English 1 defines and solidifies the foundational skills for effective communication in English as well as fosters 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 confidence and 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 base on which students can build toward a higher level of communication competence specifically in an English language environment. The base is 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. English 1 covers these three elements, and the communication abilities acquired will help students in the future when they have to assume positions of responsibility in group activities.
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.
By the end of this course, students will:
・Become aware of the degree to which practical English abilities are required for learning at university and for research activities both in Japan and abroad
・Be able to 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
・Have gained confidence in using English to state their opinions
・Be able to understand the structural characteristics of good paragraphs and write their own short paragraphs with unity and coherence
Four language skills, fostering international awareness, communication skills, studying abroad, TOEFL
Specialist skills | ✔ Intercultural skills | ✔ Communication skills | Critical thinking skills | Practical and/or problem-solving skills |
Each class consists of the following steps.
0. Return homework and review it
1. Read model passages in English and identify their main ideas and details
2. Analyze the structure of the model passages
3. Solve exercise problems
Course schedule | Required learning | |
---|---|---|
Class 1 | Unit 1 Reading for Pleasure Main ideas in readings | Unit 1 Model passage and exercise problems |
Class 2 | Unit 2 Cyber-Worlds Main ideas and supporting ideas | Unit 2 Model passage and exercise problems |
Class 3 | Unit 3 Food Safety Word stems, prefixes, suffixes | Unit 3 Model passage and exercise problems |
Class 4 | Unit 4 The Sex-Role Revolution Visualizing relations of important ideas | Unit 4 Model passage and exercise problems |
Class 5 | Unit 5 Solving the Job Puzzle Marking up texts to highlight important ideas | Unit 5 Model passage and exercise problems |
Class 6 | Unit 6 Computer-Related Jobs | Unit 6 Model passage and exercise problems |
Class 7 | Unit 7 Culture War Distinguishing fact from opinion | Unit 7 Model passage and exercise problems |
Class 8 | Unit 8 Entertainment Media Tips to remember new vocabulary effectively | Unit 8 Model passage and exercise problems |
Fellag, Linda Robinson. Tapestry Reading 3 [Intermediate] Japan Edition. Shohakusha, 2010. (ISBN 978-4-88198-632-5)
To be announced in class
Students are assessed on practical English skills and on the degree to which they can use them to communicate with others.
Homework assignments: 40%
Final exam: 60%
None
harada[at]flc.titech.ac.jp
Contact by e-mail in advance to schedule an appointment.