Course Schedule:

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  • Please note that the above contents may be adjusted based on students’ learning and the instructor’s needs. Major changes will be announced in class.
  
  
  • Webex online meeting will be arranged in week 16 if the instructor needs to speak with you.
  
  
  
  

N/A 

Course Requirements:

1. Punctuality and Attendance. The roll call will start at 13:10 sharp, so please come to class on time. Each tardiness will deduct 5 points from your final grade. Being late twice equals one absence. Each unjustified absence will reduce 10 points from your final grade. After three absences in total, you will fail the course.


2. Weekly Assignments. There will be weekly news articles for you to read and worksheets that we shall do in the class. These activities (be they writing or speaking) will help you learn new words, drill sentence patterns, and engage in each news story. Make sure you finish reading the assigned news pieces before coming to the class.


3. Students’ News Choice. Starting from week 3, a team of two or three students will take turns selecting a news article and sharing it with the class. The presenting team is in charge of

1. A brief summary (approximately 100–150 words)


2. New vocabulary


3. Idioms or useful expressions


4. Sentence patterns or grammar points


5. Any noteworthy language features or content highlights


6. An open question for discussion

Please email the class your news choice a week before our meeting. The activity aims to help you refine paraphrasing skills, identify main ideas, and become more familiar with English news. N.B. You cannot choose the same news article as the instructor.

4. Midterm Exam: Individual oral examination (15 minutes). The midterm exam consists in two parts. First, reflect on the most unforgettable news that we have covered in class so far. Explain why it stood up to you. Secondly, choose a current news article that caught your attention (not previously studied in class). Be prepared to have an open discussion about the article with the instructor, demonstrating your ability to summarize, analyze, and express personal views.


5. Final Exam: Mock News Report (20 minutes). For the final exam, a team of three or four members will deliver a 20-minute mock news report. Your presentation should include the following elemenst:

1. At least one person acting as a news anchor


2. Other members serving as on-site or subject-specific reporters


3. Any news topics of your choice, either real or fictitious


4. While not mandatory, the use of props, news slides, sound effects, or background music is highly welcome to enhance your news report.

Your mock news report should be coherent, well-organized, clear, and informative. Feel free to be creative, just ensure to maintain a professional tone for a news broadcast.

Grading Policy

1. Attendance 10%


2. Weekly Assignments 20%


3. Students’ News Choice 20%


4. Midterm Exam 20%


5. Final Exam 30 %

Useful Websites:

1. BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk


2. CNN http://www.cnn.com


3. El País English https://english.elpais.com/


4. New York Times http://www.nytimes.com


5. NPR https://www.npr.org


6. Time Magazine https://time.com/


7. Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/

Reference:

1. Hicks, Wynford, and Galvin Allen. English for Journalists. Routledge, 2023.


2. Morning Glory. Directed by Roger Michell, Bad Robot / Paramount Pictures, 2010.


3. Rich, Carole. Writing and Reporting News: A Coaching Method. Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2010.