This course is designed to introduce NTU students to university-level English. We will continue to develop the academic skills we learned last semester, notably reading texts critically and responding to them through research; we will also review other fundamental skills including punctuation, spelling, and mechanics. We will then read and discuss a series of texts introducing and presenting popular literary genres including the romance, horror, detective, adventure (science fiction), and fantasy fictions. Students will have a chance to apply the skills they have learned through ten listening transcriptions, two midterms and, near the end of this course, through a group presentation. Students are expected to attend regularly, to read with care and curiosity, and to bring an open mind to course assignments and class discussions. We will engage with issues of popular literature by examining how popular literary genres gain meaning in contemporary culture and how they are an integral and important aspect of our lives.