Type of Credit: Elective
Credit(s)
Number of Students
This course is an introduction to academic writing and literacy through the fundamentals of essay writing with an emphasis on genre knowledge and audience awareness. The course, which is conducted in English, incorporates lectures and discussion sessions making class-time full of activity. Writing assignments provide students opportunities to practice writing skills while exploring current issues through their own interests and experiences. Students learn ways to approach writing assignments, how to find an interesting topic, and how to go through the process of writing a powerful essay in English. An assigned textbook is used as a guide, but other materials and references will be made available on the course blog.
能力項目說明
In this class, learners will practice writing as a process of invention and revision that anyone can master with effort. Students will review basic paragraph structure and then learn about common rhetorical forms. They will practice several types of essays including narrative, comparison/contrast, cause-effect, and argument. Literacy skills are incorporated as learners search online sources, learn to cite them, and create a reference list. In sum, students will gain a foundational understanding of English composition and learn the writing process as they develop their own writing and revising toolkit.
By the end of the semester, those who have satisfactorily completed the course requirementswill be able to identify a compelling topic, decide how to treat it in writing, and compose a strong and thoughtful essay to explore or argue it. Students will be familiar with elements of good academic compositions including organization, thesis statements, and clarity of ideas. Finally, students will learn the mechanics of academic writing such as document format, and citations and reference lists.
◎The following schedule will be adjusted to accommodate the progress of the class.
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週次 Week |
課程主題 Topic |
課程內容與指定閱讀 Content and Reading Assignment |
教學活動與作業 Teaching Activities and Homework |
學習投入時間 Student workload expectation |
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課堂講授 In-class Hours |
課程前後 Outside-of-class Hours |
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1 |
Course Orientation |
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|
3 |
4.5 |
|
2 |
Paragraph writing foundation |
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Unit 3 Exercises |
3 |
4.5 |
|
3 |
From paragraph to essay |
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|
3 |
4.5 |
|
4 |
Expository or classification essay
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|
3 |
4.5 |
|
5 |
Mastering the expository essay; improving thesis statements |
|
Complete Unit 11 Practice Exercises; Unit 10 |
3 |
4.5 |
|
6 |
Process Essay: Educational and Informative |
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|
3 |
4.5 |
|
7 |
Composing the Process Essay
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3 |
4.5 |
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8 |
Grammar Workshop – Process essay error correction and Noun Clauses |
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3 |
4.5 |
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9 |
Cause-Effect Essay |
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3 |
4.5 |
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10 |
Cause-Effect Essays |
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3 |
4.5 |
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11 |
Cause-Effect Essay, In-class Exam |
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12 |
Compare Contrast Essay |
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3 |
4.5 |
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13 |
Compare Contrast Essay |
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3 |
4.5 |
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14 |
Argumentative Essay |
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Research pros and cons for an Argumentative Essay; Rewriting Assignment Due |
3 |
4.5 |
|
15 |
Argumentative Essay |
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|
3 |
4.5 |
|
16 |
Final writing exam |
Write either a Compare-Contrast or Argumentative Essay in class |
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All materials, including the written text, handouts, and any information spoken in class or written on the board,are expected to be reflected in your work. Take notes, and study the textbook and handouts. Keep all of the work you do during the course until after the final grades have been announced. Your final grades will be determined by the following course components:
Participation/Homework assignments: 15%
Expository/Benefits Essay (out-of-class): 25%
Process Essay (out-of-class): 25%
Cause-Effect (in-class test): 35%
All AI tools, including Grammarly, other help tools, and outside help from tutors or native speakers, are not allowed to be used on homework assignments. Students who turn in assignments with perfect grammar and native-speaker-like idiomatic usage will be suspected of cheating and will receive a zero on their assignment, regardless of any other work done for that particular assignment. Students' out-of-class assignments will be compared to their in-class tests to determine if the form and structure match, accounting for the fact that out-of-class assignments tend to be better because the student has more time. If there is a great discrepancy between the two, (for example, a level-10 grammar on the out-of-class assignment, and a much lower level of grammar on the in-class assignment) students will be suspected of cheating and will receive a zero on the out-of-class assignment. In other words, all assignments must reflect the student's true writing ability without any other help.
Textbook:
Resources:
Published by: National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning
http://www.freecollocation.com/