All materials, including the written text, handouts, and any information spoken in class or written on the board is 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:
- Attendance & participation (discussion, peer review, meeting deadlines, uploads, etc.): 15%
- Exam on Unit 1: essay rhetorical forms and outlines: 10%
- Quizzes on Units 2, 4, and 5: 10%
- Writing assignments (presentation handout, timed writing, two drafts of two essays): 25%
- PDF electronic portfolio that includes: An introduction, a 3rd draft of one essay, an argument essay, description of revisions of each essay, and reflection: 40%
ATTENDANCE, PUNCTUALITY & ASSIGNMENT POLICIES
- Attendance and punctuality are required for all class sessions.
- Quizzes and presentation cannot be made up.
- Exams can only be made up or rescheduled for valid reasons (see the University's policy regarding make up exams)
WRITING EXERCISES & ASSIGNMENTS
Timed writing
Students will write two compositions in class simulating a standardized exam.
Summary
Students will write a summary paragraph of a short article to prepare for using outside sources
Narrative Essay
Students will compose a narrative essay on a topic of their choice. See the attachment for the grading rubric for the writing assignments in this course.
Cause-Effect Essay
Students will write a cause-effect essay on a social, political, cultural, environmental issue of concern to Taiwan. Students will begin practicing in-text citations to refer to references as support for their own ideas and experiences.
Argument Essay
Students will write an argument essay on an issue related to campus or other locality in Taiwan. Class will brainstorm topics and, as a class with instructor’s direction, decide six options from which they will choose for their argument essay. Students will crowdsource supporting texts and materials, which will be approved by the instructor and posted in folders on Moodle. Writers will make a claim and then support it by citing sources in the essay. This will also construct a list of references using APA format.
Portfolio
The culminating portfolio includes third revision of either the narrative or cause-effect essay and the best draft of the argument essay. It also comprises a cover page, an introduction, explanation of essay revisions, and a self-evaluation. Students will learn to use a PDF editor to finalize their portfolios. The portfolios will all be combined into a class book.
Group presentation: Rhetorical form presentation with handout & outline
Following in-class lecture and activities, students will form small groups. Each group will choose a rhetorical form, such as narrative, comparison/contrast, cause-effect, and argument. The group will create a handout and prepare a ten-minute presentation on the rhetorical form.
Exam: Unit 1
The purpose of this exam is to assess students’ mastery of material in Unit 1, including rhetorical forms, thesis statements, topic sentences, and the structure of basic academic essays through outline building.
Quizzes: Units 2, 4 & 5
Each quiz contains ten questions on aspects of the rhetorical form, grammar points, and vocabulary. The quizzes are given on the day that Draft 1 of essays are returned in order to reinforce issues to be tackled in revision.
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