Syllabus
Course: Introduction to Academic English Writing
Instructor: Dr. Ming Huei (John) Lin
Credits: 2 (Elective)
Email: johnlinminghuei@gmail.com
Phone No.: 02-26215656 # 3210
Course goal: This course aims at developing students’ academic English writing skills, inclusive of essay structures, sentence/grammar patterns, and academic lexis. In addition to didactic instructions in those skills, corpora are introduced to the students in the hope of exposing them to the richness and authenticity conferred by the cultural and linguistic content entailed in the corpora. It is anticipated that after this course the student writers will be able to produce unified and coherent academic essays.
Grading: In-class and online participation 30%, mid-term report 20%, final report 25%, assignments 25%
Syllabus, FIRST Semester
Week Date Topic
1. 09.15 a. Introduction to the course
b. Introduction to corpora
2. 09.22 a. Structures of essay
b. Introduction to academic corpora
3. 09.29 a. Thesis statements: (1)
b. Corpora & simple queries
4. 10.06 a. Thesis statements: (2)
b. Corpora & combined queries
5. 10.13 a. Thesis statements: (3)
b. Corpora & complex queries
6. 10.20 Group discussion (1): 7 example topic sentences
7. 10.27 Group discussion (2): 7 example topic sentences
8. 11.03 Group discussion (3): the beauty of lexis
9. 11.10 Group discussion (4): the beauty of simple and complex sentences
10. 11.17 Mid-term report: transitional words
11. 11.24 APA Styles 1
12. 12.01 APA Styles 2
13. 12.08 Academic verb tenses (1)
14. 12.15 Academic verb tenses (2)
15. 12.22 In-class presentation:application of verb tenses
16. 12.29 Essay writing (1)
17. 01.05 Essay writing (2)
18. 01.12 Final report
Materials: Handouts will be delivered in due course.
Syllabus, SECOND SEMESTER
Week Date Topic
1. 02.15 a. Orientation
b. Review on Corpus application
2. 02.22 a. Transitional words/phrases between paragraphs (1)
b. Application: Academic corpora (1)
3. 02.29 No class. National Holiday
4. 03.07 a. Transitional words/phrases between paragraphs (2)
b. Application: Academic corpora (2)
5. 03.14 Case study on active and passive voices
6. 03.21 Creating sentences in active and passive voices
7. 03.28 Group discussion (1): advanced academic synonyms
8. 04.04 Spring Break.
9. 04.11 Mid-term report
10. 04.18 Mid-term report
11. 04.25 Group discussion (2): Short and lengthy sentences
12. 05.02 APA Styles (3)
13. 05.09 APA Styles (4)
14. 05.16 Reporting words
15. 05.23 Academic essay structures
16. 05.30 Academic essay writing exercise
17. 06.06 Final paper
18. 06.13 Final report