English Expeditions - Ritsumeikan University

Site Navigation

English Diploma Course 4 (Engineering in Developing Countries)

Learning Goals

(Engineering to benefit mankind) To determine which science/engineering/technology related advancements have helped developed countries most and determine which ones and in what manner these advancements could help developing countries.

Skills

Research, Reading, Writing, Presentation, Listening, Debate, Discussion, Analytical Thinking

Classroom Flow

  • Using articles and short videos, students will examine works of engineering and technology shared by developed countries, yet absent from most developing countries, and be asked to determine which of these works are critical to a modern society.
  • Students will share their opinions in small groups.

Class Projects

  • Students will choose a developing country.
  • They must research and identify the problems facing the people of that country and determine one single science/engineering/technology related advancement that would help the citizens of that country the most, yet be sustainable in the future.
  • Write a proposal detailing the steps in accomplishing that goal.
  • Present these proposals to the class.
  • Students present their projects to the class.

Grading Criteria

Grades will be based on the following:

15 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. 60 points
1 Quiz 10 points 10 points
Online Exercise Library 10 points 10 points
1 Engineering Project Proposal (Individual) 5 points 5 points
1 Engineering Project Presentation
   (Research Team)
15 points 15 points
Late to class, using your cell phone, chattering in Japanese, sleeping in class, no text, no dictionary minus 1 point  

Text

No text is required for this course. All worksheets will be available for download. However, many of the materials will need to be accessed via your EDC4 google documents account.

Course Schedule Print

Class In-class Tasks Papers/Presentations Quizzes/Deadlines Videos Agenda
1 Task 1: Orientation        
2 Task 2: Becoming a Developed Nation   19th Century New York I
19th Century New York II
   
3 Task 3: Becoming a Developed Nation   19th Century New York III    
4 Task 4: Impacts on Developing Nations        
5 Task 5: Impacts on Developing Nations        
6 Task 6: Impacts on Developing Nations        
7 Task 7: Impacts on Developing Nations   4+ OEL    
8 Task 8: Engineers contributing to Developing Nations        
9 Task 9: Engineers contributing to Developing Nations        
10 Task 10: Engineers contributing to Developing Nations Engineering Project Proposal I      
11 Task 11: Engineering Project Workshop Engineering Project Proposal II      
12 Task 12: Engineering Project Workshop        
13 Task 13: Engineering Project Workshop        
14 Task 14: Audience Participation Engineering Project
Presentations I
10+ OEL    
15 Task 15: Audience Participation Engineering Project
Presentations II
Quiz    

Course Can-do Goals

Language Skills

Speaking

  1. I can participate in a small group discussion and express my opinions, feelings and reservations about a topic.
  2. I can give clear instructions and directions related to moderately complex, familiar, technical and non-technical tasks.
  3. I am comfortable speaking formally or informally, on topics involving problem-solving or decision-making. I can make a detailed comparison.
  4. I can use a variety of sentence structures and idioms.
  5. I sound fairly fluent when I speak. When I know that people do not understand me, I can correct myself or rephrase what I said.
  6. I use a number of strategies to keep the conversation going. I can change the topic.

Listening

  1. I can understand the main points and important details of a discussion, presentation, or news clip.
  2. I can identify the situation, relationship, mood and attitude of the people I listen to.
  3. I can understand a formal or informal discussions or presentations on familiar topics, especially if I am involved in the discussion.
  4. My vocabulary is expanding, and I know more idioms.
  5. I can predict consequences and outcomes.
  6. I can understand routine, classroom-related conversation.
  7. I can understand native speakers when they speak quickly to one another, although I might still have trouble.

Reading

  1. I can read authentic text that is 1 – 2 pages long and moderately complex. I can locate and integrate, or compare and contrast information from a variety of visually complex sources.
  2. I can follow everyday instructional texts containing 10 – 15 steps.
  3. I use an English dictionary for ESL learners. Mostly, I use it for confirmation and to be precise.
  4. The language I read is both concrete and abstract, dealing with facts, opinions and feelings.
  5. When I see a new word, I can sometimes infer its meaning by the context or by the use of prefixes and suffixes in the word.
  6. I can paraphrase and summarize the main points of a story.

Writing

  1. I understand the structure of a research presentation proposal.
  2. I can summarize longer texts without losing essential information.
  3. I have fairly good control over complex structures, spelling and sentence mechanics although my sentences may sound ‘foreign’ to English readers.
  4. I can write down several points from a clear news video clip.
  5. I can write a report or presentation describing a process.
  6. I know how to quote short sections of text for academic use.
  7. I know how to quote longer sections of text for academic use.

IT Skills

Google Docs

  1. I can contribute to a shared document.
  2. I can create a document and share it with others.
  3. I can make a presentation using GoogleDocs.
  4. I can use a spreadsheet to track trends.
  5. I can use a spreadsheet to create a graph about trends.

Academic Skills

  1. I can research, develop and deliver a longer presentation.
  2. I can create and deliver a poster presentation.
  3. I can identify key words in a video.
  4. I can paraphrase or reword short sections of a video.
  5. I can utilize web based resources like GapMinder to test my own ideas about the world using real life statistics.
  6. I understand the differences between developing and developed countries.
  7. I understand historical theories that attempt to answer the questions of social inequities throughout the world.
  8. I can suggest practical ways to help developing countries solve small scale problems.
  9. My use of a thesaurus is expanding.

Program-wide Standards

Grading Scale

90% or more, A+; 80-89%, A; 70-79%, B; 60-69%, C; below 60%, F

NOTE: At the end of the third year, you will be taking a TOEIC-IP exam. You will then be re-streamed for your fourth-year courses based on the results of this TOEIC-IP and the numerical average of your third-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.

Attendance Policy

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. As a rule, no make-up work will be given for unexcused absences.

English-English Dictionaries

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.
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Longman Press.
Collins Cobuild English Dictionary, HarperCollins Publishers.

TOEIC-related Extra-Credit Points

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
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

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
TOEIC Exercises
Cycle Completed
by Deadline
Took
TOEIC-IP
Exam
Extra-Credit Points
1 2 3
6
5
4
3
3
2
1
0
0
 E10: -5 points;  E42: 0

Guidelines

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.

Classroom

  • No chattering when someone else (especially the teacher!!) has the floor.
  • In-class tasks must be completed in English. English classes meet only once a week for 90 minutes. If you speak Japanese while you're in English class, you're wasting possibly your only chance to practice English every week.
  • Use only a ballpoint pen for text-based exercises. It is important to learn from your mistakes and if you use a pencil, you'll probably end up erasing your mistakes. If you find that you've made a mistake, cross it out with a single line (so that you can still read it and learn from it!).
  • Students are allowed to use a dictionary for most in-class exercises. However, you must use an English-English dictionary only.
  • Attendance is taken only once per class. If you come late, be sure to write your name on the blackboard so that the teacher can mark you present after class.
  • Turn off all portable telephones during class and remove them from your desk during class.
  • Do not do homework from other classes during your English class.

The Academic Honesty Policy for S&E English Classes

The following will be considered violations of our academic honesty policy:

  1. Copying answers from another student's exercise, quiz, etc. before or during class.
  2. Showing your exercise, quiz, etc. to another student before or during class.
  3. Using any form of ‘cheat sheet’ in performing an exercise, quiz, etc.
  4. Taking copies of an exercise, quiz, etc. (including unused copies) outside of the classroom. (This includes taking pictures of the exercise, quiz, etc.)
  5. Using writing instruments or telephones during feedback of an in-class exercise, quiz, etc.
  6. Copying answers from another student's exercise, quiz, etc. while it is being administered.
  7. Copying any portion of a homework exercise from another student.
  8. Allowing any portion of your homework exercise to be copied by another student.
  9. Copying (or closely paraphrasing) portions of a homework assignment from other sources (printed matter, the Internet, etc.) and presenting it as your own, regardless of whether you acknowledge the source. This includes using translation software to translate any portion of your submission into English.
  10. Sharing Rainbow or English Expeditions User IDs or Passwords with another student.

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.

理工学部英語授業における「不正行為」に関する取り決め

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。

  1. 他者のQuiz, Exercise(予習用課題、復習用課題を含む)の答えを勝手に盗み見たり、写させてもらったりした場合
  2. 他者にQuiz, Exercise(予習用課題、復習用課題を含む)の答えを写させた場合
  3. Quiz, Exercise等において、カンニングペーパー等を使用した場合
  4. Quiz, Exercise等の答案(未使用のものも含む)を不当に持ち帰った場合 (カメラ付き携帯等による撮影も含みます)
  5. Quiz, Exercise等のフィードバックの際、筆記用具、携帯電話等を手にした場合 (正答を盗もうとしたとみなします)
  6. その他、Quiz, Exercise等の実施を妨害する行為、他者の受験を妨害する行為、 替え玉受験等も、不正行為とみなします。
  7. Homework Assignmentにおいて、他者のAssignmentの一部または全部をコピーした場合
  8. Homework Assignmentにおいて、他者に自身のAssignmentの一部または全部を コピーさせた場合
  9. Homework Assignmentにおいて、書籍やWWWのサイトから得た情報をそのまま、 もしくは改ざんの後、断りなく(引用を明記せずに)、自身のAssignmentに盗り入れた(すなわち著作権を侵害した)場合(英語の授業で課されるassignmentの多くは、引用を明記する、しないにかかわらず、一切の引用を認めていません) 。これには翻訳ソフトの使用も含みます。一旦日本語で書いて、それを翻訳ソフトを利用して翻訳して提出することは、それがたとえ一文であっても許されません。
  10. RainbowやEnglish ExpeditionsのユーザーIDやパスワードの授受があった場合

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。