臺師大圖書館讀書會: Spring 2023 Groups

Since it’s the library reading group, from my point of view, it should be related to literature. Taiwanese students could be great readers but mostly in Chinese, therefore this activity should be use to encourage their English literacy and reading skills. Reading is a wonderful way to acquire and improve language skills.

With me, students will have a master class of literature pieces that were brought to the TV or the movies. We’ll read some graded versions of classics: Alice in Wonderland, The picture of Dorian Grey, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dracula and Matilda.

I’m a linguist and language teacher. Majored in Spanish Department, and International Relations. MA candidate in Linguistics in English Department in NTNU. I have almost ten years’ experience teaching English and Spanish, as well as literature. I’m willing to get people get comfortable speaking a foreign language from the experience of myself as a student.

In my college years, I was member of the Literature Academy of my department.

Love stories have a bit of a bad reputation; they’re seen as cheesy, overly idealistic, or even downright dumb. Yet, this genre has been popular and prolific throughout history for a reason. In this group, we’ll discuss iconic romances, their messages, their impact on society, as well as lexicon related to love.

We will mostly study Western works from America, England, and Greece by reading video transcripts, watching video clips, perusing comic adaptations, and analyzing brief book excerpts. We will not only discuss classics and philosophical questions, but also contemporary research about the science behind love and romantic tropes present in popular culture.

The main goal of this group is to strengthen your speaking confidence and to strengthen your vocabulary, all while having fun. I look forward to meeting and talking to you!

Hello! My name is Keilon, I’m an American studying translation at NTNU. My interests include LGBT rights and Taiwanese history.  In my session I want to read articles from the New York Times about the Stonewall riots of 1969 to help students better understand American LGBT culture and history. By the end of the session I hope students can come away feeling confident using English to speak about LGBT topics!

My session will begin with self introductions of myself and the students, followed by a brief introduction of the topic from me. I will then ask students to share what they have learned from this week's reading, and begin a group discussion. The session will also include watching video interviews from the Stonewall riots as well as vocabulary building games to encourage students to speak.

Are you interested in Europe? Curious as to why people roll blocks of cheese down Cooper’s Hill every year in England? Or perhaps you wonder how the Norwegian bunad (the national costume) is made? Then this is the group for you!

In this group, we will investigate some of Europe’s most interesting traditions, and through learning about them, gain a deeper understanding of European cultures. There will be plenty of things to talk about, ranging from cooking to the arts, since every country has a unique take on things that sets them apart. Elements of history, politics, and geography will come into play, so come to the sessions with your analytical glasses prepared!

What we talk about each session will be up to you! Since there are a total of 44 countries in Europe, it’s safe to say we won’t be able to cover every country in just 5 sessions, so we will simply focus on the ones the group members are most interested in.

Members won’t be expected to read everything beforehand— but do expect to discuss the article in question during the session. Logistical details, such as time and place of the sessions, can be discussed and modified as we go along.

Climate change is the most pressing issue of our time. From tiny islands like Barbados to giant landmasses such as China, nowhere is free from the havoc of drastic climatic change. Over this course we will learn and discuss about some of the impacts that climate change is already having on our planet – including in Taiwan. We will also cover how we got into this situation and possible solutions out. As a guide we will be using “A Rough Guide to Climate Change” by Robert Henson (no need to purchase the book). We will focus on;

1. The basics (global warming in a nutshell)

• Climate change for you, the media and who’s to blame? The greenhouse effect.

2. The symptoms (what’s happening now and what might happen in the future?)

• Extreme heat, floods and drought and the ocean

3. The science (how we know what we know about climate change)

• Keeping track and long-term views

4. Debates and solutions (from spats to spin to saving the planet)

• Heated debates and political solutions

5. What you can do (reducing our footprints and lobbying)

• Home energy, transport and Taiwan

6. Presentation-prep (if needed)

The topic will remain broad and will not require a scientific background. We will use skills in English learning to describe in detail, explain graphs and charts and new vocabulary.