2026 (Current Year) Faculty Courses Liberal arts and basic science courses English language courses
English 2 9
- Academic unit or major
- English language courses
- Instructor(s)
- Akiko Kondo
- Class Format
- Exercise (Face-to-face)
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - 1-2 Mon (M-155(H1104))
- Class
- 9
- Course Code
- LAE.E112
- Number of credits
- 010
- Course offered
- 2026
- Offered quarter
- 2Q
- Syllabus updated
- Mar 10, 2026
- Language
- Japanese
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
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.
Course description and aims
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
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
This class will focus on developing students' reading, listening, and writing skills by reading essays on current scientific topics from various fields, listening to short talks or sentences related to these topics, and writing sentences using the target expressions introduced in the course. After learning key words and phrases, students will read the essay, understand its details, practice reading it aloud, and do writing and dictation exercises.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Unit 7 Suspended Animation: Can humans hibernate for space travel? |
Do vocabulary and writing exercises and translate the reading section into Japanese on pages 43-48 of the textbook. |
| Class 2 | Unit 8 End of an Era: What will replace the International Space Station? |
Do vocabulary and writing exercises and translate the reading section into Japanese on pages 49-54 of the textbook. |
| Class 3 | Unit 10 Test Tips: What does science tell us about studying? |
Do vocabulary and writing exercises and translate the reading section into Japanese on pages 61-66 of the textbook. |
| Class 4 | Unit 11 Let Down Your Hair: Is Rapunzel’s fairy tale possible? |
Do vocabulary and writing exercises and translate the reading section into Japanese on pages 67-72 of the textbook. |
| Class 5 | Unit 13 Miracle Microwave: Can we make a food replicator? |
Do vocabulary and writing exercises and translate the reading section into Japanese on pages 79-84 of the textbook. |
| Class 6 | Unit 14 Brain Chip: Will humans have microchips in their heads? |
Do vocabulary and writing exercises and translate the reading section into Japanese on pages 85-90 of the textbook. |
| Class 7 | Review and term-end examination |
Review the scope of the exam. |
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)
Rear, Dave, Science Spark, Seibido
ISBN: 978-4-7919-7338-5
Reference books, course materials, etc.
Genius English-Japanese Dictionary
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Evaluation methods and criteria
Grading will be based on the following: term-end examination (70%) and activities in class (30%).
Related courses
- LAE.E111 ： English 1
- 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