Beloved colleagues, dear students:
For information about my regular teaching in the faculty of sociology please consult the website of the faculty itself.
For information about my past teaching, please go to the archive section.
For information about current courses, international exchanges and ad hoc assistance, please read on.
Please note that, like all other Autumn term courses, this course has already started. Nevertheless, if you wish you can still participate. You can not, however, get credit for the course if you join late.
This course is not a language course. Neither dr. Kawabata nor I are qualified language teachers. We are not even native speakers of English. Neither should you need an Enlgish teacher. You were taught English by qualified teachers for at least 8 years, through junior high school, high school, and university. It is unlikely that two amateurs can add much to all that teaching in a few weeks.
Still, you may find that using English is often difficult. Journals ask you to provide English abstracts, supervisors send you to international conferences, you may feel the need to write a paper (or a complete thesis) in English, and it seems impossible to turn all those years of studying English into usable English for practical purposes. Moreover, you barely understand what all those foreigners at the conference are talking about to begin with; what if they ask a question and you don't even understand?
This course focuses on practical skills like writing abstracts and papers, as well as giving presentations in English. When we say practical, we mean practical: every student will be required to give a real presentation, in English, at a real conference in early 2012.
I have been asked to make the powerpoint presentations of these classes available on line. Because many of the presentations contain the names and work of the participants, I have decided not to do so. Even graduate students are entitled to privacy!If you have missed a class, or just want to have a PDF file of my presentation material, just send me an email.
Time permitting, I am available to assist you in preparing papers, theses, and presentations in a number of foreign languages. Just send an email or drop by at the sentanken office. Please be aware that I am not usually available on Monday, Thursday morning, and Friday afternoon, and also that people who have joined a course I teach are always prioritized.
I will not, and cannot, teach you to speak English like Barack Obama, Queen Elizabeth, or Liam Gallagher, nor to write like Christopher Hitchens or William Shakespeare. I can, however, help you to speak and write in a way that allows you to present your work to an international audience. Depending on your skills and needs, I tend to emphasize the following:
Speaking:
- Syllables. Just like Japanese words, English words are made up of syllables (日本語：貰) . If you have learned English through katakana, identifying them correctly is likely to be your main weak point. Fortunately, it is relatively easy to correct. We use primarily modern pop music as practice material.
- Projection and volume. If your English is not very good, or your audience's English is not very good, it is important that you speak loudly, slowly, and towards your audience. This is intimidating, but you can practice in class to gain confidence. As compensation, you can enjoy laughing at my pathetic Japanese.
- Planning and preparation. International meetings and conferences usually allow less time for presentations than is common in Japan. Together, we can slim your presentation down to something you can confidently present.
Writing:
- Time permitting, I can correct your (short) English papers, provided that you show up in person and pretend to learn something from it. If all you need is correction, please consult one of the many companies that provide such services for a fee.
- If you want to learn to write English from scratch, please send me an email and join the (new) writing group.
- If you decide to write your MA or PhD thesis in English, please let me and your supervisor know as early as possible.