English Writing and Argumentation Strategies
Course Description
This course is designed to provide graduate students with fundamental skills required for academic English writing. Throughout the semester, students will engage in a combination oflectures, discussions, and hands-on practice sessions, aimed at developing the core competencies of academic writing. The course covers a broad range of topics, including common rhetorical patterns, paragraph/essay organization, functional grammar, and strategic use of academic vocabulary, with an emphasis on cultivating graduate students’ writing skills through practical application.
By the end of the course, students will be able to produce clear, concise, and impactful academic texts, with an emphasis on editing and proofreading using both AI tools and personal judgement.
Course Objective
Core Competencies (CC)
The purpose of this course is to adhere to the NTU educational objective by contributing to students’
CC 1: independent judgment and ability to innovate
CC 2: professional knowledge and skills
CC 3: communicative and team skills
Course Objective—Course Intended Learning Outcome (CILO)
Upon completion of the course, students will be able to
- Analyze and apply common rhetorical structures in academic texts, including causeeffect, comparison-contrast, process/classification, and argumentation, in structured paragraphs and short essays. (CC 1,2)
- Select and use academic vocabulary and sentence structures appropriately to enhance precision and clarity in graduate-level writing. (CC 1,2)
- Construct grammatically sound and context-appropriate academic sentences using functional grammar principles. (CC 2)
- Outline, draft, and revise essays through multiple stages of writing processes. (CC 1,2,3)
- Edit and proofread effectively, incorporating peer, instructor, and AI-supported feedback. (CC 1,2,3)
Weekly Schedule
| Tentative Schedule of Weekly Topics (Subject to change as needed)
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Others
- Oshima, A., & Hogue, A. (2014). Longman Academic Writing Series: Essays (5th ed.). New York: Pearson Education.
- 活用學術字彙 : 跨出論文寫作的第一步。台北: 國立臺灣大學出版中心，2010。
- 文法會說話。台北：國立臺灣大學出版中心，2016。
Grading Policy
| Assessment & Weighting | CCs to Be Addressed | CILOs to Be Addressed | Description |
| Homework & Assignments 40% | 1, 2, 3, 4 | 1, 2, 3, 4 | • Students develop a paragraph and essays via prewriting, writing and re-writing.
• Students edit and proofread their own and their peers’ writing. • Students critically reflect on AI-generated suggestions and explain which changes they accepted, modified, or rejected and why. |
| Weekly Quizzes
20% |
1, 2 | 2, 3 | • Students demonstrate their familiarity with the vocabulary, grammar, and essay organizations commonly used in academic writing. |
| Final Exam
15% |
1, 2, | 1, 2, 3, 4 | • Students demonstrate their familiarity with the vocabulary and grammar frequently used in academic writing.
• Students produce writing that responds to task requirements. |
| Participation &
Attendance 15% |
1, 2, 3, 4 | 1, 2, 3, 4 | • Students practice writing and share ideas via individual responding to reading, peer reviews or group discussions. |
| AI Literacy
10% |
1, 2 | 1, 2, 3 | Teacher will evaluate students’:
• Responsible use of AI tools • Validation of AI-generated sources and information • Critical evaluation and revision of AI-generated content |
