Course Name Year Term Period Faculty / Graduate School All Instructors Credits
16238:IR18‐CA202 Bridge to International Studies I (Cooperation & Development)(RC) § 16239:IR-CA202 Introduction to International Studies in English Ⅰ(RC) 2024 Spring Tue1 College　Of　International　Relations KINGHORN OLIVER 2

Campus

KIC

Class Venue

RYOYUKAN　RY307

Language

English

Course Outline and Method

Bridge to International Studies course (BIS) is designed to be a “bridge” between language-acquisition-oriented learning in the 1st year (English for International Stuides) and “regular” content courses carried out in English from the 3rd year. BIS I (ICD) course is a content-based course on International Cooperation and Development (ICD) and promotes the acquisition of all four skills whilst exploring key concepts in ICD program course. This course employs a student-centered methodology that facilitates active, engaged learning. Class activities include: group work and panel discussion; presentations, debates, and whole class discussion; clear expression of ideas and reactions through the writing of essays, quiz answers, summaries, and other forms of writing such as note-taking. 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 international cooperation and development through the medium of a Deliberative Polling Project. Deliberative Polls are processes in mature democracies where citizens come together to express their opinions, explore a policy issue, learn about it from experts, deliberate and discuss the issue thoroughly, and finally compare their initial opinions about the topic with a culminating confirmatory poll. Such processes have allowed citizens the world over to learn about, discuss, and deliver their opinions on issues such as international relations, human rights, foreign aid and our global energy future. Students will study real-world case studies, develop their own research issues, conduct an authentic survey, become an 'expert' in their chosen issue, and present their findings to the class in a culminating deliberative panel presentation.

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

Course introduction / Orientation / Overview
Introduction to features in Manaba-R.

1. Course content, expectations, assessment methods, study skills, and procedures.
2. Become familiar with Manaba-R.
3. Introduce yourself to your classmates.
4. Learn how to post discussions and interact with classmates in the Forum.
5. Discussion Forum Exercise #1
One discussion post and two response posts

Week 2

Introduction to Deliberative Polling

1. Lecture on case studies of deliberative polls from around the world.
2. Active listening and discussion tasks based on today's lecture.

Week 3

Contemporary Issues

1. Lecture on topical issues in cooperation & development.
2. Workshop on debating an issue

Week 4

Choosing an issue

1. Critical thinking workshop on rating and categorising topical global issues in cooperation and development.
2. Skimming /scanning skills for reading; academic note-taking skills.

Week 5

Building research skills

1. Locating information, verifying sources, referencing sources, compiling notes, using infographics.
2. Lecture on media bias and media literacy.

Week 6

Group Presentation

1. Initial findings, key vocabulary, concept-checking, schema activation.
2. Lecture on exploring a single critical issue for further investigation.

Week 7

Defining and testing opinion on the issue

1. Surveying public opinion by designing a baseline opinion poll using authentic software.
2. Lecture on the use and abuse of polling techniques from around the world.

Week 8

Implementing & analysing the survey

1. Interpreting results, presenting findings, the visual message, describing statistics in English.

Week 9

The visual message

1. Slideshow construction, video links, realia creation, language for accurately describing graphs/charts/numbers/information.

Week 10

The oral message

1. Communication strategies for effective deliberation, argument, persuasion, summarising, concluding

Week 11

Research Week

1. Reading and critical thinking tasks around the issue.
2. Speech writing.

Week 12

A Model Presentation

1. Active listening tasks and worksheet-based activities for the seminal lecture on global warming - An Inconvenient Truth.

Week 13

DELIBERATIVE POLL PRESENTATION I

1. First batch of group slideshows / plenary discussions / live surveys.

Week 14

DELIBERATIVE POLL PRESENTATION II

1. Second batch of group slideshows / plenary discussions / live surveys.

Week 15

Class wrap-up

1. Teacher feedback, surveys, peer review, focus on 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

The success of this class depends on students demonstrating learner autonomy and peer collaboration on a weekly basis to procure, investigate and present findings on a range of issues using authentic English-language material of their own and the instructors finding. It is expected that students will compete a minimum one extra hour of work per week on project-based tasks.

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

Mini-lecture listening, reading, writing tasks (30%), Deliberative Poll final panel discussion and presentation (30%), Learning portfolio - including visual presentation of survey and results (20%), Active course participation (20%).

Grade Evaluation Method （Note）

Advice to Students on Study and Research Methods

Please pay close attention to deadlines for assignments and specific dates for graded speaking tasks.

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.
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URL:http://www.ritsumei.ac.jp//students/pathways-future/course/curriculum.html