カリキュラムの特徴

This course will introduce important aspects of global culture and society through a survey of western classical music history. By drawing on historical examples of significant pieces of western classical music basic principles of rhythm, melody, and form will be analyzed. An overview of the historical context of the important periods in classical music, from the Medieval period through to present, will be presented. Particular attention will also be paid to demonstrating how both the global and local cultural and political circumstances of each period exerted an influence on how much of western classical music was composed.

This course will review Western cultural themes and how they are reflected in Western film. Important cultural and social themes as represented in western film will be introduced and discussed. Iconic films and characters will be explained in terms of how they reflected or foreshadowed changes in society. Specific focus will be placed on commonly held Western cultural norms and beliefs. Themes expected to be covered include democracy, war, technology, multiculturalism, the breakdown of the traditional family, love and spiritualism in  modern times. The goal of the course is for students to become knowledgeable with the cultural themes explored in western films and how they reflect the values of western culture.

As a leading developed country with an aging population and declining birthrate, Japan’s future truly depends on its youth, its future leaders, being aware of significant global issues. Similarly, as globalization continues its unstoppable advance good language skills, particularly English skills, are becoming ever more necessary as well. This course offers students a survey of some important global issues including climate change, migration, food and water security, multiculturalism and volunteerism among others. The goal of the course is to deepen students’ knowledge and understanding of some of the critical issues affecting the entire world today. Issues will be examined in terms of the political, economic, social and cultural relationships affecting us all.

This course will survey the trajectory of British literature by focusing on the historical, cultural, and literary significance of works by British writers from the foundational texts to the postmodern era. Major periods to be covered will include: the Old English (or Anglo-Saxon) Period, the Middle English Period, the English Renaissance, the Neoclassical Period, the Romantic Period, the Victorian Period, the Modern Period and the Postmodern Period. Through lectures, discussions, audio-visual resources and presentations students will develop a greater appreciation of English language, literature and culture.

This course will analyze the most significant American post-war literary and visual works or art with an emphasis on the historical background of the United States and particular focus on American culture and regional social issues such as immigration and intercultural issues among others. Students will be expected to do research into original sources, video material and other literary materials and report on their results in a group presentation. Oral presentations will be followed by question and answer sessions in which comments, thoughts and impressions of the literary works discussed will be exchanged.

The purpose of this course is to introduce the basic patterns of various registers of English writing from academic essay writing, business writing and e-mail communication to casual online chatting. Students will learn how to organize their thoughts and express their ideas by following the basic patterns and formulas used when writing in English. Understanding the basic patterns necessary when writing in English, and being able to use them appropriately, is an important goal of this writing course. Weekly assignments will require students to practice writing over the entire semester. Students will be expected to develop a functional level of mastery allowing them to organize their ideas and communicate their meaning appropriately in all registers covered in class.

Students will acquire the practical skills necessary to serve as both domestic and international English tour guides and tour conductors. As Japanese go abroad ever more easily and frequently both the national and prefectural governments in Japan have been focusing increasingly on the tourism industry. As such, it is imperative to have the ability to effectively handle the variety of situations we may encounter while traveling, as well as important tourism-related terms and expressions. With an eye on life post-graduation, this course should be a part of the career path of anyone aspiring to a future job using English.

International conferences and meetings are increasingly using English as the medium of communication and there is a real need for people with both the language skills and the leadership ability to serve as chairpersons, moderators and masters of ceremonies of these events. The focus of this course will be on teaching the skills necessary to successfully carry out these jobs. Specific areas to be addressed include: opening remarks, introducing participants, addressing the audience, explaining the agenda, ensuring proper event flow, summarizing the opinions of speakers and even making jokes when appropriate. In order to develop the required language skills, events will be simulated and students will be expected to practice by role-playing in class. Students will also learn how to explain positions and opinions in writing and further develop their ability to negotiate with others through question-and-answer sessions.

This course is an important one on the career path of the student who hopes to be a professional interpreter, a volunteer interpreter or to work for a multinational company in our increasingly internationalized society. Areas to be covered include interpreter training principles, shadowing, sight translation, paragraph-by-paragraph summary and translation and the ability to quickly switch from Japanese to English and vice versa. As the number of foreigners living in Japan continues to increase community interpreters can play important roles as bridges between languages and cultures. As such, the fields of judicial, medical, school, and administrative interpretation will also be covered.

This is an introductory course on the career path for anyone hoping to pursue a career as a translator in the future. It is often said that translation is best learned by the experience of doing it. However, learning translation theory and methods, actually practicing translation in class and learning the importance and difficulty of translation in the classroom are exercises that will serve anyone well as they prepare for their future career. Having a knowledge of English grammar and a dictionary are necessary but not sufficient conditions to be able to do translation. Students will learn translation theory and then be expected to do extensive practice translating in various fields including expository writing, commentaries, essays, novels, picture books, comics, subtitles, song lyrics, manuals, catalogs, business letters, contracts and advertising statements.