Last Updated on 10/05/2011
1. Get the Japan Times (JT) on the morning of Thursday, September 29, 2011 at a newsstand of a train station near your house. Note that the JT is a morning paper and that you CANNOT buy it in the afternoon. If you should forget to get the JT, go to the JT and buy a copy of the news paper. See here and this map for info about where the JT is. You should call their sales department BEFORE you go there.
2. Use the JT and finish Handout, pp. 3-4 (Homework #1). Note that this handout was made BEFORE the newspaper was published. Therefore, you may NOT be able to find ALL the information. If so, write "The information is not available" or "N/A" in the handout.
3. Read Handouts (pp. 5-6 and 9-10) and prepare for the next class. The lecture will be given 100% in English.
4. Look at the Schedule section of our homepage and check your Presentation #1 date. And start thinking about its topic. Your presentation date comes a lot faster than you think! Find a good topic ASAP. What is a good topic? Well, remember the following two points when you look for a topic. First, you should be excited about giving a presentation about the topic, so that you can enjoy not only the presentation itself but also the preparation process. Also, it is a good idea that you already know a lot about the topic IN JAPANESE. This way, you can concentrate not so much on its content but more on presentation techniques (i.e., how you can present it well in English). BTW, the theme of our English Seminar is "Current Topics about Japan." You must selelct a topic about Japan.
1. Check to see if you have all class handouts (pp. 1-2, 5-6, 6b, 7-18) and put them in a clear folder or a binder.
2. Read Handout (pp. 5-6) and finish the following homework:
(1) Homework in Section III on p. 6
(2) Homework #2 on pp. 7-8.
3. Read Steps 1 and 2 of the OP#1 (the first presentation) on pp. 9-11 and start preparing for your OP#1 little by little, according to the schedule in the Schedule section of our homepage.
4. Read the Presentation Technique Checklist (Handout, pp. 13-14) and review Study Skills presentation techniques for your first presentation (OP#1). We will start studying these presentation techniques from October 7.
The theme of our English Seminar is "Current Topics about Japan." Please select a news story/article about Japan.
1. Check to see if you have all class handouts (pp. 1-6, 9-19, 22-35).
2. Read the presentation skill checklist (pp. 13-14) and prepare for this class. When you read the handout, find (1) presentaiton skills you did NOT study in Study Skills and (2) SS presentation skills you studied but forgot. The checklist (pp. 13-14) tells you which extra handouts (pp. 22-35) to study and review (1) and (2). We will review ALL presentation skills in one hour in this class. Prepare well for this last lecture.
The theme of our English Seminar is "Current Topics about Japan." Please select a news story/article about Japan.
Also, manage your time/schedule better and send emails about your first presentation BEFORE YOUR deadlines. You can find the deadlines in the Schedule section of our homepage. Also, do not forget to read the content checklist (pp. 9-11) carefully and prepare well. You cannot prepare too much! Good luck.