Work, work, work! / report from H.O.

I’ve been in the UK for 6 months. In my language centre, a lot of international students are studying English. They are from all over the world, such as Saudi Arabia, Thai, China, Spain, Italy and so on. First few months, it was difficult to communicate with friends and teachers. There were no other Japanese, so I had to speak English absolutely, but sometimes I couldn’t say what I wanted to say. I was not used to a strong British accent either, and most students spoke English with their own accents, which made me more confused. However, I got gradually used to communicating in English.

There are reading, writing, listening/speaking and project classes. All classes require hard work, and it is not easy for me to follow the classes because most students are studying here to go to graduate school and get a master's or doctor's degree. The class levels are set for them to achieve their goals. We have a lot of homework every day. I sometimes feel it’s too much, but it helps me to improve my English skills in many ways.

In my daily life, we have parties and one-day trips with friends. We had an international party last month. Each of us brought traditional or cultural foods and we played some games. I enjoyed it very much.  I’m going to go back to Japan in December. I’ll make good use of my last two months. 

My greatest memories in the US / report from M.H.

I was in Washington for half a year. Central Washington University, where I studied English, had a beautiful campus surrounded by mountains and trees. I met many people who were interested in international communication. My friends often invited me over to watch movies and have dinner together. They were so friendly and really nice to me.

American students were hard workers. Every time I went to the library, I met friends there. It was an ideal atmosphere to study and work together.

I was not happy all the time, however. When I argued with a friend, I could not express my feeling well in English. Such an experience encouraged me to study English harder, and I learned how important it was to express my feelings and opinions in English. My experience in the US is truly precious in my life. 

Comment from EAGL staff: Thanks, M.H. You became strong through the programme. M.H. came back to Japan in 2008. 

My life at Monash / report from M.H.

Australia is a multi-culturalcountry so there are many international people. I was lucky to be able to learn not only Australian culture but also the cultures of the people who came from other countries. For the first month I started living there, I could not speak English well because I worried about grammar mistakes. Since my hostmother taught me English patiently, I was soon able to speak English better.

I took Speaking and General English classes. Each class was small and we had a lot of discussion activities. We had to have our own opinions and show them in English. Most of my classmates came from different countries, so I learned a lot from them. It changed my views about the world. Sometimes we went to city as a class activity through which I learned how people lived there.

After class I usually went to ILC (Independent Learning Centre) to study by myself. There were a lot of study materials,and workshops were held from time to time. It gave me a chance to communicate with teachers and other students. Moreover I often joined the activities organised by the Japan Club. We exchanged cultural information. It was a good opportunity to understand each other.  

Comment from EAGL staff: Thanks, M.H. It's good to learn something about other cultures. M.H. came back to Fukuoka in 2008.

September is a very important month to students who are thinking about applying to universities next year. The EAGL Department welcomes any students who are interested in our programs. Please talk to the teachers and students of our department.

"Corpus Analysis of Children's Literature" (1:30 - 2:15 pm. PC room 6)

Miss Hirata (lecturer in the EAGL) is going to show how to analyse children's books using a computer corpus, which is a collection of texts installed for the analysis of language use. This will be an exciting experience to participants. Please join the workshop.

My life at Reading / report from T.O.

There are many international students at the University of Reading. Fortunately, however, there are only a few Japanese students, so I have more opportunities to communicate in English rather than Japanese. The first month after arriving here, I could not explain what I wanted to say, but gradually I got used to speaking English and was able to express my feeling and thinking.

On my course, most students come from Asia and take an MA or PhD degree here. They are studying English in order to do business or research in English. So, I can think with them what I want to do after graduating from my university in Japan.

I have speaking, listening, reading, writing and lecture classes. All those classes require us to discuss important issues raised in the classes. Moreover, each class has only 12-16 students, so there is always friendly atmosphere among students and teachers.

Comment from EAGL staff: Thanks, T.O. Everybody looks cold in the photo, but I am sure you had a joyous and productive year at Reading. T.O came back to Fukuoka in 2008. 

Summer English Camp in OSA is an elective class, which is taken by the students who do not take Study Abroad Program or Short Overseas Program. It is an intensive English program. Students stay at an on-campus boarding house for a week, and take special English classes with the instructors from Britain. This year the program was held from 17 to 22 August. 

Saturday, 1st August: 10.00 am - 4.00 pm 
Sunday, 2nd August: 12.00 - 4.00 pm  

Have we met recently? Please come to our department booth and talk to EAGL students. You may get special insider information, which cannot be found just by reading the university prospectus. Our booth is located on the ground floor in Building 4. You can also talk to EAGL teachers. Don't miss this opportunity. You're very welcome here!

University Lecture: 1.00 - 3.00 pm. Saturday, 6th June, 2009 

Professor Hirota in the EAGL Department, also a visiting professor at Pembroke College, Cambridge, is to talk about England, the English language and Cambridge University.

The University has moulded a great number of intellectuals. Among them, William Wordsworth, a poet, has been loved by English people. The lecture topics include Wordsworth's study at Cambridge and his poems written in the Lake District.

The lecture is open to the public, including pupils and students. For further information, visit the website: http://www2.fukujo.ac.jp/university/pdf/koukai.pdf  

Congratulations! Forty-eight students graduated this year. This photograph shows the students and the faculty members in the EAGL department.

The students have studied hard for four years, and now they are ready to work at the places they chose. We are proud of each student who studied in our department. We hope they will contribute in every unique way to the prosperity of our society.

"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." Remember "the EAGL Spirit"! (Isaiah 40:31) 

これは皆さんご存じの「うみ」という歌の3番です。今では飛行機で移動するのがあたりまえになりましたが、よその国に行ってみたい気持ちはいつの世も変わらないでしょう。現代に生きる私たちはテレビやインターネットを通して簡単に世界の情報を手に入れることができます。昔はそうした情報がないなかで遠い外国に思いを馳せたことでしょう。私も子どもの頃、自宅近くの港から出港する旅客船を見ながらいつかよその国へ行くことを夢見ていました。

英語の勉強は労力と時間がかかります。地道にかつシステマチックに学ぶ忍耐強さが求められます。こうした地味な活動を支えてくれるのが、素朴な夢であり好奇心です。夢は単純であるからこそロマンがあります。このロマンを決して忘れてはいけません。

学ぶことはロマンを追いかけることです。どんな学問にもロマンがあります。他の人にとってはどうでもよいことかもしれません。しかし、自分の知りたい欲求を満たしてくれるものこそ追い求める価値があるものです。外国語を学ぶその先には、外国人との出会いがあります。未知の文化と価値観が待っています。

大学で英語を専攻すると膨大な学習が待っています。いわゆる本格的な外国語学習が始まるのです。地味な苦しい作業ではありますが、やりがいのある作業です。どんな時にも初心を忘れずに夢を追い求めてください。

問題はどの程度の英語力が少なくとも必要なのかということです。敢えて「少なくとも」と断ったのは、上限がないからです。仕事で英語を使うためには、高度な４技能の力に加え、広範な語彙力および正確さが求められます。また、自国はもとより英語圏の社会・文化に関する一般知識、交渉力・リーダーシップなども必要です。つまり「人を動かす」ことができる英語力が求められるのです。

仕事で英語を使うための１つの目安は、TOEICテストのスコアが730点以上かどうかです。これは文科省が新任の英語教員に求める数値であり、大手企業が社員の海外派遣を決める基準値として使っています。航空関係では600点を基準にしている企業も多いようです。TOEIC730点というのは、英語をある程度正確に理解できる能力を示しています。

このレベルに到達するためには次の点を満たす必要があります。

1. 日常語彙を含めて広範な語彙力を持つこと
   
2. 正確な文法知識を持つこと
3. 何が書かれているかをある程度正確に把握できる読解力を持つこと
4. 自分の考えを論理的に話す能力を持つこと
5. まとまりのあるパラグラフが書けること

EAGLという名前には特別な意味が込められています。本学科は他大学の英語・英文学科とは異なる視点から英語教育を考えているのです。多くの大学が英米文学や英語学を中心にカリキュラムを構成しているのに対し、本学科は世界語としての英語の地位に注目し、コミュニケーション能力を高めるプログラムを開発しました。

その結果がスキル・体験（内外留学）・専門という３つの柱です。特に最初の２年間はスキルプログラムが充実しており、スキル科目は英語で授業を行います。また、教師と学生のemailのやりとりも英語です。つまり「英語は使って学ぶ」'Learn English by using it' の発想です。２年次から海外留学プログラムが始まり、毎年約半数の学生が提携校に留学（費用は別途必要）しています。

英語で専門を学ぶためには、高度な英語力と英語圏の文化や社会に関する背景知識が必要です。入学時からこのような能力を持ち合わせていれば別ですが、ほとんどの高校生は基本的な英語力しか持っていません。これは中学高校での英語教育環境を考えると仕方のない話です。スキルプログラムの充実はこのような現状から生まれました。 

本学科には、文学・英語学・政治学・英語教育・児童英語などを専門とするスタッフがいます。最終的にはこうした分野を専門的に学び、成果を英語の小論文にまとめます。論文は各ゼミごとにジャーナルとして印刷され公開されます。４技能の育成と専門知識の習得、これがEAGLの教育です。他大学のプログラムとぜひ比較してみてください。 

1. ネイティブスピーカーのような能力をつけたい
2. 仕事で英語が使える能力をつけたい
3. 外国人とコミュニケーションできる能力をつけたい