Course Name Year Term Period Faculty / Graduate School All Instructors Credits
12549:[2025 Spring]IR18‐BA101 English for International Studies I (Basic) (RK) 2025 Spring Mon4,Thu1 College　Of　International　Relations TAKEMA YUMIKO 2

Campus

KIC/KIC

Class Venue

RYOYUKAN　RY301/RYOYUKAN　RY301

Language

Japanese / English

Course Outline and Method

【+R-Jugyo】
Information for “+R-Jugyo” will be posted on the “Course News” on manaba+R by April 1. Be sure to check the “Course News” on manaba+R.

The aim of English for International Studies is to develop a high-level command of English which
will allow students to deepen their knowledge of International Relations. Students engage in an
active learning process through an integrated approach to reading, listening, speaking, and
writing skills. Among these skills, English I focuses particularly on reading skills. Students are
divided into streams based on their levels, and they read articles in academic journals,
newspapers, and textbooks related to the above topics. Students summarize and discuss these
readings, and through these activities, they will develop logical and critical thinking skills.
Formative evaluation is performed through class participation, including small quizzes and
assignments as well as one or more essays, papers, and presentations, based on a rubric that
targets each skill.

Student Attainment Objectives

1. Students will acquire reading skills such as previewing, skimming, and scanning.
2. With these skills, students will be able to read English language materials and understand the gist of the materials, the structure of the arguments, and supporting sentences.
3. Students will be able to distinguish facts from views and to analyze them from not only the author’s point of view, but from opposing points of view as well.
4. Through engagement in these three activities, students will improve their reading skills, critical thinking skills, the ability to think logically and actively interpret English language materials from a variety of perspectives and viewpoints.

Recommended Preparatory Course

Course Schedule

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

World News: VOA 1: NBA players
Workshop: Unit 1
Grammar Session

Class Guidance
Skills: Sentences, Parts of Speech, Reading Skills, Spoken (Oral) English, Note-taking Skills, Cornell Method
Topic 1: World Religions, Christianity

2

 

World News: VOA 2: Ukraine
Workshop: Unit 2
Prism Unit 1: Part 1: Endangered Species (pages 14-21)

Skills: Reading for main ideas
Topic 1: East Europe
Topic 2: Ecology

3

World News: VOA 3: Iran
Workshop: Unit 3
Prism Unit 1: Part 2: Losing the Battle for Survival (pages 22-27)

Skills: Using a Venn diagram
Topic 1: Middle East
Topic 2: Zoology

4

World News: VOA 4: Vaccination
Workshop: Unit 4
Prism Unit 1: Part 3: Animal Teamwork (pages 28-31)

Skills: Comparative Adjectives
Topic 1: Medicine
Topic 2: Documentary Film

5

World News: VOA 5: Israel
Workshop: Review Test 1
Prism Unit 2: Part 1: Our Changing Planet (pages 32-39)

Skills: Reading for Details; Scanning
Topic 1: Israel and Palestine
Topic 2: Environmental Science

6

World News: VOA 6: Trump Campaign
Workshop: Unit 5
Prism Unit 2: Part 2: The Causes and Effects of Deforestation (pages 40-45)

Skills: Cause and Effects; Reading Visuals
Topic 1: U.S. Presidential Election
Topic 2: Natural Science

7

World News: VOA 7: Media Literacy
Workshop: Unit 6
Prism Unit 2: Part 3: The Role of Water in U.S. Natural Wonders (pages 46-49)

Skills: Previewing; Collocations
Topic 1: Disinformation and Misinformation
Topic 2: National Parks

8

World News: VOA 8: Variant
Workshop: Unit 7
Prism Unit 3: Part 1: Masdar: the Future of Cities? (pages 50-57)

Skills: Understanding key vocabulary; Synonyms
Topic 1: Covid-19
Topic 2: Transportation Management

9

 

World News: VOA 9: Swing States
Workshop: Unit 8
Prism Unit 3: Part 2: A reading about traffic congestion (pages 58-63)

Skills: Using Visuals; Style of Essays
Topic 1: Swing States
Topic 2: Urban Planning

10

First Grand Examination

Reviewing

11

 

World News: VOA 10: Diaspora
Workshop: Review Test 2
Prism Unit 3: Part 3: The Jumbo Jet (pages 64-67)

Skills: Taking Notes
Topic 1: Diaspora
Topic 2: Aviation

12

World News: VOA 11: Colosseum
Workshop: Unit 9
Prism Unit 4: Part 1: Customs around the World (pages 68-75)

Skills: Avoiding Generalizations
Topic 1: World Heritage Sites
Topic 2: Cultural Studies

13

World News: VOA 12: Conspiracy
Workshop: Unit 10
Prism Unit 4: Part 2: Nontraditional Weddings (pages 76-81)

Skills: Adverbs of Frequency
Topic 1: Conspiracy Theory
Topic 2: Sociology

14

 

World News: VOA 13: Whale's Tale
Workshop: Unit 11
Prism Unit 4: Part 3: Halloween by the Numbers (pages 82-85)

Skills: Synonyms to Avoid Generalizations
Topic 1: Coincidence
Topic 2: Holiday Marketing

15

World News: VOA 14: Tesla Robot
Workshop: Unit 12
Prism Unit 5: Part 1: A reading about health and exercise (pages 86-93)

Skills: Verb and Noun Forms
Topic 1: Elon Musk, Artificial Intelligence
Topic 2: Medicine

16

 

World News: VOA 15: Belarus
Workshop: Review Test 3
Prism Unit 5: Part 2: Tackling Obesity (pages 94-99)

Skills: Skimming
Topic 1: Authoritarianism
Topic 2: Nutrition

17

World News: VOA 16: Carlos Ghosn
Workshop: Unit 13
Prism Unit 5: Part 3: Nutrition Labels (pages 100-103)

Skills: Verb and Noun Forms
Topic 1: Industrial Alliance
Topic 2: Food Label Reading

18

World News: VOA 17: Hong Kong
Workshop: Unit 14
Prism Unit 6: Part 1: The Magic of Mimicry (pages 104-111)

Skills: Scanning
Topic 1: Democracy
Topic 2: Industrial Design

19

Second Grand Examination

Reviewing

20

 

World News: VOA 18: Libya
Workshop: Unit 15
Prism Unit 6: Part 2: Technology of the Future (pages 112-117)

Skills: Making a T-chart
Topic 1: Water System Management
Topic 2: Mechanical Engineering

21

World News: VOA 19: NATO
Workshop: Unit 16
Prism Unit 6: Part 3: China's Man-made River (pages 118-121)

Skills: Annotating
Topic 1: NATO and Sweden
Topic 2: Construction

22

World News: VOA 20: Ecuador
Workshop: Review Test 4
Prism Unit 7: Part 1: Is Fast Fashion Taking Over? (pages 122-129)
3rd Grand Examination & Review

Skills: Distinguishing Fact from Opinion
Topic 1: South America
Topic 2: Fashion Design

23

World News: VOA 21: Cache/Cash
Workshop: Unit 17
Prism Unit 7: Part 2: Offshore Textile Production: Why It Must Change (pages 130-135)

Skills: Critical Thinking
Topic 1: Homophones
Topic 2: Retail Management

24

World News: VOA 22: Medical Masks
Workshop: Unit 18
Prism Unit 7: Part 3: A Life Tailored Around Clothes (pages 136-139)

Skills: Footage Viewing
Topic 1: Disease Control and Prevention
Topic 2: Tailor

25

World News: VOA 23: Myanmar
Workshop: Unit 19
Prism Unit 8: Part 1: Investing: Two Alternatives to Consider (pages 140-147)

Skills: Skimming
Topic 1: Military Regime
Topic 2: Business

26

World News: VOA 24: Mauritius
Workshop: Unit 20
Prism Unit 8: Part 2: What Has Happened to the American Dream? (pages 148-153)

Skills: Understanding Line Charts
Topic 1: Oil Spill
Topic 2: Economics

27

World News: VOA 25: North Korea
Workshop: Review Test 5
Prism Unit 8: Part 3: The Stock Market Crash of 1929 (pages 154-157)

Skills: Nouns and adjectives
Topic 1: Korean Peninsula
Topic 2: Stock Market

28

Third Grand Examination

Reviewing

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 provided that the maximum number of online classes remains 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

- Be sure to prepare well in advance and to review it again after class. Keep vocabulary notes and list unfamiliar words with definitions and examples.
- Take good notes in class and keep up with assignments, so you don’t have to learn material at the last minute.

Grade Evaluation Method

Kind Percentage Grading Criteria etc.
Final Examination (Written) 0

Report Examination
(A report to be submitted by the unified deadline)		 0

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

- First Examination 20%
- Second Examination 20%
- Third Examination 20%
- Quizzes and Assignments 30%
- Class participation with sufficient preparation 10%

Grade Evaluation Method （Note）

Advice to Students on Study and Research Methods

Textbooks

Title Author Publisher ISBN Code Comment
Prism Reading Level 2 Student's Book with Digital Pack Lida Baker, Carolyn Westbrook Cambridge University Press 978-1-00-925179-2

Textbooks （Frequency of Use, Note）

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)

Communication Paper,Interactive Sheet,Learning Management System （manaba+R）,Talk with Students

Other Comments

【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:https://secure.ritsumei.ac.jp/students/pathways-future/course/curriculum.html/