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2019　English 2 9

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Academic unit or major
English language courses
Instructor(s)
Kondo Akiko 
Class Format
Exercise     
Media-enhanced courses
Day/Period(Room No.)
Mon1-2(W321)  
Group
9
Course number
LAE.E112
Credits
1
Academic year
2019
Offered quarter
2Q
Syllabus updated
2019/11/18
Lecture notes updated
-
Language used
Japanese
Access Index

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

Specialist skills ✔ Intercultural skills ✔ Communication skills Critical thinking skills Practical and/or problem-solving skills

Class flow

This class will focus on developing students' reading and listening abilities and writing skills by reading newspaper articles in Japan and abroad, listening to short sentences and conversations about the topics related to each article, and writing sentences using some of the expressions learned. After doing a listening quiz and learning new vocabulary, students will read the article, understand its details, practice reading the article aloud, and do writing exercises and dictation practice.

Course schedule/Required learning

  Course schedule Required learning
Class 1 Chapter7 Ancient Japanese capital to put up tourists in historic prison Do vocabulary and writing exercises and translate the reading section into Japanese on pages 55-60 of the textbook.
Class 2 Chapter8 Abe's proposal to boost regions through Instagram seen as shallow Do vocabulary and writing exercises and translate the reading section into Japanese on pages 62-67 of the textbook.
Class 3 Chapter9 Companies doing their part to cut down on food waste in Japan Do vocabulary and writing exercises and translate the reading section into Japanese on pages 69-74 of the textbook.
Class 4 Chapter10 Sea critters hitchhiked across the Pacific on tsunami debris Do vocabulary and writing exercises and translate the reading section into Japanese on pages 76-81 of the textbook.
Class 5 Chapter11 Napal bans solo climbers from Everest Do vocabulary and writing exercises and translate the reading section into Japanese on pages 83-88 of the textbook.
Class 6 Chapter12 Pope Francis prints pictures of Nagasaki atomic bomb victims in warning over 'fruit of war' Do vocabulary and writing exercises and translate the reading section into Japanese on pages xx-xx of the textbook.
Class 7 Chapter13 Survivor marks 6 minutes of strength and silence at rally Do vocabulary and writing exercises and translate the reading section into Japanese on pages 97-102 of the textbook.
Class 8 Review and term-end examination Review the scope of the exam.

Textbook(s)

Watanabe, Aoi, and Takayuki Ishi, Jump into the World through News in English, Sanshusha
ISBN: 978-4-384-33484-5

Reference books, course materials, etc.

Reference books will be introduced in class.

Assessment criteria and methods

Grading will be based on the following: Term-end examination (60%), mini tests (10%), and in-class contribution (30%).

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

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