Junior Composition and Conversation

Objectives: This course is designed to guide and help you to
General

Generate ideas, develop critical thinking and become aware of multiple perspectives;

Organize and express your ideas effectively and correctly in writing and speaking to meet various communicative goals and audience needs;

Recognize your strengths and weaknesses in English (grammar and vocabulary learning, speaking, writing, communication and writing processes) and adopt learning strategies in continuous self-improvement;

Set project goals and design methods to carry them out as well as adjust them as you go along.

Composition

Write effectively to present, develop and support a central argument for various communication purposes.

Conduct research and sharpen writing skills, including usages of various rhetorical modes (i.e. Text Analysis, Problem-Solving, Research Paper Proposal in the Fall semester.).

Cite and quote your sources of information by following either MLA or APA format.

Conversation

Articulate ideas clearly and fluently, using the language (word choice, idiomatic expression, sentence structure, style, etc.) appropriately—again-- for various communication purposes.

Discuss ideas at a level beyond day-to-day needs, using a wide range of vocabulary, including some idiomatic and specialized vocabulary where appropriate.

Present and support claims in more thought-provoking debates, panel discussions and presentations; develop discussion and presentation skills.

Course Description
A. English for Fun: developing self-learning habit with lively input
There is no shortcut to being proficient in English; you just have to keep on practicing it and 3 hours a week is simply not enough. Therefore, besides the regular course work, you will need to learn autonomously under my supervision. By autonomous learning, it means that you, alone or with a group, set your own goals, objectives and methods of English learning; engage yourself in English learning outside of classroom at least once a week, and then, towards the end of the semester, you discuss how much and how well you have learned and what you have achieved.

Multimedia Input: If Internet is a lively stimulus that I would like to have you enjoy in and work hard for at home, in class, I will offer some lively stimuli for your English thinking and learning: songs, animations and movies, as well as various sorts of activities.

B. English writing and speaking as a process of critical thinking and effective communication for different practical and/or academic purposes
In CCIII, you write in modes which involve multiple rhetorical skills: Text Analysis, Problem-Solving, (next semester) Application Portfolio, plus the one-year research project. In speaking, we will start with speaking first casually and then gradually on various formal occasions. In and through each of our activities, we work on our

topic selection and development in relation to our position in society and this world: abilities to talk and write in English and in depth about some topics related to ourselves and current issues in our society and this world.

logical thinking, expression and communication: effective and logical English expressions for different purposes and on different occasions, including narrowing down the chosen topics, discussing related issues and contextualizing them, concretizing and substantiating your ideas with examples, and giving proper introductions and conclusions;

academic and social skills: presenting and negotiating your points in discussions and formal presentations, doing research for every paper and specifically for a one-year research paper project, preparing a job application portfolio, etc.

English correctness: diction, syntax, tense, as well as all the other grammatical problems

SOAP: See this page

As a whole, one general goal is for us to be constantly "self"-improving in thinking, writing and speaking without being alone in doing so. To make us work as a community, we will have group work in class and free interaction via email and at EngSite. In this sense, the class will involve both strict discipline and friendly sharing of ideas and cooperation. I believe you will enjoy the friendly atmosphere as we go along in class, so here let me specify "our" requirements.

Requirements
1. Attendance: No lates or absences allowed! Since this is a workshop, attendance is essential. If you have to be absent, do inform me 'before' class. Only excused absences can be made up for. The final grade will be lowered after the third absence, and six absences means failing the course. Three lates means one absence.
2. Participation: Bring an active and critical mind to class. Always be ready to speak out in class, or to me out of class, about our topics and the class itself. Please make time for group discussions outside of class.
3. Assignments: Papers and journals should all be typed, 1.5 space and following standard paper format.
1). Papers: Each writing assignment for each mode should be typed, with 1.5 spacing, and also be 4 pages in length (about 1000 words).
There should be 2 drafts of each writing assignment (i.e. a first draft and a final draft), except for the Research Paper in the second semester. Students should submit 4 drafts of the Research Paper. Teachers can ask their students to turn in more than 2/3 drafts of a writing assignment and if necessary.
2). 16-page journals -- In principle, one entry every other week, and two pages each entry (16 pages altogether), to be collected 3 times (3+3+2). Your journals will definitely include some free entries for the purpose of sharing and communication. Some will be used for you to record and reflect on your self-learning. More details to be explained in class.

Deadlines: Deadlines are negotiable before they are set in class. But once they are agreed on, you have to keep them. The grade of the late papers will be lowered.

No plagiarism of any sort! --Don't copy ideas or passages from others' writing. If you want to revise your old paper, please let me know first.

Change of topics: Please inform me if you want to change your topic after the first draft. As a coach of a writing "team," I need to be involved in your writing process in order to help. As for research paper, you will "have to" discuss with me if you want to change your topic after submitting the proposal.

4. English Proficiency: Please note that you will start to meet CC III benchmarks towards the end of the first semester, and confirm it before research paper convention (in the second semester). Also, you need to meet department’s graduation benchmarks (http://english.fju.edu.tw/word/graduation_benchmark_101c.pdf ) Failure to pass the CC III benchmarks means failing the whole course, and failing to meet the department benchmarks, staying in the department longer than expected. To prepare you for these challenges, this semester I will always mark the errors which you should know how to fix yourselves and then avoid later with an ★. Please get help from me or others if you do not know how to fix them. In the meantime, we will also practice taking some language proficiency tests.
Grading policy: (subject to change)

Composition: final exam 20%, mid-term 20%, all the papers 60%. (Improvement will be considered as extra points.)
Conversation: journals and participation 20%,
SOAP (as mid-term) 20%, final oral exam 20%,
Self-Learning Report & Presentation [Persuasion WS] 20%;
other group report & individual presentation 20%