Instructor: Li-Chun Hsiao

Course Description:
This course explores a variety of English writings, with emphases on the questions of critical thinking, rhetoric, and the role of language in creative writing. In addition to expanding your knowledge and perspectives of the world through the course materials, we aim to help the students become more skilled and proficient readers and listeners in English. As the course title suggests, this course consists of trainings in reading as well as listening, with about one third of our class hours devoted to the latter. The “textbook” of our class will be a collection of photocopied essays selected from different sources. Other course materials include a list of video clips, audio recordings, and additional handouts or online resources the teacher adds when necessary. Students are required to make use of the online learning system at NTU (called CEIBA) to post their responses to the readings, video and audio recordings, download some course materials, or hand in their homework.

Course Materials and Tentative Schedule:
Readings:
Week 1: “Windows 7 Leaves Vista in the Dust”
Week 2: “Microsoft Layoffs”; “The First Lady Sends Message with Dresses”
Week 3: “The First Lady Sends Message with Dresses”
Week 4-5: “A View from Mount Ritter”
Week 6: Screening of the movie, You’ve Got Mail
Week 7-8: “A Required Course in Beating the Freshman Blues”
Week 9: Midterm exam
Week 10-12: “Fear of Heights”; “Male Fixations”
Week 13-14: “Burned Out and Bored”
Week 15-17: “The Decline of Neatness”; “Three Passions I Have Lived For”
Week 18: Final exam

Listening:
Week 1-2: Selected units at http://www.esl-lab.com/
Week 2-6: Selected lessons at http://studioclassroom.com/ad/
Week 6-8: Selected lessons at http://studioclassroom.com/ad/; You’ve Got Mail
Week 10-11: Selected lessons at http://studioclassroom.com/ad/
Week 12-13: Seinfeld episodes
Week 14-15: Seinfeld episodes
Week 16-17: selected lessons at http://studioclassroom.com/ad/