一、內容：
Many Freshmen who choose English as your second language to study during your first year in Taida, I presume, are believers that English is still the most commonly used international language of the day, and wish to further your proficiency of this language. This class is designed to assist your English competency by means of reading, speaking, listening, and writing English.
This class will tap into all forms of English (i.e., formal, colloquial) to give you a more comprehensive understanding of the language, which is highly necessary if you expect to use English with some style and sophistication.

二、教科書：
This class has in the past employed the following material:

Journalistic English:
articles from China Post, China News, International Herald Tribune, Time, Newsweek, The Economist.

Fiction:
Ernest Hemingway -`Hills Like White Elephants,` `Cat in the Rain`
John Cheever - `A Story`
James Thurber - Fables for Our Time

Essays:
The Daily Telegraph - `A Way of Life`
J. B. Priestley - `Delight`

Poetry:
Theodore Roethke - `My Papa`s Waltz`
Langston Hughes - `Dream Deferred,` `The Negro Speaks of Rivers`
William Carlos Williams - `The Red Wheelbarrow,` `Between Walls`
Gary Snyder - `Mid-August at Sourdough Mountain Lookout` Emily Dickinson - `Because I Could Not Stop for Death` William Wordsworth - `The Daffodils`

Films:
Reservoir Dogs, Before Sunrise, True Romance

Drama:
M. Butterfly, Oleanna, Glengarry Glen Ross, The Ohio State Murders

Each year`s course material will be modified to suit the `character` of that particular class. If you like what you see, or like what you have heard from your 學姊、學長 about our course, then come and join us!

三、成績評量方式：
You are expected to come to class having pre-viewed the assigned readings and engage in class discussions. The mid-term and the final exam will comprise 70% of your final grade, writing assignment 15%, class performance and attendance will make up for 15% of your score.