English Writing for Specific Purposes

English Writing for Specific Purposes

This course is intended to help students effectively apply fundamental English writing skills and knowledge for practical purposes. For example, upon graduation, many students will need to write in English their resumes, autobiographies, grant proposals, and study plans. Knowing how to write well these documents will help them enter the workforce or further their studies. This course attaches much importance to audience awareness, highlighting the need to write from a reader’s perspective. For instance, what kind of writing would stand out in a grant proposal if viewed by a referee? To help students build their own writing strategies in response to audience awareness, students will be engaged in authentic case analyses where they identify writing circumstances and target readers in terms of organization and word choice. Working on various kinds of writing assignments, students will make use of the techniques and skills they learn from this course to produce documents in a language amenable to their readers.

Course Outline

Tentative Course Content

  • Grant proposals
  • Cover letter
  • Study plans
  • Autobiography
  • Resume
  • Lab reports

Core Competencies (CC)

Based on the course objectives, the NTU educational goal is adhered to through contributing to students’

  • CC 1: independent judgment and ability to innovate
  • CC 2: professional knowledge and skills
  • CC 3: communicative and team skills

Course Intended Learning Outcome (CILO)

By the end of the course, students should be able to

  • CILO 1: critically evaluate and analyze a variety of texts for specific purposes (CC 1, 2 & 3)
  • CILO 2: apply writing skills and knowledge to constructing different writing genres (CC 1, 2 & 3)
  • CILO 3: recognize the features of authentic texts (CC 1 & 2)
  • CILO 4: develop proof-reading and self-editing skills (CC 1 & 3)
  • CILO 5: achieve effective written communication both in school and at work (CC 1, 2 & 3)

Teaching & Learning Activities (TLAs)

  1. 1. Students will develop writing skills through guided practice, group discussion and peer-review. (CILO 1, 3, 4, 5)
  2. 2. Students will analyze structural features of authentic texts, relevant to their professional career goals. (CILO 1 & 3)
  3. 3. Students will compose a draft of a grant proposal on a general topic, making use of the techniques that they have learned from the course. (CILO 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
  4. 4. tudents will develop their study plans and other job related documents, tailoring to their target audience. (CILO 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

Grading Policy

Types of Assessment Weighting CCs to Be Addressed CILOs to Be Addressed Descriptions of Assessment Tasks
Writing Assignments 50% 1, 2, & 3 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Two main types of writing assignments will be given in this course: paragraph writing (~300 words) and essay writing (800~1000 words). Students will work individually, as a pair, or as a group. The writing assignments will be related to different writing genres, such as study plans, grant proposals, and other professional correspondences.
Text Analyses 15% 1, 2, & 3 1 & 3 Students will do case analyses of authentic texts relevant to their professional career goals and will compare their findings with each other.
Learning Evaluation Tasks 15% 1, 2, & 3 1, 2, 3, 5 Task1: Identifying Features of Grant Proposals (40 points) Task 2: Case Analysis- Study Plan (30 points) Task 3: Professional Correspondences (30 points)
Portfolio 10% 1, 2 4, 5 Students will apply the writing skills and knowledge covered in the class to constructing and revising different writing genres. The portfolio will include a collection of the work they have done.
Classroom Participation and Attendance 10% 1, 2, & 3 4, 5 Based on students’ participation in class discussions and CEIBA, and their attendance.

Textbooks

  • Mehlich, S., Smith-Worthington, D., & Che, P.-C. (2007). Refining Technical writing for success: A school-to-work approach. Singapore: Thomson Learning.
  • O’Neal-McElrath, T. (2013). Winning grants step by step: The Complete Workbook for Planning, Developing, and Writing Successful Proposals (4 ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

References

  • Asher, D. (2012). Graduate Admissions Essays: Write Your Way into the Graduate School of Your Choice. (4 ed.). New York: Ten Speed Press.
  • Betrus, M. (2005). Perfect Phrases for Resumes. New York: McGraw-Hill.
  • Browning, B. (2008). Perfect Phrases for Writing Grant Proposals. New York: McGraw-Hill.
  • Clarke, C. A. (2009). Storytelling for Grantseekers: A Guide to Creative Nonprofit Fundraising. (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
  • Geever, J. C. (2007). Foundation Center’s guide to proposal writing. (5 ed.). Foundation Center.
  • Kolin, P. C. (2010). Successful Writing at Work. (9th ed.). Boston: Cengage Learning.
  • Mehlich, S., Smith-Worthington, D., & Che, P.-C. (2007). Technical writing for success: A school-to-work approach. Taipei: Cengage Learning.
  • Smith, N. B. & Works, E. G. (2006). The Complete Book of Grant Writing: Learn to Write Grants Like a Professional. Naperville: Sourcebooks.
  • Sorenson, S. (2010). Webster’s New World Student Writing Handbook. (5 ed.). HoBoken: Wiley Publishing.
  • Swales, J. M., & Feak, C. B. (2011). Navigating academia: Writing supporting genres.University of Michigan Press.
  • Wason, S. (2004). Webster’s New World Grant Writing Handbook. HoBoken: Wiley Publishing.