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 |
Students will practice TOEIC and aquire the knowledge for improving their score, while they will get practical English skills through the various exercises such as vocabulary building and dictation. In addition, “Extensive Reading” will be assigned to build up their reading skill, and in class the students will regularly be asked to discuss the books they have read.
Course schedule | Required learning | |
---|---|---|
Class 1 | Orientation / Extensive Reading Level Check | Extensive Reading |
Class 2 | Unit 1: Suggestion | Unit 1 / Extensive Reading |
Class 3 | Unit 2: Confirmation | Unit 2 / Extensive Reading |
Class 4 | Unit 3: Starting a Conversation / Extensive Reading Discussion 1 | Unit 3 / Extensive Reading |
Class 5 | Unit 4: News Report | Unit 4 / Extensive Reading |
Class 6 | Unit 5: Obligation | Unit 5 / Extensive Reading |
Class 7 | Unit 6: Reason | Unit 6 / Extensive Reading |
Class 8 | Extensive Reading Discussion 2 / Final Examination | Extensive Reading |
The TOEIC Test Trainer Target 650 Revised Edition, Cengage Learning
You must bring your English-Japanese and Japanese-English Dictionaries.
Other teaching materials will be introduced and handed out in class.
Class Participation (including class preparation): 20%, Quizzes: 20%, Extensive Reading: 20%, Final Examination: 40%
None