This section of Freshman Composition is a one-year course, taught by two teachers: me in the first semester, and Prof. Jia-Ling Hsu in the second semester. In the first semester, we will begin with learning how to write good sentences, focusing on grammar practice. Then we will learn how to write a good paragraph, focusing on organization, cohesion, and coherence.
This course is designed as an interactive workshop. All students are expected to participate actively in the learning process. Class time will be divided into several segments for different activities: lectures, in-class writing, and group exercise (including grammar practice, sentence writing, editing, reviewing and reading discussions, etc.). We will start with sentence practice and introduce basic concepts of English writing. Articles will be used as teaching materials. Students are expected to preview the materials before each class. We will write paragraphs and keep journal writing. Students are required to make group presentations/activities on The Elements of Style and Barron's 1100 Words You Need to Know (10-15 minutes).