Spring 1997
English Composition (A)
授課教師：白瑞梅教授 (Professor Amie Parry), National Chiao Tung University
授課班級：Freshmen from Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures
學生人數：18
授課地點：F106
授課時間：Tuesdays 10:10-12:00
聯絡電話：F303 extension 58111
E-mail: aparry@cc.nctu.edu.tw
教學方針：
About the use of Cultural Studies approaches to teaching in this course:
Instead of
beginning with song lyrics, in this course the final two assignments,
one a presentation and one a paper, utilized a Cultural Studies approach.
I highly recommend these assignments, which are from the textbook entitled,
The Student Writer, by Kathryn R. Fitzgerald and Jamie McBeth Smith (HarperCollins
1991).
These assignments and the activities that lead up to them can be found
in Chapter Six, "Analyzing and Classifying Product Names," and Chapter
Seven, "Structural Analysis of an Advertisement" (pp. 76-114). I
followed the textbook's progression and found it was a good guide for the
students in developing analytical skills in reading cultural texts and
presenting their findings in writing. For the
first assignment, the students worked in groups and selected a product
(e.g., soap, perfume, cars, and sanitary napkins were top choices) whose
various names they would analyze in terms of marketing strategy, taking
into account age group, gender and other market considerations. They
had to group the names into categories that share similar strategies, and
analyze the appeal of each name for its target audience. They also
had to discuss at least one T.V. commercial for the product, analyzing
how it visually extends the appeal that the name tries to evoke.
The goal for this assignment was to develop the students skills in "analyzing
and classifying," and in the process to learn how product names rely on
culturally constructed meanings for their appeal which may have very little
to do with the product itself. For the second assignment, students
worked individually and selected a magazine advertisement to analyze according
to a structural model presented very clearly in the textbook, which points
out visual codes as well as verbal strategies. Following the steps
in the textbook, the students wrote a structural analysis of the advertisement
that they handed in with the advertisement
itself. Please see the following syllabus for details.
課程簡介：
In this course, students will continue to develop their reading and
writing
skills. Because reading closely and critically is the first step
toward writing
well, we will spend ample time on discussing short weekly readings.
Students will
read the assignments carefully and begin formulating ideas for their
compositions
during class activities based on the readings. This course also
stresses the
process of writing, rewriting and revising: tentative topics
and first drafts will
be critiqued by classmates before the final draft is submitted.
There will be
three final papers and one group presentation. All of the writing
assignments are
designed to help students develop analytical skills that can be applied
to other
academic fields. The first two writing assignments require students
to think
critically about the uses of stereotypes and about an important personal
experience. The presentation and final writing assignment ask
students to question
and analyze the presentation of information in contemporary advertisements.
課程要求：
Attendance is mandatory; this is a workshop class. Up to
two unexcused absences
are permitted, and a further absence will result in a failing grade
for the class.
Three tardies will be counted as one absence. It is also essential
that students
participate fully in class discussions and group activities.
There will be
in-class writing assignments as well as homework writing assignments;
the latter
will be due at the beginning of the following class meeting.
3. final drafts 60%
4. attendance and participation 40%
指定教材：
1. The Student Writer, Kathryn R.
Fitzgerald and Jamie McBeth Smith
2. an English-English dictionary of your
choice
課程進度：
2-18 stereotyping; discussion of reading & in-class writing
HW: first draft and copies
2-25 workshop: first draft
HW: “Class Nerd”; revision plan
3-4 discussion: “Class Nerd” and revision plans
HW: “Salvation”; final draft
3-11 personal narrative; discuss “Salvation” & in-class
writings
HW: “Step Forward in the Car, Please”
3-18 discuss “Step Forward in the Car, Please” & in-class
writings
HW: personal narrative topic
3-25 evaluation criteria; discuss topics; tense and time words
HW: first draft and copies
4-1 SPRING BREAK
4-8 workshop: first draft
HW: final draft; “Weasel Words” (77-82 only)
4-15 analyzing and classifying; discuss reading, ads (88-89)
HW: brainstorming (87, #2)
4-22 in-class writing; assign presentations
HW: presentation (hand in one typed copy of outline per
group)
4-29 presentations on product names
5-6 presentations on product names
HW: “The Presence of the Word”
5-13 structural analysis; discuss “Presence” & in-class
writings; example on
102-105
HW: analyzing advertisements, page 101, #2
5-20 workshop: analyzing advertisements assignment (exercise
on 106); first draft
guidelines (106-7)
HW: first draft and copies
5-27 workshop: first draft (107)
HW: “It’s the Image that Counts”; revision plan
6-3 discuss “Image” and revision plans
HW: final draft
6-10 final draft due
English Composition
