経済学部Faculty of Economics

Writing and Interaction 2A is a one semester course that aims to inculcate global mind-set and help students articulate their ideas and thoughts skillfully and confidently both in writing and in speech while concurrently grow their ability to accept different opinions of others which is essential in human interactions. The class duration is 90 minutes and it is conducted once a week in person over a 14-week semester.

At the end of the semester, students will
-demonstrate a higher level of competency in writing as well as speaking using grammatically correct sentences and a wider range of vocabularies;
-be able to make a short presentation and respond to feedback from their peers;
-exhibit a higher level of awareness of the international and multi-cultural environment surrounding them and a higher level of ability to embrace differences.

ディプロマポリシーのうち、「DP3」「DP5」に関連

英語 / English

The course is conducted in English and Japanese language will be used to facilitate understanding of concepts as well as to promote bilingualism. Students will leverage on their knowledge of the Japanese language and culture to help them express their views fluently in English. Each class is highly interactive and requires students to be participative and responsive. Aside from group discussions and presentations, students will also be given individual assignments.

あり / Yes

なし / No

授業形態/methods of teaching：対面/face to face

※各回の授業形態は予定です。教員の指示に従ってください。

Week 1[対面/face to face]：Introduction

-Icebreaker Game “Find the Friend”
-Self-Introduction
-Course Introduction

Week 2[対面/face to face]：Goal Setting

-Class Discussion – Topic: “What do you hope to achieve in this course?”
-Grading Overview
-Individual Assignment: Goal Setting

Week 3[対面/face to face]：Motivational Proverbs and their Meaning Part 1

-Class Activity: Translation of the Japanese proverb, “継続は力なり” into English.
-Explanation of a similar English proverb, “A river cuts through rock”.
-Class Discussion – Topic: “What are motivational proverbs?”
-Group Activity: Each group will choose a motivational Japanese proverb, translate it into English and explain its meaning to the class.

Week 4[対面/face to face]：Motivational Proverbs and their Meanings Part 2

-Introduction of the ancient Chinese proverb “Failure is the mother of success”.
-Group Activity: Each group will choose a motivational proverb from a language other than Japanese, and explain its meaning to the class.
-Individual Assignment: Choose an English motivational proverb and write a short essay to describe how it encourages and inspires you.

Week 5[対面/face to face]：Historical Events

-The Coin Game
-Class Discussion – Topic: “What is a historical event?”
-Group Work: Each group to decide on a historical event that took place outside of Japan and explain its significance.

Week 6[対面/face to face]：Employee Dress Code

-A Case Study of Resona Bank: Liberalization of Employee Dress Code
-Expressing Differing Views
-Debate

Week 7[対面/face to face]：What is Forex?

-Class Activity: Taking a look at the various currencies around the world and answering the question, “What is forex?”
-Expressing Individual Opinion – Topic: “Which country’s currency would you like to have and why?”
-Expressing Differing Views: Advantages and disadvantages of a weak Japanese Yen.
-Debate

Week 8[対面/face to face]：The Individual 10 min Presentation Overview

-Grading Overview: Script on Slides, Speech, Handling Audience and Feedback
-Class Discussion – The Role of the Audience
-Class Activity – Deciding the Theme: It is better to …… than to ……
-Script Writing and Presentation Preparation

Week 9[対面/face to face]：The Individual 10 min Presentation In Class Preparation

-Class Activity: Exploring Sentence Structures, Script Layout etc.
-Individual Work and Query Clarification

Week 10[対面/face to face]：The Individual 10 min Presentation (Evaluation)

-Each student will make a presentation on a topic and respond to queries from the audience

Week 11[対面/face to face]：The Individual 10 min Presentation (Evaluation)

-Each student will make a presentation on a topic and respond to queries from the audience

Week 12[対面/face to face]：The Individual 10 min Presentation (Evaluation)

-Each student will make a presentation on a topic and respond to queries from the audience

Week 13[対面/face to face]：The Individual 10 min Presentation (Evaluation)

-Each student will make a presentation on a topic and respond to queries from the audience

Week 14[対面/face to face]：Course Review and Reflection

-Class Discussion – Topic: Regarding your learning journey, “What was good?”, “What could have been better?”, “Did you fulfill your goals?”
-Break Out and Group Presentation
-Individual Reflection

Most of the work will be done in class. The amount of time to be spent on class preparation, revision and/ or homework varies from student to student. An extra time commitment of 30-60 minutes outside class per week will put the students in a good standing.

No particular textbook is required.

Optional Readings:
-Beardsmore, H.B, 1986. Bilingualism: Basic Principles. Multilingual Matters.
-Brown, P., and Levinson, S., 1987. Politeness: Some universals in language use. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press

Students will be graded in the following manner:
-class participation 20%
-group work and presentation 20%
-individual short essay 30%
-individual presentation 30%

At the end of the semester, there will be a course review and reflection.

A fully charged smartphone or laptop with internet access.

Enjoy the learning journey!

Students must have completed English A and B or otherwise satisfied requirements for first-year English to enter this class.