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.
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
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 |
For each of the units in the textbook, students are required to read the unit and solve the exercise problems before coming to the class. The instructor will clarify the essential point of the unit, and show solutions to the exercise problems in class. The class activity will also include TOEFL-style exercises and watching news video clips in English.
Course schedule | Required learning | |
---|---|---|
Class 1 | TOEFL-style exercises | TOEFL-style exercises |
Class 2 | Defining Energy | exercises on pp.30-34 of the textbook |
Class 3 | E=mc2 Exemplifying | exercises on pp.34-37 of the textbook |
Class 4 | Heat How heat is transferred | exercises on pp.37-41 of the textbook, Assignment 5 |
Class 5 | Giving evidence Smoking, drugs, and alcohol | exercises on pp.42-46 of the textbook, Assignment 6 |
Class 6 | The danger of drugs Experimenting | exercises on pp.46-49 of the textbook |
Class 7 | Electricity and magnetism The magic of magnet | exercises on pp.50-53 of the textbook, Assignment 7 |
Class 8 | Calculating Final exam | exercises on pp.54-55 of the textbook |
Fran Zimmerman (2004) English for Science, Nanundo, 4-523-17458-X.
To be announced in class
Students are assesed on practical English skills and on the degree to which they can use them to communicate with others.
Activities in class: 25%
Assignments: 25%
Final exam 50%
None