實用英文寫作

This course is an introduction to news in English. Students will read, listen to and discuss a wide range of texts demonstrating the value and variety of journalistic English. Materials will include reports from traditional print newspapers, magazine articles, news reporting websites, and television news stories from major international media outlets. Throughout the semester, students will learn about the different rhetorical strategies that accompany different discourse forms. The course objectives are as follows: 1. To increase the student's ability to read, comprehend and discuss topical news articles in English. This includes the following skills: a. Identifying and analyzing points of view, arguments and implicit information; and differentiating between fact and opinion. b. Leading and participating in effective group discussions. c. Recognizing and using various grammatical structures, especially those characteristic of journalistic English. 2. To enhance the student's ability to better understand spoken English. 3. To raise social consciousness and sharpen political awareness through reading and interpreting news coverage.

*第一堂課必須要到! 沒到的學生,會被自動退選! The teacher will distribute and explain a detailed syllabus with a tentative course schedule on the first class, so unless you have a good reason, please do not be absent. If you are absent without a reason, you will be automatically removed from the list.

Previewing: In the課程進度、內容、主題 part of the syllabus, students can see topics and chapters that will be covered ahead of time; therefore, students are encouraged to preview readings of those selected chapters/topics before class. Students can spend some time reading the chapters/worksheets/powerpoints and look up unfamiliar words and phrases. Participate: Learning is a social act and can be best achieved within a community of learners (this class) through engaging, collaborative, and participatory class discussions. Each student is expected to engage in the assigned readings carefully, actively, and critically and come prepared to be an active participant of class discussions. Your individual contributions and serious participation in class activities benefit the entire community of learners (the class). Be an independent learner: You and you alone are responsible for your learning (not the instructor), and you also have an impact on the learning of others. Just going through the motions of completing course assignments at the bare minimum level of effort is not the type of academic work that earns a good grade. Points will be deducted off late work. If you feel you might have difficulty turning in any assignments, please contact me as soon as possible before the due date. Be honest: Cheating, plagiarizing, and photocopying textbooks are NOT tolerated and will result in the failure of the course. Attend all classes: Our class meets only once a week. The types and content of the activities and discussions that take place in the classroom cannot be accessed outside of class; therefore, attendance is essential. Attendance will be taken everyday in the first five minutes of class, so be punctual. Unreasonably high unexcused absenteeism or chronic tardiness denotes a casual, less than professional attitude and a lack of commitment towards learning. However, we are all human so 3 unexcused absences are allowed per semester. More than 3 unexcused absences will lead to failure of this course. Take note that your unexcused absences will still reflect towards your 10% Attendance grade. Additional Websites e3: http://e3.nctu.edu.tw/ BBC: http://www.bbc.com CNN: http://www.cnn.com New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com The Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/uk Voice of America: http://www.voanews.com

Attendance 10% You must attend all classes to get full grade in this section. Participation 10% You must also fulfill all in-class work, quizzes, discussions, and homework. If you are absent, you cannot make up points. Individual impromptu speaking 20% We engage in impromptu speeches everyday. This area gives students opportunities to practice their impromptu ability in English. You will form groups of 4. Each person will take one role: speaker, ah counter, timer, evaluator. You will switch roles every session. The speaker and evaluator of that day will come up to the class and present his/her speech. Group discussion leaders 20% Students will be split into 15 groups of 2-3. Each group will be assigned a topic selected from Chapters 9-38 in Unit 3 "News Articles & Activities" of the textbook . 2-3 groups will present for a maximum of 30 minutes. Group members should work together to lead the discussion with exercises related to the topic. You can make use of the exercises already in the book, but you do NOT have to do them if you have better ideas. After the presentations, we will discuss selected articles and do more exercises and activities. Midterm Exam 20% The midterm will be a paper based exam. Final Exam 20% The final exam will be a paper based exam.

Breaking News English! A Complete Guide to Understanding English News [Second Edition] (2015), Tim Ferry. Cosmos Culture Ltd. ISBN:978-986-318-342-6

地點

Assembly Building 1, A513

時間

By appointment

聯絡方式

E-mail: chintiffany@mail.nctu.edu.tw Tel: (03) 517-2121 ext. 52762