AC

Advanced English Conversation (Spring 2020)

Prof. Kent Lee

Dept. English Language & Literature, Pukyong National University

Time: S. 103: Tue/Thu 12.00-13.15pm; S. 104: 15.00-16.15pm

Mailbox:

Office & office hours: by appointment

Syllabus: See the link in an LMS announcement.

This website will go along with my syllabus and materials in our LMS for this course, as well as materials that supplement my course book.

1 Weekly lessons

1.1 Assignments

Everyone should fill out the following Google Form, which asks for general information about you, and some survey questions about your attitudes toward English. If you are taking more than one course from me this semester, you only need to fill this out once.

• Google Form #1

1.2 Week 3, Day 2

You can look at the handout, and view the lecture video. At times you will need to pause the video, think about the question, and talk to someone. You can arrange to talk to a classmate that you in the department, especially if you know someone taking this course. Otherwise, please find friends, classmates, or other persons, and discuss the questions with them.

• Handout: MBTI
• Lecture video: Personality types
• Google Form: Your personality type

Based on the MBTI, you will fall into one of sixteen personality types, e.g., INTP, ESFJ, INFP, etc. You should discuss your results with a partner or classmate. Think about these, and discuss whether you think this classification of your personality is accurate.

1.3 Week 4

• Lecture videos #1 & #2
• Lecture video
• Handout (see LMS)
• Google Form assignment 1
• Google Form assignment 2

1.4 Week 5

• Lecture video, pt. 1: Overview of pop psychology
• Lecture video, pt. 2: Language beliefs
• Lecture video, pt. 3: History of English
• Lecture video, pt. 4: Language myths

1.5 Week 6

• Logical fallacies guide
• Lecture video 1
• Lecture video 2
• Lecture video 3
• Lecture video 4

1.6 Week 7

• [Video lecture 1]
• [Video lecture 2]

2 Midterm

We have been talking about fallacies and misconceptions this semester, and lately we have been examining commercial advertisements and political examples. For the midterm, you will discuss some fallacies, misconceptions, or other problems, either in advertising, or in the politics of your country. This can be based on one of the topics of your previous recorded assignment on logical fallacies (the one that was due on 27 April), or a new topic, if you like. Your talk should be about 4-7 minutes long.

For example, you can discuss one of these problems in a particular area (of media, politics, or advertising):

• Regular use of logical fallacies
• Sexism, sexualization, sexual objectification: using women (or men) as sex objects in advertising
• Sexism, racism, xenophobia (외국인 혐오(증)), homophobia, or other forms of discrimination - in popular media, politics, or advertising
• Popular misconceptions that are exploited by popular media, advertisers, other companies, or politicians
• Cognitive biases (We have not discussed this yet in the course, but you are welcome do try talking about this.)

Your talk can focus on one area, such as:

• A particular type or area of advertising
• A particular segment of the media, e.g., popular TV shows or movies, or more specifically, a particular genre such as comedy shows, dramas, or such
• A particular group of politicians, political parties, or political groups
• A particular segment of the general public, e.g. one that is targeted by media or politicians, or to whom such media / adverts / political discourse appeal

For this, you will record a video of yourself, in which you give a presentation about this. You can discuss examples from your own country, or a country and culture that you are familiar with (if you have lived elsewhere). You should not just discuss one example, but discuss several examples that illustrate a trend, tendency, or cultural problem. The number of examples will depend on your topic and how complex the examples are, but I would recommend at least three examples to develop your ideas. Summarize your examples briefly, and then analyze and critique them. Some possible points to discuss include:

• The effects of these misuses of communication - e.g., how did the public or news media react, was it effective for the company or politician, was there a backlash (a reaction against it), or did it have any long-term negative effects for the company / product / politician / political party or for the culture?
• Cultural attitudes, cultural problems, or the effects of this on the culture
• How widespread these attitudes, problems, or misuse of language or communication are
• Harmful or negative effects - why is this unhealthy, e.g., for the society or culture?
• Possible solutions to this problem (Note: If you address this, then avoid common, vague or general solutions, and instead come up with some specific, unique ideas that could actually work.)

Due date

10 May (11:59pm)

General criteria

• Your talk should be recorded and uploaded to the LMS assignment space for the midterm. Your talk should be about 4-7 minutes long.
• Your talk should have clear, persuasive explanation, details, and examples.
• Your talk should have a clear focus on a particular issue, problem, or area of media or politics.
• Your talk should have clear main points or objectives.

You should refer to the video lectures from Week 7, where I talk about the midterm assignment and tips for speaking.

Grading will be based on the following criteria:

1.	Rationale, goals, objectives	Clear rationale & explanation for your application, e.g., specific objectives, goals, and personal potential; clear focus
2.	Contents	Sufficient overall contents & preparation; enough good contents for a two-minute personal statement
3.	Support	Sufficient details & explanations about your strengths, abilities, e.g., your personal and/or academic strengths, skills, accomplishments, and your future potential.
4.	Details	Sufficient details & explanations about your plans, objectives, e.g., your personal and/or academic strengths, skills, accomplishments; a persuasive explanation of your potential in carrying out your plans. For projects, this can also include, for example, details about your project, plans, rationale, feasibility, etc.
5.	Clarity	Clear explanations, easy to understand follow; clear wording & vocabulary
6.	Organization	Well-organized and structured, good flow; flow indicated by intro, transition words & expressions; clear intro and conclusion
7.	Speaking & vocal delivery	Clear, audible voices; clear speaking & delivery; good vocal volume & intonation; the presentation quality indicates adequate rehearsal and preparation; no excessive fillers, pauses (uh, um), pauses, unfinished sentences; good pace
8.	Interaction with audience	Eye contact, body language, posture, etc.
9.	Value	Overall personal, social, artistic, academic, practical, commercial, and/or scientific value & benefit of your application and/or project and/or plans; creativity and originality; feasibility of your plans or project
10.	Effectiveness	How effective is your talk; its persuasiveness and informativeness to members of a potential scholarship committee. I will also consider (1) how well you answered questions from the audience or interviewers; and (2) how audience members evaluated your presentation.