Class time will be devoted to activities that allow you to practice and interact in English. To successfully complete the course, you must prepare the assigned homework prior to class and, while in class actively participate in class discussions and pair/group work. Your final grades are determined by the following course components:

• Participation (including attendance, class discussion, and homework): 15%


• Oral presentations: 20%


• Written work: 20%


• Midterm and final exams: 40%


• Others (e.g., in-class exercises/quizzes): 5%

Participation

Your participation grade will be based on your attendance, homework preparation, and the contribution you make to the learning experience of others. Contribution includes your in-class questions to the instructor, insights and comments regarding class content, answers to the instructor's questions, and reactions to other students' contributions.

Oral presentations

You will give an individual oral report and a group presentation. For the individual report, you will tell a 3-minute personal anecdote. For the group presentation, you and three other students will report on a current event. The presentation should be approximately 20 minutes, followed by a 5-minute discussion. Each group should meet with the instructor two weeks prior to their presentation to discuss their topic and present their outline.

Written work

There will be two major in-class writing tasks during the semester. In each task, you will respond to a prompt about a cultural issue, using the writing skills you have learned in class. Your paper should demonstrate that you have thought seriously and critically about the topic and made effective use of the resources provided. The grading rubric is available on the class website. Missed in-class writing tasks may be made up with a valid reason, but will incur a grade penalty.

Examinations

All materials, including the readings, handouts, and information provided in class will potentially be included on mid-term and final exams. The mid-term exam is a written test, and the final exam contains a written test and a speaking test. The written tests include vocabulary/grammar questions, a listening/reading section, and short writing tasks. The speaking test requires you to answer two or more questions, each question for two minutes. The instructor will evaluate your ability to respond to the questions appropriately and to speak for an extended period of time without hesitation, deviation or repetition. The grading rubric for the speaking test is available on the class website. Exams can NOT be made up or rescheduled unless you provide documentation of a true emergency.

In-class exercises and quizzes

Periodically throughout the semester, there will be in-class exercises and pop quizzes. These cannot be made up.

Course materials

Textbook (TBA) and supplementary readings

Resources

VoiceTube: https://tw.voicetube.com

BBC Learning English: http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish

TED talks: https://www.ted.com/talks

LTTC BESTEP: https://bestep.tw/