A proposed literature-based syllabus for EAP writing

• Published in: Journal of global education and research (Print) Vol. 4; no. 1; pp. 48 - 61
• Main Authors: Perkins, Kyle, Jiang, Xuan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: University of South Florida M3 Center 01.06.2020; University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing
• Subjects: a reader’s and writer’s mental toolkit; Advanced Students; cognitive approach; College Students; Course Descriptions; English (Second Language); English for Academic Purposes; Foreign Students; Literary Genres; Literature; literature-based composition; Metacognition; Reading Comprehension; reading for writing; Reading Writing Relationship; Scaffolding (Teaching Technique); Second Language Instruction; Second Language Learning; Syntax; Teaching Methods; Writing Instruction; Writing Skills; Writing Strategies
• ISSN: 2577-5081; 2577-509X
• DOI: 10.5038/2577-509X.4.1.1103

This paper proposes a literature-based composition course for advanced Non-native English Speaking (NNES) students in an English for Academic Purpose (EAP) program and provides a rationale, a syllabus, and some suggested pedagogy for consideration. The principal reasons for choosing a literature-based format include the following: (1) extended writing about a text, or texts, should lead to reading comprehension improvement; (2) culturally responsive literature should enhance engagement; (3) reading literature, as writerly reading, will assist NNES students with developing strategies applied to reading-to-write tasks and to integrated writing skills; (4) reading for writing (RFW) will expose NNES students to a wide range of genres, syntactic constructions, discourse structures, and words and word families; (5) RFW should lead to the development of multiple-documents literacy; and (6) contemporary writing models incorporate reading as a component of the composing process, which emphasizes the inter-dependency of reading and writing.