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Students learn academic writing structures and techniques to enable them to successfully write logical, well considered essays about relevant global issues in English. We focus on the five-paragraph essay format which includes: the introductory paragraph, three body paragraphs and a concluding paragraph. Special attention is given to writing convincing thesis statements and research questions. Students are also introduced to public speaking and learn how to suitably address groups, and to logically structure presentations in line with their research topics for their essay writing. Subject to approval, students choose their own topics: the only stipulation is that all topics must have some connection to relevant global issues and specific reference must be made the United Nation’s Sustainable Developments Goals.
Content can include:
• New technologies & concepts
• New and improved Products
• Examples of bad and good practices and processes
• Societal problems.
• Global and Domestic Issues
The goal of this course is to improve the ability of writing English in non-fiction situations. Students will learn different ways to express themselves through writing exercises focused on several different styles on non-fiction writing. Writing practice done in-class and for bi-weekly journals will allow students to strengthen their grammar, vocabulary, and overall English knowledge.
Academic Writing Foundations is a comprehensive course designed to enhance the academic writing abilities of students at the TOEFL ITP® level of 471-535. This course focuses on building a strong foundation in academic writing by developing essential skills such as academic vocabulary usage, effective editing practices, sentence structure proficiency, and coherent paragraph creation.
Throughout the course, students will engage in a variety of writing assignments that offer practical application of academic vocabulary in context. Emphasis will be placed on identifying and correcting common grammatical errors and improving sentence structure for clarity and impact. Students will learn to craft well-organized and meaningful paragraphs, which are fundamental to producing structured and persuasive academic texts.
In addition to technical writing skills, the course will foster the development of critical thinking abilities. Students will be encouraged to analyze topics critically, organize their thoughts logically, and present their arguments coherently. The course will guide students through the process of brainstorming, outlining, drafting, and revising their work, ensuring a thorough understanding of the academic writing process.
This course is particularly suited for students who:
• Are comfortable taking instruction and participating in English.
• Enjoy working collaboratively in pairs and small groups, as well as independently.
• Aim to enhance their academic writing skills and are motivated to improve their proficiency.
• Appreciate autonomy in learning and are self-driven in their educational pursuits.
Academic Writing Foundations is an ideal combination of writing instruction and communication practice, tailored to meet the needs of students seeking to strengthen their academic writing capabilities in an English-speaking academic environment.
Studies in Short Stories is a reading course crafted for students with TOEFL ITP® scores of 450-490. This course offers an immersive exploration of classic and contemporary short stories, providing students with an opportunity to delve into the rich and diverse world of literary fiction. The course includes a selection of renowned short stories by authors such as O. Henry, Ernest Hemingway, Shirley Jackson, Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Virginia Woolf, and Arthur Conan Doyle.
Throughout the course, students will engage in reading and discussing these short stories, focusing on themes, narrative techniques, character development, and stylistic elements. This process will enhance students' reading comprehension, analytical thinking, and appreciation of literary works. Discussions will encourage students to express their interpretations and insights, fostering a deeper understanding of the texts.
Homework assignments will offer both analytical and creative options, allowing students to explore the stories through various lenses. Analytical tasks may include writing essays, character analyses, or thematic explorations. Creative options might involve writing a continuation of a story, reimagining a narrative from a different perspective, or composing a short piece inspired by the themes.
Studies in Short Stories aims to create an engaging and thought-provoking environment where students can develop their English language skills through the lens of literature. By the end of the course, students will have gained not only a greater appreciation for literary storytelling but also improved their language abilities in reading, analysis, and discussion.
This class is designed to improve your speaking ability. The course will briefly review basic grammar with the intention of activating background knowledge taught before. The main focus will be speaking fluency, improving response time and being able to expand on your points. This course aims to give students as much speaking practice with feedback as possible.
Students will be evalauted on their attendence, participation, assignments and presentations.
The goal of this course is to enhance the English language abilities and leadership qualities of the students. It will introduce them to various discussion formats around topics selected by the student's themselves. Students will be assessed through regular class participation, homework assignments, and peer assessment.
This class is designed to introduce students to screenplay writing, with the focus mainly on short films. The course will go over the basics of formatting, structure, character, dialogue and writing a scene. Student will get the opportunity to create their own script and will write a short film.
Students will be evaluated on their attendance, participation and assignments.
Students learn how to express their opinions creatively in English through responding to music & lyricism. They select music from artists they admire and learn to analyse the lyrics, techniques and patterns in order to establish understanding. Song writing patterns and structures are compared and contrasted and students identify styles and genres. Students identify topics they feel strongly about and explain why these issues are important. They select songs that somehow relate to their chosen topics and deconstruct the lyrics in order to express relevance. Students develop the following English language skills: Listening, Reading, Creative Writing and Interpretation. The core subject is used as a vehicle to examine contemporary issues including: philosophy, psychology, politics, history, theology and globalization and there is a special emphasis on Artists Tackling Global Issues. This course is suitable for students who are comfortable participating in class in English and have an interest in modern music
In this class, we will discuss symbols and superstitions from around the world, and how they influence books, film., and art. We will watch parts of some films in the class and students will discuss the superstitious and symbolic imagery they find in these films.
This is an active participation class: students will need to join in the discussion every day for participation credit. Unless you are making a presentation, or specific permission is given, the use of PCs and smart-phones is not allowed. Paper and electronic dictionaries are allowed, but use of chatGPT is not allowed.
Students will have some choice in the topics that are discussed. Students will be evaluated on their attendance, participation, and assignments.
There will be two makeup assignments to be announced before the 6th week.
Students focus on the relationship of art to society, politics, culture and history. We also examine the relationship of art, especially sculpture, to our immediate physical environment, which includes architecture, landscape and urban planning. Supported by survey lectures on Twentieth Century art and through workshops, students study concepts related to curating and commissioning such as site specificity and the role of public sculpture. Students use this knowledge to present projects about Art & Context during the semester with a special emphasis on Artists tackling Global Issues. Students develop the following English language skills: listening and note taking, reading, writing, seminar participation, debate and presentation. Students who intend to major in Art History, Architecture, Modern History, Philosophy, Design, Media, Urban Planning and Entrepreneurship etc. will especially benefit from this course. It is best suited to students who are comfortable taking instruction and participating in class in English.
Tabletop! Advanced Discussion using Role-Playing Games
This class uses Tabletop Role-Playing Games (RPGs) to simulate creative, collaborative, and advanced interactions in English. This class is designed to use narrative & collaborative story-telling in a game-like setting where students must use their listening, speaking, critical thinking, reading, and writing skills in English to (a) construct and participate in a group story with other users of English, (b) problem-solve and negotiate new and unique situations where language is the primary tool available, (c) explore the role of language and identity, and (d) critically evaluate strategies necessary for the completion of those tasks.
This class is designed for improving fluency and pragmatic skills in speaking and listening. Academic English is not the goal of the class, though there will be opportunities to engage in formal and complex interactions.
This class will be held on campus in the classroom and students are expected to come to class in person.
As fluency is the one of the goals, this course is NOT recommended for GIGA students seeking to improve academic English abilities.
*This course is NOT repeatable. If you have taken the Tabletop RPG class in previous Fall Semesters, you will be asked to register for another course (if you've taken the Spring Tabletop course, you can take this course)
Students on this course learn the negotiation process from the initial planning to closing deals. Role-plays, negotiation games, and full group business and UN model negotiations are used to develop both negotiation and language skills while developing an understanding of cultural differences when negotiating.
How to Successfully Bring a Product or Service to Market Using Online Marketing
In this class, you will learn and apply marketing strategies to create two online marketing presentations
1. A YouTube Marketing Consulting project
2. A Marketing AI project
You will learn and apply the following: market research, YouTube analytics, salesmanship and copywriting, Internet ad creation, YouTube video creation, and marketing AI.
The course will use active learning in every class (discussion and group work).
There will be a short lecture each week followed by a hands-on activity to put the information learned into action. Some activities will be done individually, but several activities will be group-based. Homework will be given every week, including several discussions and presentations.
By the end of the class, you will have learned about several areas of online marketing and improved your presentation skills in different formats.
***Please note that eight classes will be held live on campus and six classes will be held live on Zoom. You must attend and be able to participate in real-time in both formats, not by a class recording or on-demand.***
This is a Level-A Project English course. Its main focus is on the development of active listening skills including those related to TOEIC. The course takes place on campus; and it uses pre-recorded conversations and other simulation elements as learning methods. In addition to listening activities, students also practice basic speechmaking techniques.
This course is designed to help students become confident in using their English to produce written work from paragraph length to essay length. Students will be exposed to initial concepts in how to write good sentences, expand and vary sentences, improve writing style and write in formal tone. Subsequently, students will learn how to organize and support ideas to build a cohesive paragraph. Students will practice to write various cohesive short essays throughout the semester.
This Project English course is about developing active listening skills. The course takes place on campus; and it uses pre-recorded conversations as learning tools. Students are also introduced to the techniques of basic speechmaking and TOEIC skills. A typical class session consists of listening comprehension exercises, short speech practices and group discussions.
In this class you will listen to a variety of authentic content and answer questions about it. The materials' difficulty is relatively high, but you can work at your own pace. Examples of content: English songs, news and entertainment, fiction/non-fiction stories, etc. aimed at native speakers.
In this class, you will read (in Japanese) and discuss (in English) some famous Japanese poets from the Meiji through roughly the Shōwa era. You will also write your own original English poems sometimes.
In this class you will listen to a variety of authentic content and answer questions about it. The materials' difficulty is relatively high, but you can work at your own pace. Examples of content: English songs, news and entertainment, fiction/non-fiction stories, etc. aimed at native speakers.
In this class, you will read (in Japanese) and discuss (in English) some famous Japanese poets from the late Shōwa era and later. You will also write your own original English poems sometimes.
Students focus on the relationship of art to society, politics, culture and history. We also examine the relationship of art, especially sculpture, to our immediate physical environment, which includes architecture, landscape and urban planning. Supported by survey lectures on Twentieth Century art and through workshops, students study concepts related to curating and commissioning such as site specificity and the role of public sculpture. Students use this knowledge to present projects about Art & Context during the semester with a special emphasis on Artists tackling Global Issues. Students develop the following English language skills: listening and note taking, reading, writing, seminar participation, debate and presentation. Students who intend to major in Art History, Architecture, Modern History, Philosophy, Design, Media, Urban Planning and Entrepreneurship etc. will especially benefit from this course. It is best suited to students who are comfortable taking instruction and participating in class in English.
This class is designed to provide students with the opportunity to experience the intellectual challenges and satisfactions of writing an argumentative research paper on a topic of their choice in the field of EFL or in other fields. For example, students choose a controversial issue on English education (e.g. Should English be taught at elementary schools in Japan?) or on another academic area (e.g. Should the possession of firearms be prohibited in the U.S. ? )and present/defend their point of view using the information gathered. Through this semester-long project, students become accustomed to the process of writing a research paper: reviewing the techniques/rules necessary for academic writing (e.g. paragraph/essay development), using the library and the Internet to get necessary information, conducting a questionnaire /interview to support their position on the issue, and weaving the work of others into their own research paper in the APA style. At the end of this semester, students must submit a final paper (8 or more than 8 typed pages including a cover, abstract, and reference pages). In this class, students interact a great deal with one another, so active participation in pair/group work is essential.
This class is designed to prepare students for the iBT TOEFL but will be good for those wanting to succeed academically in English-speaking colleges and universities as well. The iBT TOEFL test is different from the paper version of the test in that it puts more emphasis on authentic communication; the test requires test-takers to use not only all four language skills (listening, reading, speaking, writing) in isolation but a combination of two or more of those skills. This means no longer would students be able to boost their overall score just by studying grammar. In response to the change, an integrated-skills approach will be incorporated in this class; students will be provided with tasks that challenge them to use more than one skill at a time. For instance, students will synthesize and summarize the academic lectures they have heard/read and present it through speaking or writing. Students will complete these tasks in pairs/groups in class or individually at home. In addition to these integrated tasks, students will write essays on a variety of TOEFL-type topics using Criterion (online writing evaluation system) developed by ETS. Good attendance and active participation in class are essential.
This class is designed to help students achieve the highest possible score on the TOEIC but will be found appropriate by those wanting to go beyond the fundamentals of English grammar as well. The class will review grammar forms and structures that are most likely to be found on the TOEIC and that reflect the most important recurrent trouble spots for language learners. Students will be asked to complete TOEIC-style exercises at home, discuss why the wrong answers are wrong in groups and in class and finally take some review tests. Although the main focus is on grammar, students will take a short listening/reading test at the beginning of each class and get opportunities for speaking practice on wide-ranging topics including work-related topics. This class is NOT a teacher-centered class, so active participation in group/class discussions is essential.
This course is designed to help students become confident in using their English to produce written work from paragraph length to essay length. Students will be exposed to initial concepts in how to write good sentences, expand and vary sentences, improve writing style and write in formal tone. Subsequently, students will learn how to organize and support ideas to build a cohesive paragraph. Students will practice to write various cohesive short essays throughout the semester.