English 1 8

Academic unit or major

English language courses

Instructor(s)

Hiroko Yako

Class Format

Exercise (Zoom)

Media-enhanced courses

-

Day of week/Period
(Classrooms)

1-2 Mon (W351)

Class

8

Course Code

LAE.E111

Number of credits

010

Course offered

2020

Offered quarter

1Q

Syllabus updated

Jul 10, 2025

Language

Japanese

Syllabus

Course overview and goals

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.

Course description and aims

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

• Specialist skills
• Intercultural skills
• Communication skills
• Critical thinking skills
• Practical and/or problem-solving skills

Class flow

Students will watch CNN 10 and learn vocabulary, work on listening tasks, and do oral exercises (reading aloud, overwrapping and shadowing). The students also practice giving their opinions about the topics of the news they watch in class.

Course schedule/Objectives

Study advice (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)

CNN 10 Student News Vol. 8, Asahi Press

Reference books, course materials, etc.

You must bring your English-Japanese and Japanese-English Dictionaries.
Other teaching materials will be introduced and handed out in class.

Evaluation methods and criteria

Class Participation (including class preparation): 20%, Quizzes: 15%, Assignments: 15%, Final Examination: 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

None