Main Courses Offered:
Tutorial I B, Tutorial II AB, Seminar I AB, Seminar II AB
The most distinctive characteristic of the English Language and Literature Course is that most of the courses are conducted in very small groups. This is especially the case in the Tutorials for the first and the second year students and the Seminars for the third and the fourth year students where each professor devotes his/her energy to instructing about 10 students. This kind of teaching method is derived from the excellent educational method of such prestigious English universities as Oxford and Cambridge. The general method is that professors closely analyze literary works, discuss various thematic content with the students and encourage them to compose essays and present their own opinions in the classes.
When the students become third years, they choose their academic supervisor from professors in the department and are divided into some seminar groups. They are expected by their academic supervisor to read several literary works and write a series of content-based essays over the two year period until graduation. This kind of intensive study culminates with the writing of graduation thesis which must be submitted to Kindai University in order to graduate.
Anglo Fiction Studies, American Fiction Studies, Children's Literature
In English Language and Literature Course, there are 6 full-time faculty members. All of them deliver lectures to students on their specialist academic fields. For the details of their main research areas, consult the “Faculty” page on the website. The average number of students in each lecture is between 20 to 30 students; these rather small numbers facilitates students to ask questions and participate interactively in class.
Film and Literature
It can be a rather daunting task for first-year students to come to comprehend the long and complex history of Anglo-American literature once they enter our Department at Kindai University. Six faculty members present and explain several classical movies based on famous literary texts, discuss their principal themes, and educate students on how to appreciate and analyze the movies and their literary sources. This course provides a good foundation to literary and cultural criticism.
Global Issues and Literature
As our world is an ever-increasingly globally connected place, the Reading Global Issues Course equips students with the necessary language and cognitive skills to comprehend and think for themselves on significant international issues of our time. These include topics on Human Rights, the environment, international conflicts and popular culture. Students are invited to read about such themes from the most reliable media sources, so they can get real exposure to the real issues that challenge our world in the 21st century.
Practical English
Several Japanese universities tend to adapt TOEIC as a standard test in examining college students’ English proficiency. The English Language and Literature Course not merely provides students with excellent preparations courses for TOEIC tests but also professional training to take high scores in globally recognized tests like TOEFL and IELTS, which allow students to enroll in prestigious international universities throughout the world.
