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2020　English 4 1-LS-ADV

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Academic unit or major
English language courses
Instructor(s)
Mitchell Jon 
Class Format
Exercise    (ZOOM)
Media-enhanced courses
Day/Period(Room No.)
Mon1-2(W323)  
Group
1-LS-ADV
Course number
LAE.E114
Credits
1
Academic year
2020
Offered quarter
4Q
Syllabus updated
2020/9/18
Lecture notes updated
-
Language used
Japanese
Access Index

Course description and aims

English 4 is designed to improve students’ English language skills for academic purposes and provide them with knowledge in relevant areas. The materials include topics such as international and intercultural issues as well as current topics of science and technology. Expectations require students to practice: reading academic articles, listening to lectures in English, speaking in front of an audience, and writing paragraphs and short essays.

There are two types of classes in English 4. RW classes focus on reading comprehension and skill in written composition, and LS classes focus on listening and oral expression.

Each student is assigned to a class and instructors for each class conduct the course using “Course description and aims”, “Student learning outcomes”, and “Keywords” as the basic framework.

Student learning outcomes

By the end of this course, students will:
・ Have improved their English skills required for learning at university and for research activities
・ Be able to understand written and spoken materials correctly in diverse areas including international and intercultural issues, science, and technology
・ Be able to write paragraphs and short essays with unity and coherence
・ Have gained confidence in using English to state their opinions and improved their oral expression skills.

Course taught by instructors with work experience

✔ Applicable How instructors' work experience benefits the course
An instructor with work experience as a journalist and editor will provide hands-on education in writing and presenting about science, based on practice in the field that features critical thinking and logical ways of communicating information to audiences.

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

Building upon the skills from English 3, this course is designed to give you the confidence to engage in critical dialogue and conduct academic presentations in English. Students will work in small groups to research, plan and deliver a talk, followed by self-reflection and peer assessment.
Once again, the most important resource is you - your ideas, experiences and imaginations. We will try to build a learning community where we value each other’s knowledge. Together we can share our strengths to overcome our individual weaknesses.

Course schedule/Required learning

  Course schedule Required learning
Class 1 Recap This class will review the key points from the previous quarter and students will plan and deliver an off-the-cuff presentation to their peers.
Class 2 Introductions: Group presentations Presenting as a member of a team requires a different skill set than presenting as an individual. With the principle that process is as important as the final product, we will explore some group work techniques such as negotiation, persuasion and compromise. Following this, students will be introduced to skills such as handover phrases to create a smooth group presentation.
Class 3 Deciding a topic Students will decide the topic of their group’s presentation and, after finetuning it with the instructor, they will begin to research and plan their talk by applying the skills encountered in previous classes.
Class 4 In-class planning and practice “Practice makes perfect.” Rehearsing a presentation is always important – but even more important when presenting as a group. Students will be given the opportunity to practice their talks and consider how to improve them from the perspectives of contents, lucidity, technological know-how and team work.
Class 5 How to survive - and succeed - a question and answer session The Q&A session is often the stage of the presentation most worrying for students. By examining different countries’ attitudes towards Q&A, students will better understand why audience members behave in certain ways; this will provide students with the cultural awareness necessary to manage this stage in a confident way.
Class 6 Final group presentations Students will give a group presentation to the class and engage in a question and answer session.
Class 7 Course feedback Students will reflect upon their own performance and those of their classmates by writing a reaction paper as a means to consolidate learning during this quarter.

Out-of-Class Study Time (Preparation and Review)

To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.

Textbook(s)

Express Series English for Presentations e-book (Oxford University Press)
https://elt.oup.com/catalogue/items/global/business_esp/express_series/work_skills/9780194555142?cc=jp&selLanguage=ja

Reference books, course materials, etc.

None

Assessment criteria and methods

Presentation: 50%
Report: 50%

Related courses

  • LAE.E111 ： English 1
  • LAE.E112 ： English 2
  • LAE.E113 ： English 3
  • 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

Other

None

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