IV Developing Competence—In-Class Discussion

1 Develop your critical thinking

The following are some of the headlines from the top 10 fake news of 2017 published in the first issue of The Journalist Monthly (《新闻记者》).

• 温州一女生因迟到2分钟被拒进高考考场

• 农妇怒撕毒蛇为儿加菜

• 老人抚养孙子14年考上复旦，发现“去世”儿子还活着

• 三名女子赴韩整形离境在海关被扣

• 莱阳14岁神童与麻省理工学院签约

Time to Discuss!

Work in groups and discuss the following questions.

• Why has fake news been more prevalent than ever before?

• What damage can it cause?

• Evaluate your capacity as a critical thinker, and identify areas you have to develop yourself.

2 What competence should an English major develop?

Time to Discuss!

Work in groups and discuss the following questions.

• Study the curriculum set by your university for English majors. What courses does general education include? Work in groups and discuss how important they are.

• Study the curriculum set by your university for English majors again. How many fields of study are there in specialized education? Work in groups and discuss the competence each area of study intends to cultivate.