Business English Writing Skills 商業英語書寫技巧 傅友祥 教授 臺大外國語文學系暨研究所

教師簡介 Dr. Bennett Yu-Hsiang Fu is Associate Professor in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at National Taiwan University. He received his M.A. in English and American Literature from the University of Rochester (U.S.A.) and Ph.D. in English Studies from the University of Montreal in Canada. Before joining NTU, he had taught academic writing and literature at McGill University, University of Montreal, and Concordia University in Montreal. His critical essays have been published in seven countries: USA, UK, Canada, Portugal, Amsterdam, Korea, and Taiwan. He is the author of the book Transgressive Transcripts (New York/Amsterdam: Rodopi Press) published in 2012. Currently he also serves as the English editor-in-chief for National Taiwan University Press.

課程介紹(一) This course is designed for students in a business field who will or need to write in their (future) employment. Successful employees know how to communicate clearly and effectively, changing writing style and content for varying audiences and purposes. This class will focus on the difficult task of meeting readers’ needs while simultaneously representing your best interests and those of your employer. To meet that end, the assignments will cover a variety of tasks produced under different circumstances, some done quickly during class and some polished and perfected over time. Students completing the semester's work should see a visible improvement in their writing, especially in terms of clarity and precision. The class will have several stages of development.

課程介紹(二) The writing process: presentation and practice of key vocabulary for the course (style, draft, linking...); detailed work on the stages of writing; identifying and analyzing the reader(s); considering different structures for a document. Applying for a job: Identifying the key aspects of successful résumé writing through examination of a model résumé; the importance of layout and how to format a résumé effectively; analyzing and writing covering letters. Successful letters: the basics: Introduction to the parts of a business letter and associated vocabulary; correspondence phrases and key functional language; analyzing a letter of complaint and identifying the problems; functional language for apologizing.

課程介紹(三) Successful emails: the basics: Introduction to good and bad email practice; the issue of formality and informality in emails; comprehension activity on an exchange of emails; abbreviations and emoticons; analyzing the parts of an email; the importance of avoiding sexist language. Emails and letters: case studies: Focus on letters of enquiry and responses to an enquiry; presentation and practice of key language for these text types; practice activity where learners write four emails of enquiry; analyzing learners’ own letters of enquiry and responses. Writing proposals: Focus on successful, formal proposal writing; the concept of sentence and paragraph, and how the learners can make the writing straightforward and readable. Reports: organizing information Presentation of the sections of a report and their functions; the logic of a report and how sections interrelate; practice activities based on authentic reports; analyzing different report types.

課程介紹(四) Key sections of a report Focus on five key sections (Summary, Objectives, Conclusions, Recommendations, Table of Contents); presentation and practice of key aspects of each (e.g. in the Recommendations section, learners look at the relationship between writer and reader). Perfecting your document: Presentation and practice of the four elements of formatting (white space, page parts, text features, system of heads); the functions of punctuation marks; introduction to proofreading techniques; differences between British and North American English.

課前規定 This course requires intensive, weekly writing. Unlike speaking and listening, writing definitely takes time and determination. The 15-week intensive training will force you to look at English writing from a totally different perspective. To write fluently and coherently, the student needs to have discipline and perseverance. If you skip too many classes, you will not learn too much because we do require weekly writing. If you are tenacious and learn well, you certainly will see the visible progress. If the student does not hand in the weekly writing required for that week, no comments will be provided. You need to have some basic grammatical knowledge to be registered in this class. The class will be lectured entirely in English.

評分標準 Attendance and discussion: 10% Midterm: 15% Final Exam: 15% Writing assignments: 60% (5% for each)

課程進度 商業英語書寫技巧 1 Introduction; diagnosis writing 2 單元主題 1 Introduction; diagnosis writing 2 General guidelines and presentations of writing mechanics 3 Email writing; summary 1 (in class) 4 CV writing; discussion of summary 1 submission Email writing 5 Job application letter; summary 2 (in class) submission CV writing and summary 1 typed 6 Letter of recommendation; discussion of summary 2 submission of job application letter 7 Presentation skills (organization); Summary 3 (in class) submission of letter of recommendation and summary 2 typed

課程進度(續) 商業英語書寫技巧 8 Use of commercial terms in context 單元主題 8 Use of commercial terms in context submission of summary 3 typed 9 Midterm exam: in-class writing assignment 10 Report Writing I; summary 4 11 Report Writing II; discussion of summary 4 submission of report writing I 12 Proposal Writing I; Summary 5 submission of report II and summary 4 13 Proposal Writing II; discussion of summary 5 submission of proposal writing I 14 Review and Portfolio; submission of proposal writing II and summary 5 15 Final Exam: in-class writing assignment