2023 Faculty Courses Liberal arts and basic science courses English language courses
Oral Expression in English GII 1
- Academic unit or major
- English language courses
- Instructor(s)
- Jon Mitchell
- Class Format
- Exercise (Face-to-face)
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - Intensive
- Class
- 1
- Course Code
- LAE.E182
- Number of credits
- 020
- Course offered
- 2023
- Offered quarter
- 4Q
- Syllabus updated
- Jul 8, 2025
- Language
- English
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
In keeping with the title, all of the “Oral Expression in English” courses are devoted to improving students' skills in speaking. Apart from making presentations, effective speaking also involves effective listening, so the classwork and homework in the course require that students carry out both interactive speech and are engaged in listening exercises. Oral Expression in English GII is offered during the winter vacation as an intensive course.
This course aims to provide students with English oral expression skills necessary to study abroad, with a specific focus on discussion and presentation.
Course description and aims
By the end of this course, students will be able to discuss and give presentations on the topics of their choices, and thus be better ready to study abroad.
Student learning outcomes
実務経験と講義内容との関連 (又は実践的教育内容)
An instructor with work experience as a journalist, author and editor will provide hands-on education in writing and presenting, based on practice in a field that features critical thinking and logical ways of communicating information to audiences.
Keywords
speaking, listening, discussion, presentation, study abroad
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
During this course, we will be using a range of communicative styles to investigate contemporary issues and improve our critical thinking skills. Classes will normally begin with a background discussion of a topic from the textbook, Good Bye, Galapagos, followed by a reading of the chapter. Following this, students will work in pairs and small groups to explore the theme via discussions, debates and short presentations. This is not a lecture-style class. This class will enable students to discuss topical issues with the goal of improving both their own critical thinking abilities and English communicative skills. These skills will be very useful for academic situations where students are expected to express an informed opinion supported by relevant research.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Introduction + Class survey | In-class survey to ascertain students’ needs and expectations for the course. |
| Class 2 | Topic: Universities in Japan | This class will explore the issue of higher education; students will explore the topic based upon the textbook and their own experiences. |
| Class 3 | Topic: Fewer Japanese Students Studying Abroad | Using a variety of critical thinking strategies, we will investigate the reasons why this trend is occurring and we will propose solutions to encourage more students to study overseas. |
| Class 4 | Topic: Galapagized Japan | Building upon the critical thinking skills explored in Class 3, we will investigate - and assess - the notion of unique Japanese attributes. |
| Class 5 | Topic: Lack of Entrepreneurs | Following a review of the chapter, students will work in pairs to begin considering possible topics of their final presentations for the course. |
| Class 6 | Topic: Uniformity | This class will be the final focus on workplace culture. Students will explore the topic using a balanced approach - i.e. pros and cons - before explaining their own opinion to classmates. |
| Class 7 | Topic: Herbivorous Males | This day's three classes will explore common media perceptions of Japanese society. Students will assess the accuracy of such perceptions and explore how they have arisen. |
| Class 8 | Topic: Disaster Spirit | As explained in Class 5, students will give a pair presentation at the end of the course in which they propose an alternative chapter for the textbook. This class will explore the grammatical - and structural - criteria for such writing. |
| Class 9 | Topic: Immigrants Needed | This class will explore ways to create a persuasive argument in presentations (and writing), including techniques such as powerful introductions, effective counter arguments and escalation of ideas. |
| Class 10 | Topic: Good News Japan | After examining the textbook chapter, students will finalize the topic of their own pair presentation - under the guidance of the instructor. |
| Class 11 | Planning time (1): Presentations | This class will afford students an opportunity to plan their presentations with their partner; the instructor will be available for any necessary support. |
| Class 12 | Planning time (2): Presentations | Having completed your planning in Class 12, this session will allow students to rehearse their presentation and polish its delivery; advice will also be proffered on how to create an effective slide show. |
| Class 13 | In-class Presentations (1) | Students will give a presentation to the class and engage in a Q&A session. The presentation will be assessed and students will take notes in order to complete the final reaction paper. |
| Class 14 | In-class Presentations (2) | Following the final round of presentations, students will submit a reaction paper explaining which of the presentations they thought was the most effective. |
Study advice (preparation and review)
Depending on the particular course, students will explore a variety of oral communication genres, including presentations, debates, and interviews. These skills will reflect real-life situations which students might encounter while studying overseas. Although the focus will be oral communication, there will also be instances of written work to consolidate learning and allow time for reflection on the exercises completed.
Textbook(s)
Good Bye, Galapagos: evolving aspects of Japanese society, Paul Stapleton, Cengage Learning, 978-4-86312- 216-1 (To be sold at Tokyo Tech Co-op, 東工大生協で販売予定)
Reference books, course materials, etc.
N/A
Evaluation methods and criteria
Presentation: 50%, Final reaction paper: 50%
Related courses
- LAE.E131 ： Oral Expression in English 1
- LAE.E132 ： Oral Expression in English 2
- LAE.E133 ： Oral Expression in English 3
- LAE.E134 ： Oral Expression in English 4
Prerequisites
None