Intermediate listening and speaking is a course designed to develop students listening and speaking skills. In this course, a combination of visual and oral information from authentic sources that have an intrinsic attractiveness and interest for students will be presented. Podcast material will be selected from primarily STEM subject areas along with other academic and cultural fields. Also, selected documentaries will be used to provide rich cultural and linguistic material to stimulate the student’s senses and provide ample listening and speaking opportunities. This is an integrated skills course that requires students to participate actively in class throughout the semester.

Basic English course completion/level out

Group Circle Preparation Homework 20%
Summaries 10%
Interviews 10%
Presentations 20%
Final Project (Creating a Documentary) 20%
Daily Participation 20%

All materials will be provided by the teacher

Introduction to the course and sample class
i) Why don’t penguins’ feet freeze? (Brain Stuff) player.fm
ii) Why do bruises change color? (Brain Stuff) player.fm
i) Why don’t humans have tails? (Brain Stuff) player.fm
ii) How did a family feud spawn Adidas and Puma? (Brain Stuff) player.fm

i) Why can’t people remember being born? (Brain Stuff) player.fm
ii) But really, can you stand in front of the microwave? (Science Friday)
i) The call of the great indoors. (This American Life)
ii) How creative are you? (Science and Creativity
i) How time-travel stories borrow from Einstein. (Science and Creativity)
ii) Podcast Interviews
i) Introduction to Documentaries
ii) Documentary Workshop
Midterm Week
i) School Swap Korea (BBC)
ii) Fast Foods (History 101)
i) The Space Race (History 101)
ii) Dreams (Brainchild)
i) Crisanto Street & Sam and the Plant Next Door (The Guardian)
ii) Social Media (Brainchild)
i) Stay Woke (youtube)
ii) Plastics (History 101)
i) AIDS (History 101)
ii) Robots (History 101)
i) The Rise of China
ii) Feminism (History 101)
Documentary Interviews
Finals Week

This course will be operated as a flipped learning class

I would like to wish you a very warm welcome to this class. I hope that we can learn and grow together, as well as gather some happy memories along the way. To make the most of our class, I think that it is important for us to work together as a team. In order create the best possible classroom environment, I would ask you to pay attention to the following classroom rules:

i) If you have a question, please ask. You can ask a question by simply raising your hand during class time, or you can ask at the end of the class. Your questions are important.
ii) If you have an emergency, please call. You can call me personally, or you can get in touch with a member of staff in the departmental office. Communication is crucial.
iii) Manage your time. Arrive in your classroom a few minutes before class begins, and locate the materials that you need to study. This will help you to have a more relaxed learning experience.
iv) Manage your participation. During class, restrict phone-calls and toilet breaks to ‘emergency only’. This will help you to have a more productive learning experience.
v) Believe in yourself, and the others around you. You are part of a very special and talented team. You can make a positive difference.