UEC Academic Skills 2A
Spring 2013 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 1-12 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 given the
opportunity 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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