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2022　English 1 1

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Academic unit or major
English language courses
Instructor(s)
Mitchell Jon 
Class Format
Exercise    (Livestream)
Media-enhanced courses
Day/Period(Room No.)
Mon1-2(W833)  
Group
1
Course number
LAE.E111
Credits
1
Academic year
2022
Offered quarter
1Q
Syllabus updated
2022/3/16
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

Course taught by instructors with work experience

✔ Applicable How instructors' work experience benefits the course
An instructor with work experience as an author 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

Although each class will focus on a topic from the textbook, the most important resource is you - your ideas, experiences and opinions. I will guide your learning across the four skills - reading, writing, listening and speaking - but often you will be working in pairs and small groups to critically explore the day’s topic.
Usually, we will start the lesson with a short discussion of the topic. Then we will input some of the key language and skills necessary to investigate the topic - these skills will also come in useful for TOEFL. After practicing these skills, you will be asked to produce a piece of work such as a short report, a presentation or a group survey.

Course schedule/Required learning

  Course schedule Required learning
Class 1 Our Internal Clock: It's about Time Introduction to the course and the textbook. Also, we will explore a psychiatric study on the importance of sleep.
Class 2 Cultural Differences: Being on Time Exploration of different values between societies.
Class 3 Technology Competes for Family Time (Part 1) Constructing surveys and inferring conclusions from data - Part 1 of 2-week project.
Class 4 Technology Competes for Family Time (Part 2) Constructing surveys and inferring conclusions from data - Part 2 of 2-week project.
Class 5 Sign Language for Everyone Critical-thinking: Is spoken communication more “valid” than other forms?
Class 6 Our Kids are Growing Up Too Fast Discussion of social norms and how groups influence individuals.
Class 7 Loneliness: How can we Overcome it? Final exam. Scientific studies and how-to-speculate on possible outcomes.

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)

Issues For Today 3, Fifth Edition (Cengage)

Reference books, course materials, etc.

None

Assessment criteria and methods

Group Project: 50%
Final Exam: 50%

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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