The Language Education Centre (LEC) was established in 2003 (originally called the Foreign Language Education Center) to provide language teaching support to all students of Okayama University. LEC is composed of three main parts – English, ‘other’ foreign languages (French, German, Russian, Italian, Chinese and Korean), and Japanese for international students. This handbook is directed at the centre’s 70 full-time and part-time English teachers.
The largest and most significant role of the English department is to teach required English courses for first- and second-year students. The main goal of the program is to develop students’ practical and academic English proficiency. The mission statement (still being refined) is as follows:
The primary purpose of English education at Okayama University is to help fulfill its role as a top research university. Our goal is to improve students’ English proficiency as well as critical and creative thinking skills in order to enable students to convey their opinions effectively and to acquire knowledge which can be practically applied to their academic field and society.
The main courses that LEC provides are English Communication 1-3 for first-year students and Integrated English 5 for second-year students (the second-year courses will change to English Communication 4-6 from 2017). These classes are offered 1st through 6th periods.
In addition to the required courses, ‘advanced’courses (joukyuu eigo and pre-joukyuu eigo) are offered in the 7th and 8th periods. These classes serve as electives for students who want to further refine their English proficiency. These courses can also be taken by students in the ‘Minor Program in English’. (Note: Full-time teachers also teach in the Special Program for Academic English (SPAcE), which is a part of the Global Human Resource Development Program, also referred as the Global Jinzai program or the G course).