………………….with me.

3. The ……………… in the sentence 'Elephants are big' is “Elephants”.

Group 3.

1. The most mysterious room in the house for the children was their father’s…………….

2. If you ………………….. hard, you'll be able to get into a good university.

3. We're doing a ………… into how much time people spend watching television each day.

Group 4.

1. Remove the ……………, and bake the apples for 40 minutes.

2. Children must learn the ……………….. subjects of English, maths, and science.

3. She had the ability to cut through to the ……………….. of a problem.

3. Find in the text words to add to the following sets of synonyms.

1. Lesson, class, program, module, curriculum, lecture series.

2. Agenda, plan, calendar, timetable, to-do list, program.

3. Register, sign up, put your name down, join, join up, sign on.

4. Optional, voluntary, noncompulsory, free, selective, discretionary.

5. List, index, register, inventory, listing, record, directory.