Digital Writing and Publication

This introductory lecture video contains a historical overview of digital content creation and highlights the ways in which it is different to more traditional forms of text. The course is a mix of theory and practical application, with a focus on the analysis and production of writing for digital spaces. Students also learn industry-standard practices, such as identifying an audience and writing to a specific style guide.

Course syllabus 

Introduction to Sociology

This video introduces a 100-level course, Introduction to Sociology. Sociology as a field is devoted to understanding society. Sociology goes beyond and looks critically at “common sense”—the ideas that most people consider true and take for granted—to unravel the social processes that produce “society.” In understanding society, we also acquire an understanding of ourselves in the context of society.

Course syllabus 

Introduction to Second Language Education Seminar

Area: Education
Professor: Machiko Kobori
Current enrolment (2020 AY): 16 students
Related courses: TESOLⅠ~Ⅳ, English Teaching in Primary School, Comparative Education.

Content & Approach

This seminar is for students who want to explore effective teaching and learning by providing insight into the educational theory and lesson planning for educators, as well as education-specific skills within the context of second language (L2) education. Much attention is paid to examining, reflecting on, and discussing significant aspects and factors of successful L2 teaching and learning. This is in order to encourage students to consider how they can contribute to learner achievements, and what it means for them to get involved in L2 education within the context of professional development.

Having taken previous classes on similar topics, students entering the seminar will already be familiar with the major studies on L2 education and the related concepts of L2 teaching and learning experiences which vary by learner and teacher variables (such as ethnic backgrounds, ages, working conditions, etc.). They are also expected to know how to establish rapport/mutual understandings in their own seminar community through presentation, discussion, and other active learning activities and tasks. Students taking this seminar will have already been acquainted with such in-class activities based on their acquiring different perspectives in an interdisciplinary way from other courses in our curriculum (e.g. psychology, sociology, international relations, and business management).

Special Project

1. Junior students are mainly required to focus on finding their research topic.
2. Senior students are required to plan their research project and conduct it based on their related activities in the previous year, and to present it through a presentation and research paper. Example research topics: Primary English and L2 motivation, Demotivation and L2 teaching, The usage of L1 and L2 learning, etc. (Please check our URL: Communication Magazine Hosei)
3. We have been managing our own language courses/lessons in educational organisations: annual English summer class in a primary school in suburban Tokyo, English classes in primary schools in Taiwan, etc. (please visit our HP if you are interested in our current activity to teach English online through our English course: Homepage)

Additional Information

• We will continue our English programme over the summer and fall semester of 2020 and beyond.
• We would like to create more video clips to learn English through various sports for our English courses. (Please check the related URLs in our HP: where we introduce ‘Yoga’)
• We would like to visit different educational organisations to hold our English classes, especially in primary schools. (Visiting classes abroad is unfortunately postponed for the moment.)