Freshman English: Fall 2013

Spring 2014: 33 class meetings

     February 2014: 17, 19, 24, 26,
     March: 3, 5, 10, 12, 17, 19, 24, 26, 31;
     April: 2 (Holiday; no class), 7, 9, 14, 16, 21, 23, 28, 30;
     May: 5, 7, 12, 14, 19, 21, 26, 28;
     June: 2 (Holiday; no class), 4. 9, 11

     Spring 2014: Last day of semester: Friday, June 13, 2014
     Final exam: June 18, 2014 新生大樓 403

Class Facebook group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1412489288972368/

Important dates (Spring 2014):

Cancel-add: February 17- March 1 (cancel: till March 2)
February 28 holiday (no class): Friday, February 28
Finalization of class schedules: March 10-14
Application period for withdrawing from a course: March 3-May 16
NTU Azelea Festival begins: March 15
Tomb-Sweeping Holiday (no class for fe on Wednesday April 2): April 2-4
Online application for exemption from advanced English class: March 17-27
Mid-semester online student course evaluations: March 17-25
Taiwan University athletic meet: March 22-23
Mid-terms (no midterm will be given for this class): April 14-18
End-of-semester online student course evaluations: May 30-June 12
Last day of class: Friday, June 13
Final exams: June 16-20
Freshman English final exam: Wednesday, June 18, 8:10-10:00am, in 新 403
Summer Vacation: June 23-September 8

WEEK ONE
February 17
(1) Class list.

(2) Final exams will be returned and gone over in class; correct and turn in on 2/26.

(3) Print out, read and translate the part assigned to you of:
      New York Times Sunday Review Opinion: For the Love of Money by Sam Polk; pdf. Original op-ed.
      Add your translation to the document now on Google Drive. You should have received
      an email invitation to access files in this folder; if not, please tell Ms. Chung right away.

(4) Be ready to tell the class: 1. what Wall Street is and does, and where it got its name;
                                          2. what "for the love of..." means;
                                          3. what a "philanthropic goal" is;
                                          4. who Willy Loman is;
                                          5. what Ritalin is, how is works, and what it is commonly prescribed for; on Wednesday 2/19.

(5) Read and summarize CET article 15, issue 83 and include in next Monday's class notes.

(6) Turn in the outline of your oral book report on February 26.
      Sophie will meet with you outside of class to hear you give your report beforehand
      and help you improve parts that need working on.
      Oral book reports will be given March 24-April 14.

(7) Print out the first five essays on "Holland's Got Talent" on Google Drive (see email)
      and bring them to class for discussion and editing.

February 19
(1) Learn and practice Mini-conversations 30 and 31; perform on 2/26.

(2) Listening assignment: Write a list, in sequence, of the author's life events as described in this
      New York Times Video: Modern Love: Lost and Found
      Finally, write your feedback on the piece in a short paragraph at the end.

(3) Read and translate: For the Love of Money.

WEEK TWO
February 24
(1) Hand in class notes, including summary of CET article 15, issue 83.

(2) Hand in corrected final exam.

(3) Review Mini-conversations 30 and 31.

(4) Discuss and edit the first essay on "Holland's Got Talent".

(5) Read and translate: For the Love of Money.

February 26
(1) Hand in outline for oral book report.

(2) Perform Mini-conversations 30 and 31;
      learn Mini-conversations 32 and 33.

(3) Mark New York Times Video: Modern Love: Lost and Found.
     Listening assignment for 3/5: NPR: A Nation in Debt

(4) Read and translate: For the Love of Money.

WEEK THREE
March 3
(1) Hand in class notes, listening log, pronunciation plan update.

(2) Discuss feedback on New York Times Video: Modern Love: Lost and Found; hand in.

(3) Discuss and edit the second essay on "Holland's Got Talent".

(4) Read and translate: For the Love of Money.

March 5
(1) Perform Mini-conversations 32 and 33;
      learn Mini-conversations 34 and 35.

(2) Mark listening assignment: NPR: A Nation in Debt;
      listening assignment for March 12: NPR: Stop Reading and Start Writing.

(3) Discuss and edit the third essay on "Holland's Got Talent".

WEEK FOUR
March 10
(1) Hand in class notes, listening log, pronunciation plan update.

(2) Review Mini-conversations 34 and 35.

(3) Discuss and edit the fourth through seventh essays on "Holland's Got Talent".

(4) Read and translate: For the Love of Money.

(5) Each book report group will make a date to meet
      to practice your oral presentation with Ms. Chung and/or Sophie.

March 12
(1) Perform Mini-conversations 34 and 35;
      learn Mini-conversations 36 and 37.

(2) Reread and take notes on CET 7: 大師開講 — Stop at stops! —— 遇到塞音請停！

(3) Mark listening assignment: NPR: Stop Reading and Start Writing
      (new stoppable audio file now available); due date extended to March 19;
       listening assignment for March 19: Popular Song: "W*O*L*D" by Harry Chapin;
       please start on this assignment right away, but we'll mark and submit it on March 26.

(4) Begin discussing and editing the eighth essay on "Holland's Got Talent".

(5) Read and translate: For the Love of Money.

WEEK FIVE
March 17
(1) Hand in class notes, listening log, pronunciation plan update, notes on CET 7.

(2) Review Mini-conversations 36 and 37.

(3) Finish discussing and editing the eighth essay on "Holland's Got Talent";
      also discuss essays 9-10.

(4) Read and translate: For the Love of Money.

March 19
(1) Perform Mini-conversations 36 and 37;
      learn Mini-conversations 38 and 39.

(2) Mark listening assignment: NPR: Stop Reading and Start Writing;
       listening assignment for March 26: Popular Song: "W*O*L*D" by Harry Chapin;

(3) Edit "Holland's Got Talent" essays.

(4) Read and translate: For the Love of Money.

WEEK SIX
March 24
(1) Hand in class notes, listening log, pronunciation plan update, and
      notes on Phonetics I web page 33.

(2) Review Mini-conversations 38 and 39.

(3) Edit "Holland's Got Talent" essays.

(4) Read and translate: For the Love of Money.

March 26
(1) Perform Mini-conversations 38 and 39;
      learn Mini-conversations 40 and 41.

(2) Mark listening assignment: Popular Song: "W*O*L*D" by Harry Chapin;
      finish marking on Monday 3/31.
      listening assignment for April 9: Joined for Life: Abby and Brittany Turn 16.

WEEK SEVEN
March 31
(1) Hand in class notes, notes on Phonetics I web page 33 if you omitted this last time,
      corrections from written work, listening log, pronunciation plan update.

(2) Review Mini-conversations 40 and 41, to be performed 4/7; learn Mini-conversations 42 and 43.

(3) Finish marking listening assignment: Popular Song: "W*O*L*D" by Harry Chapin;
      listening assignment for April 9: Joined for Life: Abby and Brittany Turn 16.

(4) Oral book reports: (1) Gene & Chun Yen; (2) Chloe & Kiding; (3) Essie & Alice.

(5) Edit "Holland's Got Talent" essays.

(6) Read and translate: For the Love of Money.

(7) How to check your English grammar BEFORE submitting any assignment:
      Using Google as a Usage Barometer, by Jerome C. Su.


April 2
(Holiday; no class)

WEEK EIGHT
April 7
(1) Hand in class notes, any overdue work, corrections from written work,
      listening log, pronunciation plan update.

(2) Perform Mini-conversations 40 and 41;
      review Mini-conversations 42 and 43.

(3) Oral book reports: (1) Zili & Ann; (2) Jason & Alex; (3) Ying-Hung & Alan.

(4) Edit "Holland's Got Talent" essays.

(5) Read and translate: For the Love of Money.

April 9
(1) Perform Mini-conversations 42 and 43;
      learn Mini-conversations 44 and 45.

(2) We'll mark the listening assignment: Joined for Life: Abby and Brittany Turn 16 on Monday, April 14.
      listening assignment for April 16: 20/20 on YouTube: The Woman Who Could Not Forget.

(3) Oral book reports: (1) Iris & Tina; (2) Myers & Yun-Hsuan.

WEEK NINE
April 14
(1) Hand in class notes, any overdue work, corrections from written work,
      listening log, pronunciation plan update.

(2) Review Mini-conversations 44 and 45.

(3) Mark listening assignment: Joined for Life: Abby and Brittany Turn 16.
      listening assignment for April 16: 20/20 on YouTube: The Woman Who Could Not Forget.

(4) Oral book reports: (1) Josh, Dave & Michael; (2) Shi Ke & Yingting;
                                    (3) Pan Shee & Hung Yu; (4) Anthony & Joshua.

(5) Edit "Holland's Got Talent" essays.

(6) Read and translate: For the Love of Money.

April 16
(1) Perform Mini-conversations 44 and 45;
      learn Mini-conversations 46 and 47.

(2) Mark listening assignment: 20/20 on YouTube: The Woman Who Could Not Forget;
      listening assignment for 4/23: BBC HARDtalk with Stephen Sackur:
       Ai Weiwei: In prison 'nothing protects you'.

(3) Oral book reports: (1) Ray, Jeffrey & Angela; (2) Hsu Kai & Er Zhen.

(4) Edit "Holland's Got Talent" essays.

WEEK TEN
April 21
(1) Hand in class notes, any overdue work, corrections from written work,
      listening log, pronunciation plan update.

(2) Review Mini-conversations 46 and 47.

(3) Discussion on oral book report assignment.

(4) Check email for link to Gilmore Girls episode and watch it a few times.

(5) Edit "Holland's Got Talent" essays.

(6) Read and translate: For the Love of Money.

April 23
(1) Perform Mini-conversations 46 and 47;
      learn Mini-conversations 48 and 49.

(2) Mark listening assignment: BBC HARDtalk with Stephen Sackur: Ai Weiwei: In prison 'nothing protects you';
      listening assignment for 4/28: Gilmore Girls Pilot cloze exercise.

(3) Edit "Holland's Got Talent" essays.

(4) Read and translate: For the Love of Money.

WEEK ELEVEN
April 28
(1) Hand in class notes, any overdue work, corrections from written work,
      listening log, pronunciation plan update.

(2) Review Mini-conversations 48 and 49.

(3) Nine make-up Mini-conversation performances. COME WELL PREPARED!!!

(4) Edit "Holland's Got Talent" essays.

(5) Read and translate: For the Love of Money.

April 30
(1) Perform Mini-conversations 48 and 49;
      learn Mini-conversations 50 and 51.

(2) Nine make-up Mini-conversation performances. COME WELL PREPARED!!!

(3) Mark listening assignment: Gilmore Girls Pilot cloze exercise;
      go over whole scene to make sure you understand everything in it.
      Group and part assignments for performance of scene one on 5/7.

(4) Edit "Holland's Got Talent" essays.

(5) Read and translate: For the Love of Money.

WEEK TWELVE
May 5
(1) Hand in class notes, any overdue work, corrections from written work,
      listening log, pronunciation plan update.

(2) Review Mini-conversations 50 and 51 and first scene of Gilmore Girls;
      make-up performances.

(3) Edit "Holland's Got Talent" essays.

(4) Read and translate: For the Love of Money.

May 7
(1) Review Mini-conversations 50 and 51; learn Mini-conversations 52 and 53.

(2) Perform first scene of Gilmore Girls.

(3) Finish editing "Holland's Got Talent" essays;
     correct your essay on Google Drive before May 10.

WEEK THIRTEEN
May 12
(1) Hand in class notes, any overdue work, corrections from written work,
      listening log, pronunciation plan update. Make sure the corrected version
      of your "Holland's Got Talent" essay is on Google Drive.

(2) Review Mini-conversations 52 and 53.

(3) Rest of performances of first scene of Gilmore Girls.

(4) Go over scenes two and three of Gilmore Girls; scene two to be performed 5/19.

(5) Read and translate: For the Love of Money.

May 14
(1) Learn Mini-conversations 54 and 55.

(2) Rest of performances of first scene of Gilmore Girls.

(3) Go over Scene 3 of Gilmore Girls transcript.

WEEK FOURTEEN
May 19
(1) Hand in class notes, any overdue work, corrections from written work,
listening log, pronunciation plan update.
For next Monday, summarize: CET 16 Do not 和 don’t意思一樣嗎？英語的縮讀字（上）.

(2) Quick review of Mini-conversations 54 and 55.

(3) Finish going over Scene 3 of Gilmore Girls transcript.

(4) Read and translate: For the Love of Money.

(5) Summary of class notes and class evaluation due 6/11. (See 6/4 for details)

May 21
(1) Learn Mini-conversations 56 and 57.

(2) Perform Scene 2 of Gilmore Girls.

(3) Read and translate: For the Love of Money.

WEEK FIFTEEN
May 26
(1) Hand in class notes, any overdue work, corrections from written work,
listening log, pronunciation plan update,
and your summary of CET 16 Do not 和 don’t意思一樣嗎？英語的縮讀字（上）.
For next Wednesday, summarize: CET 17 Do not 和 don’t意思一樣嗎？英語的縮讀字（下）.

(2) Learn Mini-conversations 56 and 57.

(3) Read and translate: For the Love of Money.

May 28
(1) Learn Mini-conversations 58 and 59.

(2) Perform Scene 3 of Gilmore Girls.

(3) Read and translate: For the Love of Money.

WEEK SIXTEEN
June 2
(Holiday; no class)

June 4
(1) Hand in class notes, any overdue work, corrections from written work,
listening log, pronunciation plan update, and your summary of:
CET 17 Do not 和 don’t意思一樣嗎？英語的縮讀字（下）.

(2) Review Mini-conversations 58 and 59.

(3) Remaining Gilmore Girls performances.

(4) Read and translate: For the Love of Money.

(5) Final evaluation and Summary of Class Notes (submit as two separate pdf files)
      for Freshman English are due June 11.

      I. End-of-semester evaluation:
      Part 1: evaluate the class, teacher, homework assignments,
what was most and least useful, things that could be improved, and how
— everything about the class this semester.
      Part 2: Evaluate yourself: Attendance and punctuality, homework submission,
how prepared for class you were, how much you learned from the class,
how much effort you put into this class.
      Part 3: How do you plan to continue improving your English?

      II. Organized summary of your class notes:
      Go through all your old notes, and organize them into a summary of main points,
including notes on the CET articles. You do not have to include every single detail
from your notes; try rather to combine notes that are about the same thing and to generalize.

      Format and submission instructions: Convert your files to pdf format
before emailing both files to Ms. Chung at: feathermountain@gmail.com and Sophie at b98102104@ntu.edu.tw
no later than June 11, 2014.

WEEK SEVENTEEN
June 9
(1) Hand in class notes, corrections from written work, listening log,
pronunciation plan update, and any overdue homework.
Make sure your translations for For the Love of Money are posted to Google Drive.

(2) Gilmore Girls make-up performances.

(3) Finish translating For the Love of Money.

June 11
(1) Final evaluation and summary of class notes due.

(2) Quick rereading of For the Love of Money for review.

FINALS WEEK (EIGHTEEN)
June 18
Final exam: Wednesday, June 18, 8:10-10:00am, in 新 403

Fall 2013: 33 class meetings

     September 2013: 9, 11, 16, 18, 23, 25, 30;
     October 2, 7, 9, 14, 16, 21, 23, 28, 30;
     November 4, 6, 11, 13, 18, 20, 25, 27;
     December 2, 4, 9, 11, 16, 18, 23, 25, 30.

     2014: Last day of semester: Friday, January 3, 2014
     Final exam: January 8, 2014 新生大樓 403

Important dates (Fall 2013):

Cancel-add: September 9-22
Finalization of class schedules: September 30-October 4
Application period for withdrawing from a course: September 23-December 6
Double Tenth National Day (no class): Thursday, October 10
Online application for exemption from advanced English class: October 14-18 (tentative)
Mid-semester online student course evaluations: October 7-November 15
Mid-terms (no midterm will be given for this class): November 4-8
Anniversary of the Founding of Taiwan University (no class): Friday, November 15
New Year's Day/Founding Day of the ROC (no class): Wednesday, January 1, 2014
End-of-semester online student course evaluations: December 20, 2013-January 2, 2014
Last day of class: Friday, January 3, 2014
Final exams: January 6-10, 2014
Freshman English final exam: Wednesday, January 8, 2014 in 新 403
Winter break: January 13-February 16, 2014
Chinese New Year's Eve: Saturday, January 30, 2014

WEEK ONE
September 9
(1) Print this out and bring it to class:
Excerpt from: Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error by Kathryn Schulz; pdf

For reference:
TED talk: Kathryn Schulz: On being wrong
http://www.ted.com/talks/kathryn_schulz_on_being_wrong.html

(2) Read and summarize CET article (#1, issue 69) and include in next Monday's class notes.

September 11
(1) Learn and practice Mini-conversations 1 and 2; perform on 9/16 and 9/18

(2) Learn and sing: My dame has a lame tame crane

(3) Read and translate: Being Wrong

WEEK TWO
September 16
(1) Hand in class notes, including summary of CET article (#1, issue 69);
      read and summarize CET article (#2, issue 70) and include in next Monday's class notes

(2) Read and translate Being Wrong

(3) Practice: My dame has a lame tame crane

(4) Perform Mini-conversations 1 and 2

September 18
(1) Finish performing Mini-conversations 1 and 2;
      learn Mini-conversations 3 and 4

(2) Read and translate Being Wrong

(3) Listening assignment: A Moment of Science: (1) Healthy Menus Cause Unhealthy Decisions?
      and (2) How To Calculate The Temperature With The Chirp Of A Cricket; copy-and-paste
      the questions into a Word file, type in your answers, print out and bring to class
      next Wednesday, Sept. 25 to mark and hand in.

(4) Format for name on homework – in upper right hand corner, left justified:

   Rita Lin 林玉梅
    B01102000
    Freshman English
    September 18, 2013

Use: Times New Roman 12 pt for text,
       Lucida Sans Unicode 10.5pt for IPA symbols,
       新細明體 12pt for 中文

WEEK THREE
September 23
(1) Hand in class notes, including summary of CET article (#2, issue 70);
      summarize CET article (#3, issue 71) and include in next Monday's class notes

(2) Learn Mini-conversations 5 and 6

(3) Read and translate Being Wrong

(4) Note which musical instrument(s) you play in next Monday's notes

September 25
(1) Perform Mini-conversations 3 and 4

(2) Mark A Moment of Science;
      for next week: Dust in the Wind, by Kansas; we will sing it in class along with the video!

WEEK FOUR
September 30
(1) Hand in class notes, including summary of CET article (#3, issue 71);
      summarize CET article (#4, issue 72) and include in next Monday's class notes;
      mention which musical instrument you can and are willing to play for Christmas carol singing on December 25

(2) Learn Mini-conversations 7 and 8, to be performed on Wednesday 10/9;
   perform Mini-conversations 5 and 6 on Wednesday 10/2

(3) Read and translate Being Wrong; practice compound noun and phrase stress marking

(4) Guest speaker: Terry Hsieh 謝智翔: The Hippo Method of Pronunciation and Language Learning

(3) Read and translate Being Wrong;
quiz on 10/14 on vocabulary and compound noun and phrase stress marking.

(4) New reading: Your Friend, Always by Joyce Maynard pdf MP3 audio file

(3) Book report: 1. Write down all new vocabulary items with meanings, make an outline; turn in next semester;
      2. Meet and discuss book with your partner(s); 3. Presentation will be five minutes long per group;
      4. Book title, author, key words on board; 5. 2-3 sentences on author; 6. Summary of plot;
      7. 2-3 parts that impressed you most; 8. Your evaluation of the book on a scale of 1-10.

(4) Read and translate: Your Friend, Always by Joyce Maynard   pdf    MP3 audio file
      Use the audio file to MARK STRESS and CHECK the PRONUNCIATION of EVERY WORD BEFORE CLASS

WEEK FIFTEEN
December 16
(1) Hand in class notes, including summary of CET article (#14, issue 82),
      the last CET article for this semester. Notes are still to be handed in next Monday.

(2) Review Mini-conversations 26 and 27, to be performed on Wednesday 12/18.

(3) Read and translate: Your Friend, Always by Joyce Maynard   pdf    MP3 audio file
      Use the audio file to MARK STRESS and CHECK the PRONUNCIATION of EVERY WORD BEFORE CLASS

December 18
(1) Print out and bring to class this six-page file of your essays on the "Holland's Got Talent" video.
      We'll go over and edit each essay in class.

(2) Perform Mini-conversations 26 and 27;
      learn Mini-conversations 28 and 29, the last two for this semester.

(3) Mark listening assignment: Randy Pausch reprises his "Last Lecture" on Oprah Winfrey;
      This is the last listening assignment for this semester.

(4) Read and translate: Your Friend, Always by Joyce Maynard   pdf    MP3 audio file
      Use the audio file to MARK STRESS and CHECK the PRONUNCIATION of EVERY WORD BEFORE CLASS

WEEK SIXTEEN
December 23
(1) Hand in your last set of class notes for the semester.

(2) Perform Mini-conversations 28 and 29. Your grade for this performance will be counted as the oral part of your final exam for this semester.

(3) Read and translate: Your Friend, Always by Joyce Maynard   pdf    MP3 audio file

(4) Print out and bring to class this six-page file of your essays on the "Holland's Got Talent" video.
      We'll go over and edit each essay in class.

(5) Print out and bring to class on Wednesday December 25 this handout of Christmas carol lyrics. pdf

(6) Final evalution and Summary of Class Notes (submit as two separate pdf files)
      for Freshman English are due January 3:

      I. End-of-semester evaluation:
      Part 1: evaluate the class, teacher, homework assignments,
what was most and least useful, things that could be improved, and how
— everything about the class this semester.
      Part 2: Evaluate yourself: Attendance and punctuality, homework submission,
how prepared for class you were, how much you learned from the class,
how much effort you put into this class.
      Part 3: How do you plan to continue improving your English?

      II. Organized summary of your class notes:
      Go through all your old notes, and organize them into a summary of main points.
You do not have to include every single detail from your notes; try rather to combine
notes that are about the same thing and to generalize.

      Format and submission instructions: Convert your files to pdf format
before emailing both files to Ms. Chung at: feathermountain@gmail.com and Sophie at b98102104@ntu.edu.tw
no later than January 3, 2014.

December 25
(1) Sing Christmas carols   pdf   Bring any instruments you have that you would like to play!

WEEK SEVENTEEN
December 30
(1) Re-read: Your Friend, Always by Joyce Maynard   pdf    MP3 audio file

(2) Print out and bring to class this six-page file of your essays on the "Holland's Got Talent" video.
      We'll go over and edit each essay in class.

(3) Discuss the final exam. And don't forget to send your class evaluation
      and organized summary of your notes, both in pdf format, to both Ms. Chung and Sophie!
      (If you need help converting to pdf format, try CutePDF Writer – no advertising watermarks!)

Goals of Course

     This course will concentrate on four main areas:

(1) Pronunciation training. Everybody must keep a pronunciation, grammar and class notes journal. A summary of your class notes is due every Monday.

(2) Reading and translation practice. This semester we will mainly be reading essays and possibly short stories, though additional texts may be assigned. Normally, individual students will be assigned to translate a given passage of the reading beforehand. Each of the passages will be read, translated orally into good Chinese, discussed, and sometimes acted out in class. The reading will be followed by a class discussion, and almost always by a short quiz, usually on vocabulary and compound and phrase stress. Students are actively encouraged to relate what they read and learn to their own life, experiences, and feelings, and to listen attentively to what their classmates have to say. Also, for each simplified English novel or other English book you read on your own and submit a short summary of, you will receive extra credit. Everybody must keep a record of the books you read.

(3) Listening and oral practice with online resources. There will normally be one online listening assignment a week requiring written answers to listening comprehension questions. We will correct the assignment of the previous week and a new assignment will be given every Wednesday. You may work with your classmates or friends on the listening part of the assignment, but you must do your own work answering the questions. 50% or more will be deducted on assignments that are not handed in on time. Click here for suggestions on how to approach the listening assignments.

     (4) Various oral presentations, including a book report first semester and possibly a dramatization second semester.

     This is not a composition course, and we unfortunately have too large a class and not enough time for lots of conversation practice. You must create opportunities for yourself to get practice in these areas. If you would like composition practice, however, you could consider keeping a blog. You may even be lucky enough to get feedback on what you write! Or find a language exchange partner on Livemocha.com. Remember in any case that you are responsible for your own education – the NTU faculty and staff can help you with only part of it!

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E-mail and miscellaneous requirements

      E-mail: Every student must use your NTU e-mail account. Each student is responsible for ensuring that their e-mail inbox is able to receive and send mail at all times.

     In the first week of class, each student is required to send an e-mail message to the professor with an English quote you like, together with its source. (Example: "Never express yourself more clearly than you are able to think." Niels Bohr (1885-1962), Danish physicist) It must be a verifiable quote, CORRECTLY FORMATTED, containing no errors. Here is a sample so you know what format to use.

     The purpose of this is (1) to collect the e-mail addresses of everyone in the class, so we can all use them for class communications; and (2) to remind you right at the beginning of the semester of the importance of producing careful work that is not filled with sloppy mistakes. Make sure you sign your name to every e-mail you write! Put "fe quote" in the subject line. Pay attention to correct format; for example, leave a space before and after (parentheses) like this. Without a space it looks like(this)and this is not acceptable in English written format.

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Pronunciation and grammar journal: You are required to keep a running record of specific sounds and other areas you need to work on in your pronunciation in a small notebook, based on feedback you receive in class. You are also required to keep a record of all grammar points and corrections made in class and in your written work. You are expected to have your journal open and ready throughout each class, without being reminded. You will be asked to write and hand in a summary of your pronunciation and grammar journal at the end of each semester. You can use this page to insert IPA/KK symbols into Word and other documents.

Oral book report: Each student will be asked to choose a simplified or original novel to read with a partner and give a 5-minute oral book report on. Here are three lists of suggested books to choose from, though your choices are not limited to these; do NOT however choose any of the following: Harry Potter, The Little Prince, Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles Of Narnia, or any other children's literature:

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,6903,1061037,00.html
http://www.randomhouse.com/modernlibrary/100bestnovels.html
http://www.time.com/time/2005/100books/the_complete_list.html

You may read your book in the original if you choose, but most works are quite long and difficult, with an overwhelming number of unfamiliar vocabulary words. The intention of this assignment is simply for you to become better acquainted with English literature, and for you to have an enjoyable reading experience. Hopefully, once you have gotten through, understood, and enjoyed an entire abridged and simplified work in English, you will want to explore more books, maybe also in simplified form, but eventually you may want to tackle a novel in the original. DO NOT COPY FROM ANY SOURCE WITHOUT CITING THE SOURCE. This is plagiarism and an extremely serious offense; in the US it is grounds for dismissal from the university.

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News reading: Every student must register with the New York TImes and subscribe to their daily news digest (these are free, as is access to up to ten news stories a month). You will be asked to choose the kinds of news you'd like to receive. The aim of this requirement is give you at least a passing familiarity with current international events, and for you to get used to using English-language news media sources.

The New York Times (US): https://myaccount.nytimes.com/register
The New York Times homepage: http://www.nytimes.com/

UK Media:
The BBC World Service homepage: http://news.bbc.co.uk/

The Guardian Unlimited (UK): http://users.guardian.co.uk/register/1,12904,-1,00.html
The Guardian Unlimited homepage: http://www.guardian.co.uk/

Poetry from the MPR's Writer's Almanac (optional): If you'd like a poem and a "today in literature" summary delivered to your e-mail inbox every day, sign up here:
http://mail.publicradio.org/content/506927/forms/twa_signup.htm
Writer's Almanac homepage: http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/
About.com also has a Classic Poem Daily (optional): http://quotations.about.com/c/ec/1.htm

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Podcasts: If you have an MP3 player, iPod, or smart phone, podcasts are a great way to listen to class listening files anytime, anywhere. You can also download an enormous variety of files you choose yourself. You can even produce your own podcast for others to listen to!

iTunes is one popular way to download podcasts. Select "United States" as your country for the largest selection. Check out the free university courses available on iTunes U!

http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/

     Here are some pages with podcasts to choose from, subscribe to or download, then copy to your MP3 player:

BBC podcast feeds:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts
NPR podcast directory:
http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_directory.php
Nature magazine podcast:
http://www.nature.com/nature/podcast/index.html
Podcast directories:
http://www.podfeed.net/
http://podcast.com/

     Handouts will be posted on this Web site. You are responsible for printing them out yourself.

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     Grade calculation

     Grades will be calculated on the basis of:

     1. Attendance. Note that missing more than three classes or being late to class more than five times without good reason is sufficient grounds for receiving a failing grade for this course; being late disturbs everybody else in the class, so make a concerted effort to be in class on time.

     DON'T BE LATE!

     If you must miss class or be late let Ms. Chung know by e-mail or otherwise beforehand; or as soon as possible afterwards if you really can't get in touch beforehand. Don't just fail to show up for class and not offer an explanation – even if it's "I overslept", please explain.

     2. Homework, including listening assignments and pronunciation/grammar summaries
     3. Quizzes (usually given after we finish reading and discussing each text)
     4. Oral presentations
     5. Class participation
     6. Attitude
     7. Progress made
     8. Final exam
     Extra credit will be given to students who do independent research on a class-related topic and share their findings with the class.

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Notes regarding grading policy:
Taiwan University now uses a letter grade system like the one used in US universities. Please do NOT ask for a precise percentage breakdown of how your grade is calculated. You should be able to see from the above that each person's situation is different, and things like "attitude" and "progress made" are difficult to quantify. If, for example, you make great progress after the middle of the semester, your earlier grades will count less. If your grades fluctuate a lot and you do not have a very positive attitude toward learning, all of your grades will be counted just as you earn them; points will be taken off from your final grade if you have often been late or absent from class, or are missing assignments or handed them in late. It's really quite simple - do good work and you get good grades. Your final exam will test your ability in the key areas covered in class; it is not "arbitrary". Very often it is consistent with the work you have done throughout the semester, and therefore your final grade may be close to your final exam grade. Do not conclude that because of this, your final grade is simply decided by your final exam grade. If you have questions not covered in these notes, please e-mail Ms. Chung. But please do NOT come to complain about a grade or demand an explanation for it unless it is clear there has been in error in calculation, e.g. of an exam score. Rest assured that we teachers spend a LOT of time taking many different factors into consideration before finally deciding on each and every grade we give.

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     Dictionaries

      Here is a list of recommended dictionaries and reference works. Please use an online English dictionary with audio files (e.g. the Merriam-Webster is one of the best) to check the pronunciation of any word you encounter that you aren't sure how to pronounce. You have no excuse for getting a pronunciation in a poem or written exercise wrong in class! Get used to relying on your ears rather than on your eyes when it comes to pronunciation!

      The following paper dictionary is highly recommended: Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English: The Living Dictionary. 5th Edition. 2009. Essex: Pearson Education. Available at Crane's in hardcover or paperback. It comes with a CD-ROM (requiring about 500MB of disk space) which offers definitions, audio files of pronunciation of the entry in British English (online version also available; or you can check the standard British English pronunciation on http://www.howjsay.com/) and U.S. English, plus exercises and many other excellent features. It gives word pronunciations in IPA symbols, which are very close to the KK system you are familiar with.

      The above dictionary doesn't include very difficult or technical words; you can get these from the online dictionaries, or get another English-English desktop dictionary, available for purchase at local English book stores such as Bookman, Crane's, Lai Lai and Cave's.

     Here's a page on How to Choose a Dictionary.

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      US English-English dictionaries usually use a strange (for you) set of pronunciation symbols based on English spelling habits, which may be difficult to get used to at first. You will find a pronunciation key on each page of the dictionary to help you. Here's the pronunciation key to the American Heritage Dictionary, which is representative of this kind of pronunciation symbols. If in doubt, use an online dictionary with audio files and listen to the correct pronunciation!

      A pocket edition of one of these English-English dictionaries is handy for class use; most English-Chinese dictionaries published in Taiwan are full of errors, especially in the KK pronunciations of words. Electronic dictionaries are handy and very popular among students these days, but they are also not always as reliable, since they are mostly produced domestically; they will probably be missing some words and definitions, and the pronunciation in KK symbols may not be accurate. But some include a huge database of several good English-English dictionaries, and are very useful. Shop carefully.

     The best English thesaurus, in my opinion, is: The Synonym Finder. 1987. Emmaus: Rodale. 1361pp. Paper. Available at Bookman Books 書林.

      In my view, the very best Chinese-English dictionary is one compiled on the Chinese mainland: 漢英辭典. 修訂版. 1995. 北京：外語教學與研究出版社. 主編：危東亞. This now seems to be out of print, so the following is a good substitute: 新世紀漢英大辭典 A New Century Chinese-English Dictionary. 外語教學與研究出版社, 2003. Purchase at 秋水堂台北市羅斯福路三段333巷14號 (02)2369-5999. You may have to put in a special order. It takes about six weeks for the book(s) to arrive.

      See homepage and the Language and Linguistics page for links to more online dictionaries, including Chinese ones.

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Outside Work

All students are encouraged to advance their English skills on their own, outside class. Here are some ideas on how to do this; also please visit Extras on this site for some resources to get you started:

Read English newspapers and magazines (many available free online – see Extras or do a search), novels (simplified ones are OK!), materials on the Internet, anything else of interest;

Listen to the radio – programs like Studio Classroom or Ivy League (if you are on Facebook, you might want to consider joining the Karen on Ivy League Analytical English fan page), FM93.1 and ICRT (100.7), which broadcast BBC programming every weekday morning, 6am-7am for FM93.1, and 7:00-7:30am for ICRT: listen to the BBC's daily Learning English feature with text and audio; and other Internet broadcasts from around the world (see Extras); you can now download lots of audio programs on the Internet to your MP3 player – see section on podcasts above;

Watch English language TV programs, e.g. sitcoms and the news, and movies: movies and other videos/DVDs can be borrowed and viewed in the AV library;

     Speak and write English with friends: you may want to set up a language exchange, meet English speakers through activities in Taipei's foreign communities, or just practice with classmates – don't be shy! Finding and writing to an e-mail pen pal is another good way to practice English – try joining a special interest discussion group (see Extras) and send a note to someone who says things you think are interesting. Keep a blog.

     Here's a Topical list of resources in the Language Learning workshop from SIL International – it contains lots of good ideas on language learning.

     Please write Prof. Chung if you have other good English-learning ideas to share!