TOKYO INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Course description and aims

English 2 follows English 1 to solidify the foundational skills for effective communication in English as well as to foster international awareness, as both are typically required in the globally expanding domain of scientific and technological research activities. It also prepares students to study or do research abroad in the future. Students are assigned training exercises that cover the four language skills — reading, writing, listening, and speaking. The reading and listening materials include topics such as international and intercultural issues as well as the fundamentals of science and technology. Practice exercises in writing and speaking are provided so that students can develop communication competence to participate in discussions and conferences where opinions are exchanged through both text and speech. TOEFL-type exercise problems are also used in the course.

This course aims to establish a solid base on which students can build toward a higher level of communication competence specifically in an English language environment. The base is, as mentioned in "Course description and aims" of English 1, composed of three elements: (1) identifying relevant information accurately, (2) exercising fair judgement to form a valid opinion, and (3) stating opinions clearly and persuasively.

Each student is assigned to a group led by an instructor. Instructors for each group conduct the course using the "Course description and aims" and "Student learning outcomes" as the basic framework. "Class direction," "Course schedule," and other information below explain the features of each class.

Student learning outcomes

By the end of this course, students will:
・Strengthen practical English abilities that are required for learning at university and for research activities both in Japan and abroad
・Be able to accurately grasp the main ideas and arguments of written and spoken materials in diverse areas including international and intercultural issues, science, and technology
・Have increased their knowledge of effective vocabulary and expressions to actively communicate their ideas and opinions in English
・Be able to write their own short paragraphs with a clear purpose
・Be able to state their opinions with good organization

Keywords

Four language skills, fostering international awareness, communication skills, studying abroad, TOEFL

Competencies that will be developed

Class flow

In each class, students will practice through quizzes on the content of the textbook, "Integrated Technical English"　and closely review it. As a review test on the content of its previous class will be given at the beginning of each class, students are supposed to prepare for that.

Course schedule/Required learning

Textbook(s)

Terry Phillips, Kenji Hitomi, and Eiichi Yubune, "Integrated Technical English," Seibido, 2005.

Reference books, course materials, etc.

Useful sources will be referred to as necessary.

Assessment criteria and methods

Class participation including quizzes in classes: 60% 　　Mid-term and final review tests: 40%

Related courses

• LAE.E111 ： English 1
• LAE.E113 ： English 3
• LAE.E114 ： English 4
• LAE.E211 ： English 5
• LAE.E212 ： English 6
• LAE.E213 ： English 7
• LAE.E214 ： English 8
• LAE.E311 ： English 9

Prerequisites (i.e., required knowledge, skills, courses, etc.)

None

Contact information (e-mail and phone)    Notice : Please replace from "[at]" to "@"(half-width character).

e-mail:tetuens*flc.titech.ac.jp *=[at]
ext:2265

Office hours

Contact by e-mail in advance to schedule an appointment.