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US Cultures & Composition for Second Language Writers is a first-year composition course that is for international students as L2 writers. The course focuses on reading and writing with focus on summarizing, documentation, argumentation, and other forms of academic composition. As students work on their understanding and mastering American academic skills and requirements, they broaden and deepen their understanding of the US cultures in the university and beyond, while frequently observing similarities and differences with their cultures. I chose the readings of the course of the course from American Ways: An Introduction to American Culture and Reflections on Multiliterate Lives along with some online articles. I used Intercultural Resource Pack: Intercultural Communication Resources for Language Teachers to ignite discussions on the definition of culture, culture iceberg, and other topics. Students also watched YouTube videos that encourage them to think critically such as What is Culture?, U.S. TV Series Influence in China, Fast Food in China. Assignments included writing summary/response essays, descriptive essays, argumentative essays, multimedia projects, reflective essays, and giving presentations. The assignments introduced students to different genres and encouraged them to consider their audience while enhancing their critical thinking skills.
Fall 2015 Syllabus
Summer 2015 Syllabus
Spring 2015 Syllabus
The assignments include:
Annotated Bibliography
Summary/Response Essay
Argumentative Essay
Description/Definition Essay
Reflective Essay
Samples of the videos that students watched in class:
Google Sites
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