TECHNICAL ENGLISH Class B

Second Term 2000

Instructor: Scott Gardner

Office: B-425 Electrical Engineering building
Office Phone #: *8114
E-mail address: scott@elec.okayama-u.ac.jp
Class Time: Wednesday/Friday, 4th Block (14:20-15:50), Room B-214

TEXTS:
Glendinning, Eric H., and John McEwan, Oxford English for Electronics, Oxford
University Press, 1993
Various copies supplied by the teacher

COURSE OBJECTIVES:
The title of this class is "Technical English." One focus of the class will be on
expressing yourself better within your technical field. We will focus on how to use
English to express yourself in your field. Electronics will not be the main area of study at
all times, but you should be able to apply what you learn to your own field. This is the
"technical" part of the course. As we work on these areas you may discover that you can
discuss electronics in English better than I can.
Hopefully you will agree, however, that improving your abilities in general English
is important, not only to speak to foreign English teachers like me, but also perhaps to
speak with other engineers with different interests, or to give reports to future bosses who
don’t know about your field. One of the first assignments I will give you is to find for
yourself just how important English is to your field of study. If you didn’t think it was
important, you wouldn’t take the course. But you should also think about why and how
it is important.
Please remember that the direction of the class depends in part on where you lead it.
An important exercise used in Western university classes is one called "feedback." It
means that people in class discuss things: communication is not one-way from teacher to
student, but two-way, back and forth among the students and the teacher. It means that
students ask questions, as well as give answers. Many American presenters at
conferences enjoy answering questions from the audience during "Q&A," because Q&A
measures how well the audience understood the presentation. If nobody asks questions,
the presenter may feel that no one has listened to the presentation at all. Interaction and
feedback are important elements in Western education. They are important in this class as
we find out more about communicating in English.

MAIN COURSE REQUIREMENTS

1. 1 or 2 short presentations on various 5. Participation, including:
topics a) pair work
2. Some small homework assignments b) group discussions
3. Two quizzes c) free writing
4. Attendance
SOME GUIDELINES:
a) I would like you to attend every class scheduled, and to let me know if and why you
cannot attend on a certain day. ***Please, please, please tell me when there are
important events that will take you away from class. My Japanese is not very good,
and sometimes I don’t know if there is a holiday or a school-wide test on a certain
day. If I schedule a class on a day when everyone is supposed to be free, let me
know.
b) Please speak in class. If you speak on your own, then you won’t have to worry about
the teacher making you speak when you’re not ready.
c) Relax and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. You’ll never know if you have learned
anything if you don’t speak up and allow yourself to make errors. If you make a
mistake in engineering, it could be dangerous, but if you make a mistake in English,
it's usually not a big problem.
d) Remember that part of the purpose of this course is to let you become comfortable
communicating with foreigners. Please talk to me as often as you can: in class, in the
hallway, in the cafeteria. Don’t worry; I’m nice.

Tentative Schedule thru November

Wk Date Wednesday Friday
Schedule;
Electronics, Chap. 1:
introduction to book;
1 10/4, 6 thinking before reading;
free writing
diagrams
(how will I use English?);
Brainstorming;
More on diagrams;
2 10/11, 13 free writing; discussion;
descriptive writing
more on reading
Free writing; discussion; Electronics, Chap. 4:
3 10/18, 20
more on descriptive writing technical reading
Electronics, Chap. 5:
Free writing; discussion;
4 10/25, 27 describing components and
more on technical reading
functions
Free writing; discussion;
5 11/1, 3 NO CLASS
more on describing functions
Electronics, Chap. 6:
6 11/8, 10 making a recording; More on describing a process
describing a process
Electronics, Chap. 7:
Prepare for presentation on sound engineer;
7 11/15, 17
process description comparing info from different
sources
8 11/22, 24 NO CLASS NO CLASS

This schedule may change at anytime. If it does I will give you an updated copy.