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Home: UEC Academic Skills 2 Course: UEC Academic Skills 2 Syllabus

UEC Academic Skills 2
Fall 2012 Syllabus

Lecturer:
Gary J. Wolff

Course summary and objectives:
This course is designed for students interested in enhancing their cross-cultural communication skills required in international settings. It will also cover various everyday topics dealing with international culture, enabling students to broaden their global horizons and enhance their understanding of the world.

Textbook:
“World Interviews” by Miles Craven
Published by Seibido, 2006, ¥2100

Class Contents:
1) Our textbook, “World Interviews,” is based on exciting interviews with young people from around the world. The course will utilize Lessons 13-24 of this textbook and a CD, plus supplementary learning materials furnished by the instructor. Every class will include pair and/or group discussions of a wide variety of thought provoking topics, ranging from dating and marriage to politics, that will enable students to express their own ideas and opinions while making cultural comparisons. Also included will be listening comprehension practice, vocabulary development, and other exercises to enhance cross-cultural English communication skills.

2) Students will be given the opportunity each week to share their overseas experiences and opinions of other countries by posting their stories in an online forum provided by the teacher. Students will also be expected to comment on stories posted by the other students.

3) At the beginning of each class, at least 1 student will be asked to share a culturally significant current event news story from their home country in the form of a 2-3 minute oral presentation.

4) Students will work together in groups of 3-4 students to study & conduct an in depth cultural comparison of at least 2 countries on various topics such as youth culture, dating and marriage, food and drink, fashion, education, corporate culture & business manners, student life, friendships, family, etc.

At the end of the semester, all study groups will be required to give a 5-10 minute presentation, using software like PowerPoint, Keynote, etc., to report on the results of their research. Ideally, time will be given at the end of most every class for these groups to work together, but it is likely that they will also have to meet on occasion outside of classroom hours, particularly toward the end of the semester in preparation for the final presentation.

Grading method:
Grade will be determined by attendance & in-class performance (30%), homework & assignments (35%), online stories (10%), final group presentation (15%), and short mid-term & final vocabulary quizzes (10%). Because homework and in-class exercises are to be submitted on B5 paper, students are required to bring a B5-size notepad to every class.

Miscellaneous:
This class will be highly interactive, requiring students to engage in lively pair work and group discussions every week. Only students with a sincere desire to expand their global horizons & improve their cross-cultural English communication skills should join this class.

Please bring your positive attitude and be prepared to be an active participant in a very fun learning environment.


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