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2026 (Current Year) Faculty Courses Liberal arts and basic science courses English language courses

English 4 42-RW

Academic unit or major
English language courses
Instructor(s)
Mayumi Miyazaki
Class Format
Exercise
Media-enhanced courses
-
Day of week/Period
(Classrooms)
Class
42-RW
Course Code
LAE.E114
Number of credits
010
Course offered
2026
Offered quarter
4Q
Syllabus updated
Mar 26, 2026
Language
Japanese

Syllabus

Course overview and goals

English 4 is designed to improve students’ English language skills for academic purposes and provide them with knowledge in relevant areas. The materials include topics such as international and intercultural issues as well as current topics of science and technology. Expectations require students to practice: reading academic articles, listening to lectures in English, speaking in front of an audience, and writing paragraphs and short essays.

There are two types of classes in English 4. RW classes focus on reading comprehension and skill in written composition, and LS classes focus on listening and oral expression.

Each student is assigned to a class and instructors for each class conduct the course using “Course description and aims”, “Student learning outcomes”, and “Keywords” as the basic framework.

Course description and aims

By the end of this course, students will:
・ Have improved their English skills required for learning at university and for research activities
・ Be able to understand written and spoken materials correctly in diverse areas including international and intercultural issues, science, and technology
・ Be able to write paragraphs and short essays with unity and coherence
・ Have gained confidence in using English to state their opinions and improved their oral expression skills.

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

1. Attendance will be taken in every class.
2. In the first half of each class, students will watch a video news related to the day’s topic and work on dictation and a brief discussion about the content.
3 .In the second half of the class, students will work on the reading and writing exercises in the textbook unit.
4. Please read the lesson plan for each class carefully and complete the assigned preparation and review tasks.

Course schedule/Objectives

Course schedule Objectives
Class 1

Unit 6: UK Toddler Regains Hearing in Gene Therapy Breakthrough-Reading, Writing

Understand overseas news reports on gene therapy.
Unit 7 Task: Matching Preparation

Class 2

Unit 7: This AI Turtle Soup Is Helping the Endangered Species-Listening, Dictation, Reading, Writing

Understand overseas news reports on AI-assisted cooking and alternatives to animal-based foods.
Unit 8 Task: Matching Preparation

Class 3

Unit 8: EU: Ocean Temperature Hit Record High in Feburuary-Listening, Dictation, Reading, Writing

Understand overseas news reports on global warming.
Unit 9 Task: Matching Preparation

Class 4

Unit 9: This Florida Shark Prof Wants Girls to Dive into Science-Listening, Dictation, Reading, Writing

Understand overseas news reports on female students in science and engineering fields.
Unit 10 Task: Matching Preparation

Class 5

Unit 10: Pig-t-human Kidney Transplant Success May Offer Hope -Listening, Dictation, Reading, Writing

Understand overseas news reports on xenotransplantation.
Unit 11 Task: Matching Preparation

Class 6

Unit 11: Reserchers Make Medical Tests from Used Chewing Gum-Listening, Dictation, Reading, Writing

Understand overseas news reports on medical testing equipment and environmental issues.
Unit 14 Task: Matching Preparation

Class 7

Unit 14: Researchers Uncover 'Phonetic Alphabet' of Sperm Whales-Listening, Dictation/Final Exam

Understand overseas news reports on the vocalization mechanisms of sperm whales.

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)

Eihōsha, Reuters News Agency Reports on Our World, Shinji Ogasawara, William Collins, 978-4-269-19050-4

Reference books, course materials, etc.

No specific reference books are assigned for this course.

Evaluation methods and criteria

Class participation: 20%
Assignments: 30%
Final examination: 50%

Related courses

  • LAE.E111 : English 1
  • LAE.E112 : English 2
  • LAE.E113 : English 3
  • LAE.E211 : English 5
  • LAE.E212 : English 6
  • LAE.E213 : English 7
  • LAE.E214 : English 8
  • LAE.E311 : English 9

Prerequisites

None