2012 Academic Lecture Comprehension 1 Course Syllabus

Course Description In this course, students will develop their academic listening, reading, and note-taking skills through the study and discussion of English lectures of varying lengths. Activities will include watching and listening to lectures in class, taking structured notes, discussion, asking and answering questions, and writing summaries. In addition, related reading will be assigned before each lecture. Course Goals and Criteria G1a [Content comprehension] Comprehend five- to ten-minute lectures in English.

Ø Listen to a lecture and answer questions about its main points and details. G1b [Structure comprehension] Understand the structure of different lecture types (comparison/contrast and causal analysis).

Ø Listen to a lecture and answer questions about its structure. G1c [Note taking] Take notes of sufficient detail to answer basic comprehension questions about the lecture.

Ø Listen to a lecture and take notes of its main points and details. G2 [Reading comprehension] Read and understand articles related to the lecture content.

Ø Answer comprehension questions about supplementary reading. G3 [Q&A] Ask and answer simple questions about the lecture.

Ø Ask and answer questions about the lecture. G4 [Turning notes into passage] Write multiple-paragraph-long lecture summaries based on lecture notes.

Ø Write a lecture summary that is several paragraphs long and meets the guidelines. G5 [Vocabulary] Attain a 2000-word vocabulary.

Ø Answer vocabulary questions from the textbook and Vocabulary Lists 1 and 2. Course Schedule Each chapter will be covered in two weeks. The course schedule is as follows:

Week 1: Orientation Week 2: How to write a paragraph Week 3: Chapter 2: Chronology – “Pompeii” Part 1 Week 4: Chapter 2: Chronology – “Pompeii” Part 2 Week 5: Chapter 4: Process – “Internet” Part 1 Week 6: Chapter 4: Process – “Internet” Part 2 Week 7: Lecture and Summary (Application) Week 8: Mid-term test Week 9: Chapter 5: Process – “Language” Part 1 Week 10: Chapter 5: Process – “Language” Part 2 Week 11: Chapter 8: Classification/Definition – “Levels of Language Usage” Part 1 Week 12: Chapter 8: Classification and Definition – “Levels of Language Usage” Part 2 Week 13: Lecture and Summary (Application) Week 14: Lecture and Summary (Application) Week 15: Review of Academic Progress (Standardized final test)

Textbook and Materials

1. Academic Lecture Comprehension by Dunkel, P.A. and Lim, P.L. 2. Supplementary resources (supplementary reading texts, vocabulary lists, note-taking practice

materials, practice lectures) are available from the CELESE Academic Lecture Comprehension 1 web site. (http://www.celese.sci.waseda.ac.jp/)

3. Supplementary materials provided by the teacher 4. Students can listen to the audio CDs on CourseN@vi.

Meeting the Goals Throughout the course, the following assessment tools will be used to evaluate whether students are meeting the criterion of each course goal.

• Listening quiz (after each textbook lecture) • Note taking and summary writing • Mid-term test • Class participation • Standardized final test

The chart entitled “Student Performance Record Sheet” relates each course goal with the various assessments to be conducted during the semester. In order to achieve a course goal, students must obtain 60% of the points for that course goal. In order to pass the course, students must achieve at least 60% of the course goals: that is, five out of seven. All criteria are assessed several times. In order to achieve a high grade in the course, students will need to give consistent evidence of their achievement. Course Grade The final grade in the course is determined by calculating a cumulative score of each student’s completion of the various assessments and then referring to the chart at right. As noted above, if a student does not achieve at least 60% of the course goals (i.e., three out of five), then, regardless of their score, they will receive a final grade of “F”. Furthermore, in accordance with university policy, students who do not attend at least two-thirds of the lessons (i.e., eight out of eleven in 2011 Spring Semester) will receive an “F” as their final grade. Assessment Tools Following is a description of the various assessment tools to be used in Academic Lecture Comprehension 1. The schedule for the in-class tests will be announced by the teacher. 1. In-Class Mid-Term Test (30%)

• [Listening comprehension and note taking: 10 pts] Students will take notes of a textbook lecture already covered in class and answer questions about its content and structure.

• [Reading comprehension: 5pts] Students will answer comprehension questions about supplementary reading texts, which are available from the CELESE website.

• [Q&A: 5 pts] Students will be given declarative sentences and correctly turn them in writing into pairs of question and answer using yes/no and wh-questions. Examples will be given by the teacher.

• [Turning notes into passage: 5 pts] Students will write a one-paragraph-long passage that meets the following guidelines, based on lecture notes given by the teacher.

o indentation at the beginning of each paragraph o a topic sentence at the beginning and a concluding sentence a the end o contextually appropriate use of at least two transition expressions (logical connectors)

• [Vocabulary: 5 pts] Students will answer vocabulary questions from Vocabulary Lists and the textbook chapters. Vocabulary Lists are available from the CELESE website.

2. Class Participation (40%) • Class participation will be assessed in terms of active participation, quizzes, homework, lecture notes,

writing assignments, and application to a new lecture. • Details will be explained by the teacher.

3. Standardized Final Test (30%) • The standardized final test is scheduled for the exam week. Details will be announced later.

Score Range Final Grade

90 ≤ score ≤ 100 A+ 80 ≤ score < 90 A 70 ≤ score < 80 B

score < 70 C

Homework and Participation • Students are expected to complete a minimum of 90 minutes of homework for each class. • The homework will include reading assignment, vocabulary study, question preparation, summary

writing, and other tasks assigned by the teacher. • The homework should also include reviewing the previous class, revising notes, and preparing for

quizzes and tests. Other information • Students’ classes will be determined based on their TOEIC placement test score. • Students can listen to the audio CDs on CourseN@vi to review and practice. • Information regarding TOEIC scores and grades are available through Waseda Net Portal account. • All the information about Academic Lecture Comprehension 1 is on the CELESE website. • Students who wish to question their final grades should make inquiries directly to their course teacher

who will consider each case based on the student’s performance record. Inquiries of this nature can be made until the end of the 7th full day (1 week) after the final grades are made public by the Education Office. Once these 7 days have expired, no further grade inquiries will be considered.