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 |
The objective of this course is to improve your confidence and speaking skills in English. You will discuss a variety of topics related to your life that will enable you to participate in conversations in both casual and formal situations. You will also research and present local or global issues related to your life.
Course schedule | Required learning | |
---|---|---|
Class 1 | Research Project:Choosing a topic and creating a questionnaire | Students choose a topic they are interested in and create a questionnaire. |
Class 2 | Research Project:Class survey (1) | Students carry out the questionnaire survey in English. |
Class 3 | Research Project:Class survey (2) | Students carry out the questionnaire survey in English. |
Class 4 | Academic Writing Skills | Students are expected to learn English academic writing skills and hand in their papers for presentation. |
Class 5 | Presentation Skills | Students are expected to learn presentation skills and prepare for the final presentation. |
Class 6 | Research Presentation | Students are expected to memorize the contents of the presentation, practice the pronunciations and perform their presentation. |
Class 7 | Writing Assignment, Self-Evaluation and Overall Comments | Students will hand in their papers for presentation and self-evaluation papers and receive feedback and comments. |
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.
Handouts will be given in every class.
Supplementary handouts are provided during class.
Assignments 50%
Presentation 50%
None
None