2024 Faculty Courses Liberal arts and basic science courses English language courses
Oral Expression in English 5 2
- Academic unit or major
- English language courses
- Instructor(s)
- Makiko Haraga
- Class Format
- Exercise (Face-to-face)
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - 5-6 Wed
- Class
- 2
- Course Code
- LAE.E231
- Number of credits
- 010
- Course offered
- 2024
- Offered quarter
- 1Q
- Syllabus updated
- Mar 17, 2025
- Language
- English
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
All of the “Oral Expression in English” courses are devoted to improving students’ skills in speaking. Apart from the context of giving presentations, effective speaking also involves effective listening, so the classwork and homework in these courses require students engaged in speech and listening exercises.
As an elective 200-level course, Oral Expression in English 5 offers more challenging materials than the 100-level courses, while maintaining the specific focus on generating effective oral communication involving listening and speaking between pairs of speakers. Objectives also include using vocabulary and grammar introduced in the textbook and classes.
Course description and aims
By the end of this course, students will be able to confidently discuss a selection of more complex topics to do with society and cross-cultural phenomena in one-on-one conversations with people they have not met before.
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)
This course will be taught by a bilingual journalist who has been reporting and writing in both English and Japanese on a wide range of issues for a variety of publications. Throughout the course, the instructor will use her knowledge and expertise in the art of storytelling, to help students acquire communication skills that are necessary for presenting ideas effectively and clearly in English to people from culturally diverse backgrounds.
Keywords
speaking, listening,oral communication, interactive
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
Each week, we will explore a different issue using readings, news clips, videos as well as discussions. Students are expected to watch assigned video clips, complete all readings, study the vocabulary, and come to class prepared for discussions. The class is highly interactive. Therefore, students' strong commitment and active participation are the keys to success, not only for themselves, but also for the entire class.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Course introduction Class activity | Students will be asked to talk about themselves during the activities. |
| Class 2 | Discussion: Culture and identity | Students are expected to watch video clips, read articles and prepare for a discussion on the given topic (culture and identity). |
| Class 3 | Discussion: Urban issues | Students are expected to watch video clips, read articles and prepare for a discussion on the given topic (urban issues). |
| Class 4 | Developing presentation skills | Students will learn about how to effectively deliver a presentation and how to deal with questions. |
| Class 5 | Presentation: The first group of students will deliver a presentation on a given topic. The detail of the assignment will be provided on Week 4. | Presenters are responsible for preparing a presentation. Students who are not presenting will provide peer reviews to the presenters. |
| Class 6 | Presentation: The second group of students will deliver a presentation on a given topic. The detail of the assignment will be provided on Week 5. | Presenters are responsible for preparing a presentation. Students who are not presenting will provide peer reviews to the presenters. |
| Class 7 | Presentation: The third group of students will deliver a presentation on a given topic. The detail of the assignment will be provided on Week 6. | Presenters are responsible for preparing a presentation. Students who are not presenting will provide peer reviews to the presenters. |
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)
Handouts
Reference books, course materials, etc.
Handouts
Suggested Websites and smartphone apps:
VOA Learning English https://learningenglish.voanews..com/
NPR http://www.npr.org/
VOA and NPR provide video transcripts.
Scientific American (video and podcasts “60-second science”) http://www.scientificamerican.com/
BBC http://www.bbc.com/news
National Geographic http://www.nationalgeographic.com/
Evaluation methods and criteria
The grade for the quarter will be determined as follows:
Class participation: 50 % (Evaluation will be based on attitude, contribution, progress, and a willingness to learn.)
Presentation: 50 %
Related courses
- LAE.E232 ： Oral Expression in English 6
Prerequisites
none
Other
It is recommended that students take this course in sequence with LAE.E232 (Oral Expression in English 6).
Attendance at the first session is compulsory for students planning to take this course.