Class Info
課程總時數 – 10小時
每次上課時間為60-90分鐘 （2-3人小班授課）
About
This class is designed to help international students develop the academic writing skills for success in undergraduate studies at an American university, while strengthening their English proficiency.
Ideally, prospective students have completed or are near completion of a high school diploma in their country and would like to come to the United States to study for a bachelor’s degree. The total length of time required to complete the course is approximately 10 hours. Students should expect to spend about 3-5 hours working with the materials and assignments after each session.
Instructor
Aidan Lee is a doctoral student at the University of California, Berkeley. He holds a B.A. of highest distinction from the University of Virginia (2017, History) and M.A. from the University of Chicago (2019, Social Sciences), where he also worked as a research assistant in the History department. He has extensive experience with academic research and writing, and has years of experience working in ESL teaching, as well as editing and writing services for English textbooks. He has worked for three years as a professional college admissions consultant with the Northshore Education Organization based in Chicago.
Syllabus
1. Introduction: evaluation 課程簡介和評估 (7/29)
Student presents one piece of already-finished writing, preferably from an English or Social Science class (History, Psychology, Economics, Business, Journalism)
Course introduction: why writing ability is important for college, and your future
Course goals and structure
Grammar and Punctuation review: essentials
2. Foundations: Grammar 文法基礎 (8/1)
What does it mean to be clear and concise?
Active voice
Sentence length, syntax, and tense
assignment: practice drills
3. Beginning a good essay 寫文章的基本要領 (8/5)
Discussion of last assignment
What does a thesis statement look like?
Thesis: communicating an argument
Practice drills according to student needs
Academic essay types: cause and effect essay
4. Structure I: broad outlines and logical progression 文章綱要I (8/8)
Academic Essay types: compare/contrast essay
Create effective thesis statements for your essays
Plan and write compare/contrast, cause/effect, and argument essays
Creating well-developed body paragraphs
Assignment: practice essay
5. Structure II: the paragraph 文章綱要II (8/12)
Plan and write a more sophisticated argument essay
Identify plagiarism and explain how to prevent it
Analyze examples of good/bad paragraphs
Read and analyze several example essays to form your own opinion on a topic
Form thesis statements from your readings
Use sources effectively when writing an essay
Assignment: practice essay
6. Structure III: different scenarios 文章綱要III (8/15)
Choose appropriate research topics for college classes
Write detailed outlines for research papers
Find source material for research papers
Take and organize good notes for research
Use appropriate academic tone and language
Document sources by creating a Works Cited list in MLA format
Avoid plagiarizing your sources
Assignment: practice essays
7. Mini “Exam” (~45-50 minutes + 10–15 minute discussion) 成果檢測 ** (8/19)
Topic determined by student’s needs and weaknesses (Choice of three topics)
Practicing under time pressure and applying principles
Post-essay discussion
Weekly assignment: practice essay
8. Applied Practice: summarization 應用寫作 I 摘要練習 (8/22)
Practice drills: close reading and note taking
Summarization essay
Avoiding plagiarism
How to use sources
Weekly assignment: summarization practice
9. Applied Practice: creative topics應用寫作II 創意主題 (8/26)
Practice chosen from among several college-style essay types
Brainstorming: how to write a convincing and interesting essay
Review: the use of sources
Personal experience, opinions, and imagination
Final weekly assignment: completing a research essay
10. Conclusion 課程總結 (8/29)
Discussion of the final assignment
Analysis of weak and strong points for each student
How to continue to improve going forward
Summing up the principles of writing
課程協議
付款
1、課程費用需在約定第一堂課日期前至少五（5）個工作日交付與NEO國際教育，以留予授課老師足夠時間準備，給學生提供最佳的學習體驗。
退款
2、對於固定次數的課程：
開課前一周退出全額退款；
第一節課和第二節課課後部分退款；
第三節課後不予退款。
取消或改期
3、對於一對一課程，如需取消或更改約定授課時間，學生須提前至少四十八（48）小時通知NEO國際教育，該情況下課時費不扣除。如學生未能提前四十八小時通知NEO國際教育而缺席，該次課時費不予退回。
4、對於集體課程，因另行商定適合所有學生的時間難度較大，除特殊情況，集體課程不更改時間，如學生提前四十八（48）小時提前通知NEO國際教育需要缺席，NEO國際教育會為學生提供課堂錄音。
5、授課老師取消課時或改期須提前至少四十八（48）小時告知學生和家長，如課程費用已付，授課老師須按雙方合適的時間另行安排時間補課。
上課遲到
對於一對一課程：
如學生遲到長達15分鐘而授課老師未直接收到學生遲到通知，授課老師等候最多十五（15）分鐘後會取消本次上課。該次課被記錄“缺席”，課時費用不予退回。
如授課老師直接收到學生遲到通知，可以等候最多十五（15）分鐘，該次課將按原定時間開始和結束。是否延長時間由授課老師自行決定。無論課程由於學生遲到實際進行多少時間，學生將被收取整堂課費用。
對於集體課程，學生遲到5分鐘後，老師會開始為課堂錄音。
如授課老師遲到，授課老師會在經雙方同意後延長課時、完全彌補遲到的時間。
學生職責
尊重授課老師及其他學生。
準備充分、按時上課。
全身心投入課程，包括上課提問、復習課堂內容、截止日期前完成作業。
家長職責
監督學生準時出勤。
督促學生按時完成課後作業。
如需取消單次課或更改時間，提前至少四十八（48）小時通知NEO國際教育。
協議更改
NEO國際教育有權修改本協議的條款和條件。
免責聲明
因課程效果不僅需授課老師盡責、也需要學生投入，所以NEO國際教育不對課程效果做任何保證。
學生和家長特此同意NEO國際教育不承擔任何由合同引發的索賠、損失、損害、虧損、債務、成本和費用，包括但不限於合理的律師費及其它法律支出。
完整協議
本協議所包含的條款構成合同雙方的完整協議。本協議取代雙方以前所有的口頭或書面通訊。對合同所作的修改或擴充，只有採取書面形式並經雙方正式授權的主管人員或代表簽署後，方能對雙方有約束力。
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