Course Name Year Term Period Faculty / Graduate School All Instructors Credits
16264:IR18‐CA206 Bridge to International Studies II (Cultural Understanding)(RB) § 16265:IR-CA206 Introduction to International Studies in English Ⅱ(RB) 2024 Spring Thu1 College　Of　International　Relations KINGHORN OLIVER 2

Campus

KIC

Class Venue

RYOYUKAN　RY204

Language

English

Course Outline and Method

BIS II (ICP) builds on the work of BIS I (ICP) and further deepens the understanding and knowledge acquired in BIS I (ICP), while developing four skills of English language. This course focuses on the present issues to connect global intercultural communication and international society. Students will be able to identify and summarize the key issues of international and intercultutural understanding.Students are given opportunities to reflect deeply on issues of international and intercultual understanding to express critically formed opinions in debate and discussion. Course activities may include mini-lectures, debates, group-work, panel discussions, and simulation activities that allow students to understand complex motivations from diverse stakeholders in international soiety. Formative evaluation is made through class participation such as small quizzes and assignments.
This Bridge to International Studies course (BIS) is a content-based course devoted to improving language proficiency, practising critical thinking, and expanding student's sense of global citizenship. Students will study a range of issues related to society, culture, politics, and international relations by problematising “common sense” assumptions about these issues and how they relate to their experiences and perceptions as Japanese university undergraduates in a rapidly globalising world. Students will study real-world case studies using authentic materials to investigate an issue, identify points for discussion and further academic interpretation, and suggest ideal approaches to complex problems.

Student Attainment Objectives

1. Students will understand the academic material and methods from relevant disciplines and apply them to their own research interests and projects in English.
2. Students will be able to read with a critical thinking attitude that evaluates content from multiple points of view in English.
3. Students will be able to form a research question, investigate it, and write coherent texts to report on their findings in English.

Recommended Preparatory Course

Course Schedule

Lecture/Instructor（When there are multiple instructors) Theme
Keyword, References and Supplementary Information
Week 1

Class orientation: syllabus explanation, course goals outline, self-introductions.

1. Understand the syllabus and course goals.
2. Learn how to participate in class and complete Manaba+R tasks.
3. Introduce yourself to your teacher and classmates.

Week 2

Lecture: Asia: Japan’s perspective of Asian issues

1. Active listening, vocabulary, reading, writing and critical thinking tasks to be completed and posted on Manaba+R.

Week 3

Lecture: Asia: How Asia perceives Japan

1. Active listening, vocabulary, reading, writing and critical thinking tasks to be completed and posted on Manaba+R.

Week 4

Lecture: America: Cultural values and Cultural hegemony

1. Active listening, vocabulary, reading, writing and critical thinking tasks to be completed and posted on Manaba+R.

Week 5

Lecture: America: What can Japan learn from America and vice versa?

1. Active listening, vocabulary, reading, writing and critical thinking tasks to be completed and posted on Manaba+R.

Week 6

Lecture: Europe: Aspirations and Identity

1. Active listening, vocabulary, reading, writing and critical thinking tasks to be completed and posted on Manaba+R.

Week 7

Lecture: Europe: EU and UK - Better together?

1. Active listening, vocabulary, reading, writing and critical thinking tasks to be completed and posted on Manaba+R.

Week 8

MID-TERM TEST

Content and key terms from Lectures 2 ~ 7 in a timed test format accessible during regular Thursday period 1 class hours.

Week 9

Student-led Discussion #1 - ASIA

Student-led discussion on issues related to cultural understanding within modern day Asia.

Week 10

Student-led Discussion #2 - AMERICA

Student-led discussion on issues related to cultural understanding within contemporary North America.

Week 11

Student-led Discussion #3 - EUROPE

Student-led discussion on issues related to cultural understanding within the continent of Europe.

Week 12

RESEARCH WEEK

Guided research skills for preparation for final oral presentation.

Week 13

FINAL ORAL PRESENTATIONS I

Individual oral presentations on a contemporary or topical issue or problem related to inter-cultural understanding.

Week 14

FINAL ORAL PRESENTATIONS II

Individual oral presentations on a contemporary or topical issue or problem related to inter-cultural understanding.

Week 15

WRAP-UP

Class wrap-up, feedback, surveys, peer review, review of global citizenship goals & reflection.

Class Format

All classes are to be conducted face to face; however, in the case of an emergency, the instructor may elect to provide online (live-streamed) classes. Please note that the maximum number of online classes must be less than 1/2 of the total number of classes for the specified course. If an instructor does conduct a live-streamed class, then the link will be posted on Manaba+R.

Recommendations for Private Study

Students will be assigned homework. Poor attendance and failure to complete class work will be penalized with loss of marks and possible failure of the course. Students will be responsible for posting short paragraph answers to lecture worksheet critical thinking questions which will take approximately 30 minutes to an hour to complete after each lecture class. Article searches and question preparation for the student-led discussion (SLD) tasks will take approximately 30 minutes to an hour to complete. Students are expected to devote at least 3 hours to the speech writing and visual content creation for their final oral presentations.

Grade Evaluation Method

Kind Percentage Grading Criteria etc.
Final Examination (Written)

Report Examination
(A report to be submitted by the unified deadline)

Exams and/or Reports other than those stated above, and Continuous Assessment　
(Evaluation of Everyday Performance in Class)		 100

Student-led Discussion x3 (10% each) 30%, Final Oral Presentation (individual, ten minutes) 20%, Mid-term Content Test for lectures 2~7 20%, Active course participation (including Manaba+R tasks) 30%.

Grade Evaluation Method （Note）

Advice to Students on Study and Research Methods

Pay close attention to deadlines for submission of assignments, test days, and specific days for graded speaking tasks (discussion and/or presentation).

Textbooks

Textbooks （Frequency of Use, Note）

There is no set textbook for this course. Learning material will be provided on a weekly basis in PDF format via the class Manaba page.

Reference Books

Reference Books （Frequency of Use, Note）

Web Pages for Reference

How to Communicate with the Instructor In and Out of Class(Including Instructor Contact Information)

Learning Management System （manaba+R）,Talk with Students,Other (Separate instructions will be provided)

Other Comments

The instructor has 18 years of teaching experience at tertiary level with content and language integrated courses in the fields of regional studies and international relations.
【科目ナンバリング・カリキュラムマップはこちらから/Click here to see the Curriculum-Map and Course-Numbering】
URL:http://www.ritsumei.ac.jp//students/pathways-future/course/curriculum.html