This course is designed to enable students, by continuing to improve their English and through constant participation in the online activities:

n   To organize their own process of preparation, planning, and writing;

n   To feel comfortable expressing their opinions in writing;

n   To use a variety of expository forms;

n   To improve their own writing through the revision process.

本課程透過不同的英語線上教材和活動，讓學生持續學習英文:

n   能有條理地構思寫作元素和段落；

n   有效地透過英文寫作表達自己的意見；

n   靈活運用不同類型的寫作模組；

n   透過多次修正自己的文章，來增進英文能力。

（有包含者請打ü，可複選）

R 1.提供線上課程主要及補充教材

R 2.提供線上非同步教學

R 3.有線上教師或線上助教

R 4.提供面授教學，次數：6 次，總時數：12 小時

R 5.提供線上同步教學，次數： 2 次，總時數： 4小時

（包括考試方式、考評項目其所佔總分比率）

1.      Weekly Assignments (50%)

a.       Two Journals (6%)—Each Journal (3%)

b.      Four Quizzes (12%)—Each Quiz (3%)

c.       Two Writing Exercises (6%)—Each Exercise (3%)

d.      Two Online Discussions (6%)—Each Discussion (3%)

e.       Composition:

---Narration and Description (10%)

---Expository Writing (10%)

Participation and Performance (10%)

2.      Midterm Exam (20%)

3.      Final Exam (20%)

（請填寫每週次的授課內容及授課方式）

教材、教科書（或參考資料）：

Expository writing explains ideas and attitudes with different rhetorical modes, of which two major modes are the argumentative and the narrative writing.  Narrative writing, which tells stories, chronicles events, and/or describes pictures, makes the ideas explained in expository writing concrete, interesting and more easily understood.  Argumentative writing, on the other hand, makes claims and provides evidence to support them in order to convince its readers.  Although expository writing is less insistent in persuasion than argumentative writing is in advancing its ideas, the rhetoric skills and logic of persuasion used in the former can be adopted to make the ideas explained convincing and well-rounded.  Besides these two major modes, we will also practice different modes of developing ideas: definition, comparison and contrast, cause and effect.

Besides learning the modes of writing, what else does a good English writing require?  An understanding of correct and effective English is the fundamental requirement for clear thinking and expression, so we will also do the grammar practice every week.  But if one has already known how to spell, punctuate and compose sentences with correct grammar, can we assume that he or she can write well?  The answer is no.  Writing well involves not only following writing mechanics without feeling inhibited, but also an ongoing process of sharpening our thinking and broadening our perspectives.  To start writing, we should let our ideas flow, but then we need to consider all the mechanics of writing—grammar, organization of paragraph and essay, modes of writing and rhetoric.  Learning these mechanics of writing is inevitable because writing applies the rules or conventions commonly accepted, just like the formation of language itself.  If writing, as one of the most effective ways of expressing and communicating human thoughts, is an embodiment of thinking, the mechanics you are going to learn in this class is the body to allow the ideas to flow, or a physical shape with appropriate arrangement of limbs and organs.  In order to build this basis we will first focus on the writing mechanics for producing a well-structured paragraph with topic sentences and supporting ideas.  The second step is to organize the supporting ideas, then to write thesis statement, and finally to organize paragraphs into an essay.   

    Last but not the least, writing requires thinking.  Some of you, however, may become too serious when doing expository writing, forgetting that expository writing still needs creativity and originality.  Expository writing, indeed, needs reasoning and thinking, but even the most objective ideas come from or are related to something personal: your experiences, feelings, likes and dislikes, and your judgments.  This course aims to encourage you not just to be satisfied with writing down the ideas commonly known or generally accepted, but to search for your alternative ways of perceiving a thing or an issue.  Our ideas, however, cannot be generated without stimuli.  Therefore, reading materials related to the weekly topic is required; part of our endeavor in this course is to make possible a transition from reading to thinking, thinking to idea expression, and then from idea expression to writing.

    The power and influence of writing on ourselves can only appear when we look back.  For many writers, writing is not only a form of thinking, but also an activity through which they sharpen thinking skills and discover more about their selves.  Hopefully, through the process of constantly reading others’ articles, knowing the writing mechanics, and practicing your own writings, you will grow as intellectuals as your thoughts are better organized and expressed in English, as you find pleasure in writing with creativity!!!

說明文最常見的型式就是敘述文和議論文，兩者使用不同的修辭: 敘述文如同說故事般，事情依照時間順序排列、對事物有詳細的描寫；而議論文使用文獻、證據，有邏輯地去安排所支持的論點。

要成為一個好的英文寫作者，首先，要了解如何正確並清楚有效的表達英文。但除了正確使用文法、拼字、標點符號外，還需要有清楚的思路，不斷的練習，方能漸入佳境。在開始寫作前，先記下腦中的想法，再去考慮寫作的用字遣詞、文法拼音、修辭等。在寫說明文，有時學生會把寫作內容想得太嚴肅了，但其實即使是說明文章，除了清楚的說理內容和邏輯思考構思文章方向和架構外，也需要新的呈現方法，來吸引讀者。

這堂課，除了練習不同說明文文體，並鼓勵學生在陳述一般自己熟悉主題寫作之外，再去試驗不同的寫作表達方法，針對不同的討論議題，提出不同的論點。學生將練習不同的寫作文體，熟練寫作修辭技巧並加強邏輯思考。教師每週安排相關閱讀文章和活動讓學生在學習上有有更多刺激，讓學生在閱讀後可以試著在寫作中加入不同的元素。

    寫作是需要時間養成的，歷世歷代的作者告訴了我們寫作不僅僅是一種思考的過程，更是一種對自我的探索。希望透過閱讀別人的文章，學習不同的寫作技巧，並練習發展出自己個人的寫作風格，發揮創意，享受寫作的樂趣!