Syllabus Number 67
Course
Name
English Learning for Sciences, Agriculture and Engineering (ELSAE)
Semester, Year
Second Semester, 2016
Course level
2000
Instructor(s)
(Institution)
Maria Helena Fortunato Martins (大学院理学研究院)
Course
Objectives
Course Goals
Course
Schedule
Number of Credits
2 credits
Course Number
027151
English has become the international common language in all scientific areas. Therefore, learning scientific
English is essential. In this course, we will use active learning to develop conversational, writing and presentation
skills routinely required in most scientific fields. Oral understanding and discussion of scientific papers will be
developed. This course will also provide a platform for students to experience the study style and programs taught
in foreign universities by using available online lectures. The course will be conducted by foreign faculty members
of different natural science and engineering areas.
The goals of the writing component of the course are: 1) To introduce students to the process of writing a scientific
essay and a short paper through the submitting process. Students will compose a short practice paper complete
with tables and figures, based on hypothetical data. 2) To make students aware of the conventions and some of the
pitfalls involved in writing specifically in English.
The goals of the speaking component are: 1) To develop spoken skills for presentations and discussions. Students
will read scientific papers, prepare PowerPoint presentations, and discuss papers. 2) To increase vocabulary and
improve grammatical structures in order to formulate and answer questions, present data, and discuss using
scientific English. 3) To expose students as much as possible to an English speaking classroom atmosphere.
The course will be seminar type. Each seminar will be directed by two faculty members of different areas. The following are
general course contents:
-Week 1
How to increase your exposure to an English speaking environment and not be afraid of speaking. Names and
introductions in formal / informal situations. How to formulate questions in seminars and presentations and why it is
important to do so. Use of examples and explaining terminology as a way of making yourself better understood.
-Week 2
Differences between conversational and scientific language. Examples: TED talks, Science News and National
Geographic short papers, science sections in newspapers.
-Week 3
The structure and components of a scientific paper. What sections should there be, and what should (or should not)
go into each section. In-text citation formats and correlation between citations and References section.
-Week 4
How to skim a scientific paper. Structure and components of a paper. Where to look for the most important
information and how to skip parts. Summarizing a paper and asking questions about it.
-Week 5
Why publish papers? Why publish papers in English? Process of publishing in a journal. How journals differ.
Choosing an appropriate journal. ‘Instructions to Authors’: manuscript, literature citation, and reference formats.
-Week 6
Tables, table formats, software, captions. Figures, software, captions (legends). Introduction to paragraphs: topic
sentence, paragraph structures.
-Week 7
Sentences: active vs passive voice; use of pronouns to avoid cumbersome repetition. Editing sentences to
eliminate excess words.
-Week 8
How to do a literature search. More about paragraph structure: unity, development, and coherence. Use of linking
and transition words. Use of examples and evidence. Outlines and brainstorming maps as writing helpers.
-Week 9
Brainstorming and outlining for a short essay writing.
-Week 10 In-class peer review of short essays.
-Week 11
Scientific presentations. How to structure a presentation: loose vs outlined, static vs animated, visual effects. What
information should be in a slide? Making slides clear and understandable. Citation of others’ work in slides. Presenti ng a
slide: avoiding complicated sentences; active vs passive forms; ‘we vs I’; simple vs compound verb tenses; use of articles (a , an,
the).
-Week 12 Posters, papers, and oral presentations: differences and similitudes in contents, format, style, reading/presenting.
-Week 13 In-class peer review of preliminary draft of final project (manuscript).
-Week 14 In-class short PowerPoint group presentations based on a scientific paper or project.
-Week 15 Course evaluation, comments, discussion, taking home messages.
Homework
Homework will be given most days (readings, writing, preparing presentations). The course requires about 2 hr of
weekly independent preparation.
Grading
System
Students participation in class (50%), home work (20%), writing papers and final presentations (30%).
Textbooks /
Reading List
No book is required. Students will be given all necessary handouts and papers for the readings
Websites
Website of
Laboratory
Additional
Information
It should be noted that the course is the actual responsibility of the following faculty member:
Dr. Helena Fortunato, Faculty of Science 5-5-11, extension 2751, [email protected]
Interested students should contact Dr. Fortunato at the start of the semester to get the course information.