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2021　English 1 13

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Academic unit or major
English language courses
Instructor(s)
Nakamura Akira 
Class Format
Exercise     
Media-enhanced courses
Day/Period(Room No.)
Mon1-2(S423)  
Group
13
Course number
LAE.E111
Credits
1
Academic year
2021
Offered quarter
1Q
Syllabus updated
2021/3/19
Lecture notes updated
-
Language used
Japanese
Access Index

Course description and aims

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.

Student learning outcomes

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

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

We will use the app Zoom for this course. Only English will be used in class. Students are required to read the relevant unit and prepare in advance. Students are also required to participate in class actively.　Review each unit because a review quiz will be regularly given in class.

Course schedule/Required learning

  Course schedule Required learning
Class 1 Orientation, Brief introduction of TOEFL Unit 1 Psychology Students will watch a short university-level psychology lecture and practice note-taking as well as answer questions based on the lecture.
Class 2 Unit 1 Psychology Unit 2 Linguistics Students will watch short university-level psychology and linguistics lectures and practice note-taking as well as answer questions based on the lectures.
Class 3 Unit 1 Test Unit 2 Linguistics Students will watch a short university-level linguistics lecture and practice note-taking as well as answer questions based on the lecture.
Class 4 Unit 2 Test Unit 3 Public Health Students will watch a short university-level public health lecture and practice note-taking as well as answer questions based on the lecture.
Class 5 Unit 3 Public Health Unit 4 Business Students will watch short university-level public health and business lectures and practice note-taking as well as answer questions based on the lectures.
Class 6 Unit 3 Test Unit 4 Business, Unit 5 Art History Students will watch short university-level business and art history lectures and practice note-taking as well as answer questions based on the lectures.
Class 7 Unit4 Test Unit 5 Art History, Unit 6 Technology Students will watch short university-level art history and technology lectures and practice note-taking as well as answer questions based on the lectures.

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)

Contemporary Topics 1, Intermediate: 21st Century Skills for Academic Success, 4th Edition, Pearson Education (2017) ISBN-10: 013440064X
ISBN-13: 9780134400648

Reference books, course materials, etc.

None

Assessment criteria and methods

In-class performance: 30%
Quizzes and final exam: 70%

Related courses

  • LAE.E112 ： English 2
  • 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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