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.
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
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 should do assigned reading before class, find difficult sentences or expressions, and identify topics, details, and structures. To do so effectively, participants are expected to share ideas with other students.
Course schedule | Required learning | |
---|---|---|
Class 1 | Original material | Assigned reading passage & exercises |
Class 2 | Unit 6 T-Rex | Assigned reading passage & exercises |
Class 3 | Unit 7 The Fastest Glacier | Assigned reading passage & exercises |
Class 4 | Unit 8 Lightning | Assigned reading passage & exercises |
Class 5 | Unit 9 CERN [Part One] | Assigned reading passage & exercises |
Class 6 | Unit 10 CERN [Part Two] | Assigned reading passage & exercises |
Class 7 | Review & Final exam | Assigned reading passage, exercises and preparing for exam |
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.
Exploring Scientific Topics: NOVA Science Podcast Interviews
Shigeo Suzuki, James Stavoy
Sanshusha
Suggested in class
Final Exam 50%
Quizzes 40%
Participation 10%
None