| Course Name | Year | Term | Period | Faculty / Graduate School | All Instructors | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12568:[2025 Fall]IR18‐BA103 English for International Studies III (Theme‐based)(RH) | 2025 | Fall | Mon4,Thu1 | College Of International Relations | WATANABE NORIKO | 2 |
Campus
Class Venue
Language
Course Outline and Method
Information for “+R-Jugyo” will be posted on the “Course News” on manaba+R by September 20. Be sure to check the “Course News” on manaba+R.
History textbooks are a way of remembering the past. In Japan, they have been a subject of debate across national boundaries, affecting Japan’s relations with neighbouring countries. This course introduces students to how past matters are remembered and memories made. With some comparisons with a Japanese case, we will be examining a British case incorporating a historical perspective and contemporary issues. Using several history textbooks for British secondary school students, we will explore the history of Britain from the Middle Ages to the present focusing on the following three themes: medicine, the British Empire, and migration. In relation to Britain, we will also look at histories of other countries and areas as well as of various groups of people. Through extensive reading, students will be using English for a specific area of study and practicing the development of critical and logical thinking skills.
Where it is relevant, we will use novels and films as well as other history textbooks. This course encourages students to ‘read’ these texts critically rather than simply understanding them. In ‘reading’ these texts, the three main questions to be asked are: 1) What is the purpose of the text? 2) Who wrote them for whom? 3) Which memories are included and which excluded? Which events are remembered and which forgotten? In order to demonstrate their understanding and analysis of texts, students will produce three short film reviews or response papers and one 1,000-word paper based on their analysis of the history textbooks.
Note that this is a course for intermediate-level students. Viewing reading as an integral part of academic study, the textbook written in relatively plain English will be used. Thus, this is NOT a course for those who are keen on advanced-level English readings.
英語中級レベル対象の授業です。上級レベル向きではないので注意。
Student Attainment Objectives
1. be able to ‘read’ texts efficiently, effectively and critically, identifying language features specific to such genres as textbooks, news articles, statistics, visual documents, book and film reviews;
2. have a good understanding of Britain from a historical perspective;
3. gain an insight into issues of memory in a contemporary society, especially in a multicultural or international context, with an awareness of different views of the past;
4. be able to present a summary and critical analysis of texts with their views and opinions in both oral and written forms;
5. develop communication skills to collaborate with others to complete group assignments.
Recommended Preparatory Course
Course Schedule
| Lecture/Instructor（When there are multiple instructors) | Theme |
|---|---|
| Keyword, References and Supplementary Information | |
| 1 |
Introduction to the course
|
+R-Jugyo (20-minute video-on-demand (VOD) lecture, etc.)
|
|
| 2 | Medieval medicine |
Medieval medicine, Christianity, Islam |
|
| 3 | Public health in the medieval period |
public health, the Black Death |
|
| 4 | The impact of Renaissance on Britain |
Renaissance, science, hospitals |
|
| 5 | Film viewing 1 |
Medieval medicine, Islam, Christianity, Jewish |
|
| 6 | In-class preparation for group presentation |
Medieval medicine, Christianity, Islam, Renaissance, Eurocentrism |
|
| 7 | Poster presentation |
Medieval medicine, Christianity, Islam, Renaissance, Eurocentrism |
|
| 8 | Review & reflection |
Medieval medicine, Christianity, Islam, Renaissance, Eurocentrism |
|
| 9 | Teaching the empire |
Imperial amnesia
|
|
| 10 | Slave trade 1 |
Atlantic trade, piracy, slave |
|
| 11 | Slave trade 2 |
the abolition movement, rebellion |
|
| 12 | The British rule in India 1 |
the East India Company, the Indian Mutiny |
|
| 13 | The British rule in India 2 |
The legacy of the British Empire in India
|
|
| 14 | The impact of the growing empire on Britain 1 |
racist ideology, imperial propaganda |
|
| 15 | The impact of the growing empire on Britain 2 |
racist ideology, imperial propaganda |
|
| 16 | Film viewing 2 |
slave trade, the abolition movement |
|
| 17 | In-class preparation for group presentation |
British Empire |
|
| 18 | Group presentation 1 |
British Empire |
|
| 19 | Group presentation 2 |
British Empire |
|
| 20 | Review & reflection |
British Empire |
|
| 21 | Earlier immigrants |
Celts, Anglo-Saxons, Viking, Romans, Normans, Jewish people |
|
| 22 | Post-war Commonwealth immigration |
Commonwealth, Empire Windrush, the Caribbean migrants |
|
| 23 | Film viewing 3 |
Jewish or refugees |
|
| 24 | EU and migration |
refugees, asylum seekers |
|
| 25 | The impact of migration on Britain |
British identity, Britishness |
|
| 26 | Review & in-class preparation for group project 1 |
immigrants, history from below |
|
| 27 | In-class preparation for group project 2 |
immigrants, history from below |
|
| 28 | Group presentation & reflection |
immigrants, history from below |
Class Format
Recommendations for Private Study
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 | - Attendance, participation, preparation (including homework assignments) (23%)
|
Grade Evaluation Method （Note）
Advice to Students on Study and Research Methods
Textbooks
Textbooks （Frequency of Use, Note）
Reference Books
| Title | Author | Publisher | ISBN Code | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Past Within Us: Media, Memory, History | Tessa Morris-Suzuki | Verso | 9781859845134 | |
| Medicine through Time c1250-present | Ian Dawson | Hodder Education | ||
| Explaining the Modern World: Migration | Martin Spafford, et.al. | Hodder Education | ||
| Oxford AQA History for GCSE: Thematic Studies c790-Present Day | Aaron Wilkes, et.al. | Oxford University Press | ||
| History for the IB Diploma | Keely Rogers & Jo Thomas | Oxford University Press |
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)
Other Comments
URL:https://secure.ritsumei.ac.jp/students/pathways-future/course/curriculum.html/