Recently, the results of the UIUC Rhetoric Student Essay Contest were announced, and ZJUI undergraduate has achieved great results again. Under the guidance and recommendation of UIUC Adjunct Faculty Professor Mary Lucille Hays and Jess Williard, ZJUI Lecturer Ashley Barr, ZJUI students participated in the Contest with many native English speakers and was successfully selected as winners of the contest. The winners of the 2024 Spring/Summer Contest are Liang Yusen in the class of 2027 in Electrical Engineering and Xu Weili in the class of 2027 in Computer Engineering. The winners of the 2024 Autumn/Winter Contest are Chen Hanshu in the class of 2028 in Mechanical Engineering, Liu Haozhong in the class of 2028 in Computer Engineering, and Zhang Yuncheng in the class of 2028 in Electrical Engineering.
Experts who judge the UIUC Rhetoric Student Essay Contest, based on the general writing course for all students who participated in the Rhetoric Program (RHET), select only 10~20 winners each semester. Essays of the winners may be published in the UIUC textbook I Write: A Writing Guide for the Undergraduate Rhetoric Program at UIUC. The two English rhetoric courses offered by ZJUI (“RHET 101-Principle of Writing” and “RHET 102-Principle of Research”) are very classic in UIUC writing courses.
The winners of the 2024 Spring/Summer Contest
Liang Yusen, the winner of the 2024 Spring/Summer Contest, held the view that RHET courses not only impart fundamental English writing techniques to students but also meticulously guide them in literature search and selection, as well as in exploring novel perspectives and viewpoints within the literature. When referring to this award, Liang Yusen extended his sincere gratitude to his instructor, Dr Mary Lucille Hays. He stated, "Mary is highly experienced and patient. She is remarkably tolerant of students' errors and consistently offers us practical suggestions and solutions to enhance our English writing proficiency." As Liang Yusen's instructor, Mary was not taken aback upon learning of this outcome. She noted, "Liang Yusen selected the Traditional Culture Experience Day as the theme of his article. His description was exquisitely detailed and vivid, making me feel as if I were present. Each scene of the traditional cultural performance was vividly depicted by him."
Similarly, another winner, Xu Weili, also spoke highly of the RHET course. He stated, "From the initial draft to the final one, each round of revision enabled me to more precisely grasp the core of what I intended to express. Moreover, it enhanced my critical and abstract thinking capabilities." Additionally, through this course, Xu Weili formed valuable friendships. "We reviewed each other's manuscripts, offered suggestions for improvement, and got a preliminary taste of peer review, which significantly enriched my learning experience," he added. Furthermore, Xu Weili expressed his profound gratitude to his instructor, Dr Mary Lucille Hays. "Mary's teaching is not merely about imparting knowledge and skills; it has kindled my enthusiasm for academic exploration," he said. Also, Mary is proud of Xu Weili's ability to apply critical thinking in English writing. "He kept a close eye on current affairs and had a deep understanding of the complexity of the modern world. For instance, when discussing the severe environmental damage caused by industrialized food systems, he proposed supporting small family farms to cultivate traditional Asian crops. This approach can protect dietary traditions and land sovereignty while further promoting sustainable agricultural practices. I found this quite remarkable for a freshman student," Mary noted.
The winners of the 2024 Autumn/Winter Contest
Chen Hanshu, the winner of the award for the autumn-winter semester, stated that the material analysis exercises in the RHET course have comprehensively enhanced her overall literacy. In particular, these exercises have nurtured her patience and emboldened her in the realm of writing. "My English foundation wasn't very strong initially, and the analysis and writing of long articles used to daunt me. However, the RHET course served as a bridge, inspiring me to take the plunge and start writing bravely. It encouraged me to express myself and go through multiple rounds of revisions, thus boosting my confidence in English writing," she elaborated. She also pointed out that the patient guidance and meticulous revision suggestions from her instructor, Dr Ashley Barr, have been of great assistance to her writing. "Whether during classroom discussions or in the review of homework drafts, Dr. Ashley carefully examined and commented on every piece of submitted work. The annotations on the drafts were extremely detailed, which were extremely beneficial for subsequent revisions," Chen Hanshu added.
▲ Ashley's comment for Chen Hanshu
Upon learning of the student's achievement, Dr. Ashley was filled with profound gratification. "Chen Hanshu's article presented the fundamental concept of the 'cognitive circle' and conducted a thorough analysis of the significant impact of the integration of information technology and fusion culture. Through rigorous empirical analysis, it not only exposed the profound reconstructive effect of digital technology on human cognitive patterns but also demonstrated the inevitable trend of the collaborative evolution of 'cognitive technology'."
Coincidentally, Liu Haozhong is also deeply grateful for the patient guidance of his instructor, Dr Jess Williard. “Jess is always meticulous and responsible when grading my papers and assignments. Whether it's through email correspondence or in-person inquiries offline, Jess patiently and painstakingly provided detailed explanations. ” Liu Haozhong shared with us. Jess also gave Liu Haozhong a glowing evaluation, stating, "Liu Haozhong is both diligent and highly creative. When confronted with novel and challenging tasks in the course, his curiosity and enthusiasm were always piqued, and he approached them with a proactive mindset. He understood that each task represented an opportunity for self-improvement, so he devoted his all and continuously refined himself during the process of task completion, gradually enhancing his writing skills."
▲ Photo of Liu Haozhong and his instructor Jess Williard
Another winner, Zhang Yuncheng, pointed out that the RHET courses are compulsory for every student at ZJUI. Good English writing skills, he noted, are one of the key indicators of students' comprehensive qualities. This course not only imparts a wealth of writing methods, techniques, and norms but also nurtures a range of practical skills and ways of thinking. Zhang Yuncheng shared, "After studying the RHET course, I realized that the 'writing patterns' I used in high- school English writing were vastly different from those in real academic writing. The standardized English writing instruction has made my language expression more logical and my thinking more rigorous and lucid."
When reminiscing about his time in the classroom, Zhang Yuncheng expressed deep admiration and gratitude for his instructor, Dr Mary Lucille Hays. "Mary is an amiable 'lovely grandmother'. She always listened patiently to our perplexities and offered practical advice. However, In academic pursuits, she maintains rigorous scholarly standards and exacting professional requirements. She carefully graded each assignment, providing detailed and insightful comments," he said.
Dr. Mary spoke highly of Zhang Yuncheng, highlighting that he not only demonstrated outstanding proficiency in English writing but also proved to be a highly responsible and helpful student. In his role as the class monitor, Zhang Yuncheng was extremely attentive to every detail. Each day, he meticulously tallied the attendance of his classmates. Moreover, on occasions when Mary encountered issues playing videos due to computer screen malfunctions, Zhang Yuncheng invariably noticed the problem immediately. Without hesitation, he rushed to offer assistance and efficiently resolved the technical glitches.
