Course Description
With a wide range of classroom activities and exercises, this one-year course is designed to enhance the English skills and proficiency of first-year NCHU undergraduates. The lecturer will guide participants through a wealth of English learning resources and authentic materials dealing with the following topics: 1) language learning, 2) technology, 3) gender as well as 4) art and museum.
In order to facilitate learning and classroom discussion, students are required to complete listening and reading assignments before coming to class. Every week, they will have to take quizzes, speak English both in small groups and in front of the class, and engage in a series of writing tasks.
A communicative approach which emphasizes teacher-student interaction is adopted, though attention is also paid to familiarize students with the complex sentence structure and grammar of the English language as well as common English expressions used in a variety of topics and daily-life situations.
Grades
60% In-Class
40% participation (3 minute-talk 5%; group presentations 10%;
class participation 15%; writing tasks 10%)
20% attendance (attendance 10%, quizzes 10%)
40% exams (20% Midterm, 20% Final)
3 minute-talk: You will have to give an individual 3 minute-speech on any topic of your
choice. For each week, 2-3 students will take turns presenting.
Group presentation: 2 group presentations on the film ‘Pygmalion’ and selected readings.
Class participation: I will give points based on your speaking frequency during the in-class activities
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0= didn’t speak 1-5= spoke only a few times 6-10= made a few comments 12-15=talked a lot |
Writing Tasks: 2 writing tasks. You should type and submit your assignments on time. There is a 10 point penalty for each day late. Any homework that is copied from another source will receive a ‘0’.
Absences
>Sickness: If you can’t come to class because you’re sick, please show me your doctor’s notes in the next class. You will need to show me absent notes approved by the university on the day of a quiz or test; otherwise, your absence will be unexcused. Each class absence will drop 1 point off your final grade.
>Tardiness: You should come to class on time. If you arrive late after I take attendance, you will be marked absent.
>Other reasons: Please discuss them with me beforehand.
Course Objectives: At the end of the course, students will be able to:
- Speaking: -speak more confidently and fluently about various topics
-speak with fewer simple grammar mistakes
- Reading -improve reading skills
-become familiar with different genres of English materials
- Vocabulary -increase vocabulary, especially vocabulary related to the topics in online English materials and selected readings
- Grammar -improve usage of already-learned grammar in writing and speaking
- Listening -improve listening for both main ideas and details on a variety of topics
- Writing -learn to describe their daily life, events and stories in short paragraphs
Textbooks
- Selected Readings
- Online English Resources: BBC Six-Minute English; Learning English with News Report;
Voice of America; Ted talks
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Dates |
Topics |
Selected Readings |
Speaking/Writing Tasks |
Audio Programmes |
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Week 1 9/18 (M) |
Meet and Greet |
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Week 1 9/20(W) |
Meet and Greet |
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Self-Introduction |
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Week 2 9/25(M) |
Language Learning |
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In-Class activity: Speak about your experience of learning languages |
Quiz 1 ‘How Quickly Can you Learn English’ |
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Week 2 9/27(W) |
Language Learning |
Reading Article 1 Holly Young’s ‘Do young people care about learning Languages?’ |
Reading Discussion |
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Week 3 10/2 (M) |
Language Learning |
Reading Article 2 Sarah Johnson’s ‘Learning a Language in Later life: are you ever too old?’ in The Guardian |
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Quiz 2 ‘Speak any language instantly’ |
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Week 3 104 (W) |
Holiday |
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Week 4 10/9 (M) |
Holiday |
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Week 4 10/11 (W) |
Watching the 1938 film adaption ‘Pygmalion’ (available on YouTube with English subtitles) |
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Week 5 10/16 (M)
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Film Discussion |
Group Presentation on ‘Pygmalion’ |
Writing Task 1: Write a 200-word film review (Due in two weeks)
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Week 5 10/18 (W) |
Film Discussion |
Group Presentation on ‘Pygmalion’ |
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Week 6 10/23 (M)
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Technology |
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In-Class Activity: Speak about the impact of technology in your daily life Deadline for Writing Task 1 |
Quiz 3 ‘Is Social Media a Distraction’? |
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Week 6 10/25 (W) |
Technology |
Reading Article 3 Simon Parkin’s ‘How Pokémon Takes Us Back to the Real World’ in The Guardian |
Reading Discussion |
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Week 7 10/30 (M) |
Technology |
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Quiz 4 ‘Are computers making us dumb’? |
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Week 7 11/1 (W) |
Technology |
Reading Article 4 Eliana Dockerman’s ‘The Digital Parent Trap’ in The Times
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Reading Discussion |
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Week 8 11/6 (M) |
Writing Diagnosis |
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Week 8 11/8 (W) |
Debate |
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Week 9 |
Mid-Term |
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Week 10 11/20 (M) |
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Week 10 11/22 (W) |
Guest Lecture |
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Week 11 11/27 (M) |
Gender |
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In-Class Activity: Speak about the gender equality/problems in Taiwan |
Quiz 5 ‘Women’s right to Vote’ |
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Week 11 11/29 (W) |
Gender |
Reading Article 5 Emma Watson’s Speech on Feminism at the UN |
Reading Discussion |
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Week 12 12/4 (M) |
Gender |
Reading Article 6 Obama’s article on Feminism
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Quiz 6: ‘Men are the Weaker Sex’ |
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Week 12 12/6 (W) |
Gender |
Reading Article 6 Obama’s article on Feminism
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Reading Discussion |
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Week 13 12/11 (M) |
Museum |
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In-Class Activity: Speak about your experience of visiting Museums |
Quiz 7 ‘Spiral Museum at 50’
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Week 13 12/13 (W) |
Museum |
Reading Article 7 Christopher Hitchens’ ‘The Lovely Stones’ |
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Week 14 12/18 (M) |
Museum |
Reading Article 7 Christopher Hitchens’ ‘The Lovely Stones’ |
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Quiz 8 ‘A History of the World in 100 objects’ |
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Week 14 12/20 (W) |
Museum |
Reading article 8 Andrew Solomon’s ‘Don’t Mess with our cultural patrimony’ pp. 191-202 |
Writing Task 2: Retell the National Palace Museum controversy/Write about the gender equality problems in Taiwan |
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Week 15 12/25 (M) |
Museum |
Reading Article 8 Andrew Solomon’s ‘Don’t Mess with our cultural patrimony’,pp.181-190 |
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Quiz 9: ‘A threat to London’s artwork’ |
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Week 15 12/27 (W) |
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Reading Article 8 Andrew Solomon’s ‘Don’t Mess with our cultural patrimony’ |
Deadline for Writing Task 2 |
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Week 16 1/1 (M) |
Holiday |
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Week 16 1/3 (W) |
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Group Presentation on the article of Obama, Hichens, or Solomon |
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Week 17 1/8 (M) |
Writing Diagnosis |
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Quiz 10 Scottish Independence |
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Week 17 1/11 (W) |
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Week 18 |
Final |
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Note: all quizzes are held at the start of the class.
(M): Monday
(W): Wednesday
