The aim of this course is to develop students’ basic communication skills in the context that they will most need those skills: graduate school. Within the context of going abroad to present a paper on their graduate research, students will learn skills needed for traveling (e.g. asking for/giving directions, making reservations), negotiations, survey taking, and problem solving, as well as be introduced to skills involved in making a presentation at a conference. Additionally, students will learn to start and continue a conversation naturally, using a number of communication strategies such as asking follow-up questions and giving extended answers. They will also learn about turn taking and how to control the flow of a conversation by adding information. Finally, writing skills will be practiced with a short essay using the Online Homework Submission and Evaluation System.
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
For more detailed information, check the Can-do Goals for this course.
Grades will be based on the following:
4 Quizzes | 8 points each | 32 points | 12 In-class Tasks | In-class tasks are graded on a 4-3-2-1-0 scale. If all requirements of the task are completed at an exceptional level, you will receive 4 points; if they are fully met, you will receive 3 points; if they are adequately met, 2 points; if they are only partially met, 1 point; if you do not participate in the task or are absent, 0 points. | 48 points |
1 Oral Examination | 10 points | 10 points |
1 Homework Assignment | 10 points | 10 points |
Late to class, using your cell phone, chattering in Japanese, sleeping in class, no text, no dictionary | minus 1 point |
Communication and Computer-based Learning Skills: English Expeditions, Seibido Publishing Co., Ltd.
Note: You are required to purchase a copy of this text for this class. Any possession of a copy of this text (even if it is your own copy) from a previous semester will be considered a violation of academic honesty.
You are required to bring an English-English dictionary to class every day. See the list of recommended dictionaries below for more information.
Class | In-class Tasks | Workshop | Homework | Quiz |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Unit 1 | Orientation | ||
2 | Unit 2 | |||
3 | Unit 3 | Quiz 1 (Units 1-3) | ||
4 | Unit 4 | |||
5 | Unit 5 | |||
6 | Unit 6 | Writing Workshop I | ||
7 | Writing Workshop II | Quiz 2 (Units 4-6) | ||
8 | Unit 7 | HW8 | ||
9 | Unit 8 | Writing Feedback | ||
10 | Unit 9 | Quiz 3 (Units 7-9) | ||
11 | Unit 10 | |||
12 | Unit 11 | |||
13 | Unit 12 | |||
14 | Oral Exam Prep | Quiz 4 (Units 10-12) | ||
15 | Oral Examination |
97% or more, A+; 87-96%, A; 77-86%, B; 60-76%, C; below 60%, F
NOTE: At the end of your second semester, you will be taking a TOEIC-IP exam. You will then be re-streamed for your second-year courses based on the results of this achievement exam, your placement test, and the numerical average of all of your first-year English courses. Therefore, it is important to strive for not only a high letter grade, but also for the highest numerical grade that you are capable of.
Students are expected to attend class regularly. Failure to attend class regularly may result in a reduction of the student's overall grade. Students will be penalized 3 'demerits' for each absence and 1 'demerit' for each 30-minute period they're late. Students who accumulate more than 15 'demerits' (the equivalent of 5 absences) will receive an unsatisfactory grade ('F') for the course, regardless of their actual score. As a rule, no make-up work will be given for unexcused absences.
NOTE: Students who fail to take the TOEIC-IP exam will have 5 points subtracted from the total score of EACH English class they are enrolled in.
You are required to bring an English-English dictionary to class every day. The following is a list of quality paper dictionaries for English language learners. You may use any other dictionary or you may elect to use an electronic dictionary.
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, Oxford University Press.A bilingual set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) has been prepared for each course, as well as a general set for the entire curriculum. You can access these FAQs from the menus on your English Expeditions home page. Please read all of your FAQs before your second meeting.
The English Expeditions extra-credit system is tied into the TOEIC exercises, in order to encourage all students to practice their TOEIC test-taking skills in preparation for the TOEIC examination. For more information on the TOEIC examination, see the TOEIC Exercises section of your Online Education text. The extra-credit point system is as follows:
Semester One | Semester Two | Semester Three | Semester Four |
---|---|---|---|
Correctly complete the following cycles of TOEIC exercises BEFORE their deadlines. Cycle 1 (1 point): April 30 Cycle 2 (2 points): May 30 Cycle 3 (3 points): June 30 |
Correctly complete the following cycles of TOEIC exercises BEFORE their deadlines. Cycle 1 (1 point): October 20 Cycle 2 (2 points): November 15 Cycle 3 (3 points): November 30 AND |
Correctly complete the following cycles of TOEIC exercises BEFORE their deadlines. Cycle 1 (1 point): April 30 Cycle 2 (2 points): May 30 Cycle 3 (3 points): June 30 |
Correctly complete the following cycles of TOEIC exercises BEFORE their deadlines. Cycle 1 (1 point): October 20 Cycle 2 (2 points): November 15 Cycle 3 (3 points): November 30 AND |
NOTE: Students who have failed to score higher than 0 on any Homework Assignments or have been found in violation of our academic honesty policy are ineligible for extra-credit points.
The Extra-Credit points available for each course are outlined in the chart below. Blue cells only apply to Fall classes.
Note: TOEIC Bridge-IP scores will be converted to TOEIC-IP scores for all calculations.
No Academic Honesty Violations |
HW > 0 | TOEIC Exercise Cycles Completed by Deadline |
TOEIC-IP Exam | Extra- Credit Points |
|||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | Took Exam | Score Gain | TOP 5 Score | TOP Gain Class | Score > 200 |
Score < 20% Drop |
|||
10 | |||||||||||
10 | |||||||||||
10 | |||||||||||
10 | |||||||||||
6 | |||||||||||
OR | OR | 5 | |||||||||
OR | OR | 4 | |||||||||
OR | OR | 3 | |||||||||
OR | OR | 3 | |||||||||
OR | OR | 2 | |||||||||
OR | OR | 1 | |||||||||
0 | |||||||||||
0 | |||||||||||
0 | |||||||||||
0 | |||||||||||
OR | OR | -5 | |||||||||
OR | OR | -5 | |||||||||
OR | OR | -5 |
The following guidelines are designed to make your English classes run a bit more smoothly. Please take the time to read each of them carefully and ask questions if any of the points are unclear.
Language courses in the Faculty of Sciences and Engineering are designated as lectures. You are required to devote two hours of study outside of class for every one hour inside the classroom. The following are suggestions to help you use the textbook, both inside and outside of the classroom, to its fullest.
The following will be considered violations of our academic honesty policy:
Any of the above violations will result in a score of 0 for ALL exercises on that day, as well as forfeiting your chance for extra-credit.
不正行為は、いかなる理由があれ一切認められません。以下のような行為は、不正行為とみなします。
上記、および上記に類する「不正行為」があった場合は、当該学生の当該科目における、その日の得点を0点にするとともに、Extra-credit pointsはすべて無効になります。