English Seminar 上級 Autumn 2014:
Studying the Media
An outline of the course
４月の英語セミナーオリエンテーションの際に、日本語で説明します。もし質問があれば、その時にどうぞ。
Textbook: Peter Wall. Media Studies for AQA GCSE. London: Harper Collins, 2007.
1. What is a 上級 Seminar?
A 上級 seminar is for students who enjoy English and wish to participate
actively in class. English is the only language used, and there is an emphasis
on developing speaking skills through discussion and debate. You should
expect to do more reading and writing than in a 中級 seminar. Students
in a 上級 seminar need to have a good grasp of basic English grammar and
vocabulary. If you obtained an A or B grade in Study Skills or in a 中級
seminar, you should definitely consider a 上級 seminar.
Please note that if you have spent time in an English-speaking country
and already have good listening and speaking skills, you should consider
a 特別上級 seminar rather than 上級. If you were in the English-speaking
country at elementary-school level, or spent only one or two years there
at junior-high or high-school level, you should consider my spring-term
Bridging Course (instead of Study Skills).
2. Why study the media?
The media play a great part in our life, but we usually accept this without
thinking much about it. Who owns the media? How are technological developments
affecting the media? What should be the relationship between governments
and the media, or advertising and the media? What sort of influence do
the media have on us? For example, if children watch violence on television,
are they likely to become violent themselves? In the seminar you will gain
basic information about all these aspects and get a chance to develop your
own viewpoint through discussions and debates.
3. What is the textbook about?
The textbook is designed for students in the UK who are at the equivalent
of junior-high school. This means that the English style is fairly straightforward,
and there are plenty of illustrations. The textbook focuses on the media
in the UK, but we will compare the situation in the UK with the situation
in Japan. For example, we might look at the influence of the U.S. media
in both countries. We will also examine how the textbook deals with the
topic of the media, and think about the possible contents of an edition
written for Japanese junior-high school students. Since the book was published
in 2007, this will involve consideration of changes in the media, since
the content may need to be updated.
4. What will we do in class?
Class time will be spent mainly on group discussions, debates, and presentations
followed by question and answer sessions. Most reading and writing will
be done as homework. The atmosphere of the class will be as relaxed and
supportive as possible. However, please note that I am strict about absences,
lateness and preparing for classes. You will not be recorded as present
for a class unless you have prepared for it and actually participate.
5. What will I achieve (apart from gaining knowledge of the media)?
You will develop the reading, writing and speaking skills that were introduced
in Study Skills. You will be able to form opinions based on evidence, and
to explain and defend these opinions in English. You will develop your
ability to write a term paper in academic English.
6. What have students said about your English seminars in the past?
At the end of the course, I always carry out an anonymous student evaluation
so that I can obtain feedback. Students normally reply that they enjoyed
the course, and are prepared to recommend my classes to other students.
However, they also point out that there is a lot of homework.
7. How should I prepare for your seminar?
a) English skills
The only language used in class will be English, so it would be a good
idea to practice thinking in English. Students will be expected to ask questions in English if they do not
understand, and to take an active part in discussions and debates. You
will therefore need to have good listening skills, and to be able to use the vocabulary that you know. You should also read as much as you can.
b) General academic skills
You will need to be able to do your own research in order to find materials
for discussions and debates, and for your presentations and written assignments.
If you do not know how to use the Keio library effectively and/or have
never been taught how to search for reliable information on the Internet,
please work through Kitie,
Keio's very own online course on information literacy.
c) The media
Think about the media and the role which they play in your life and the life of your family and friends.
Follow the media coverage of events such as the Football World Cup, and
big news stories, such as disasters or scandals. If possible, compare the
way in which different media (for example, television, newspapers and Internet
sites) and media in different countries cover the same event or news story.
For links to various media and aspects of the media, click here.
If you want more advice about how to prepare, please do not hesitate to talk to me at the guidance sessions at the beginning of April. Otherwise, you can send me an e-mail asking for an appointment.
View the timetable of my 2012-2013 上級 seminar on the media.
View the guidelines.