This syllabus outlines a course on British and American culture that will be taught on Thursdays. Students will learn reading strategies and explore various aspects of the two cultures through a textbook, newspaper articles, and a novel. Assessment will include tests, presentations, a news portfolio, book club participation, and professionalism. The course aims to improve students' reading comprehension, knowledge of British and American culture, and English proficiency.

1. Course Syllabus
Reading British &
American Culture
Thursday, period 7,8 / 9,10
Professor: A. Hayashi
010-6279-1872
professorhayashi@gmail.com
Course Description
This well-rounded content based reading course focuses on various aspects of British and
American Culture. An assortment of reading strategies will be learned and adopted in order to
advance reading comprehension in English. Students will discover interesting aspects of the
two cultures through reading the textbook, newspaper articles and a novel of the student’s
choice.
Course Objectives
1. Read and speak in ENGLISH (and only English!)
2. Learn and apply various reading strategies.
3. Learn about British and American Culture through reading the textbook, newspapers and
novels.
4. Demonstrate confidence and mastery of the materials covered in class.
5. Further English proficiency levels through vocabulary extension.
Professionalism
A professional business-like attitude is a must if you are to succeed in the marketplace.
Professionalism means being fully prepared, having a positive attitude, being punctual,
participating fully and being courteous to others. This is an intensive, interactive course.
Students must be prepared to fully engage themselves with the material and participate in an
active manner. Final marks will reflect your level of professionalism.
Required Textbook
1) Aspects of Britain and the USA, Oxford University Press, by Garwood, Gardani and Peris
2) A British or American novel of your choice
Assessment
Professionalism 10%
Book Club 10%
News Portfolio 10%
Article Discussion 15%
Midterm Exam 25%
Final Exam 30%

2. Notes on Assessment:
Every week, the designated class captain or assistant captain will be responsible for taking
attendance and/or other administrative duties. Professionalism will be earned by making
yourself available, unique and memorable. The more a student engages with the material, the
greater amount of professionalism marks will be awarded. Attendance and participation in
discussion are also essential to this component.
Throughout the semester, we will have book club days where students can bring in a book of
their choice to read. On the final reflection day, students will complete an in class assignment
to demonstrate their grasp of the material.
Students will also be expected to keep a news portfolio. Students will collect interesting news
articles from British and American newspapers and write short reflection pieces that include
new vocabulary. The more articles a student collects, the higher the portfolio grade will be.
In addition, students will be required to make one short in-class presentation on an article from
their news portfolio. Students should briefly summarize the article then ask 2 discussion
questions to the class.
Both the midterm and final exams will be of a similar format. This includes multiple choice,
short answer, and fill in the blanks.
Class Day/Period: _____________________________________________________
Class Captain:__________________________________________________________
Assistant Class Captain:_______________________________________________
Tentative Outline
Week 1 – September 4
Introduction and Class Syllabus
Week 2 – September 11
Book Club Day ***INDEPENDENT STUDY***
Week 3 – September 18
The British People
In-Class Presentation:
________________________________________________________________
Week 4 – September 25
The Geography of Britain
In-Class Presentation:
________________________________________________________________
Week 5 – October 2
British History
In-Class Presentation:
________________________________________________________________
Week 6 – October 9
***HOLIDAY***
Week 7 – October 16
British Institutions/Midterm Review Session
Week 8 – October 23
MIDTERM EXAM (25 % of final mark)

3. Week 9 – October 30
The American People
In-Class Presentation:
________________________________________________________________
Week 10 – November 6
American Geography
In-Class Presentation:
________________________________________________________________
Week 11 – November 13
Book Club Day - ***INDEPENDENT STUDY***
Week 12 – November 20
American History
In-Class Presentation:
________________________________________________________________
Week 13 – November 27
American Institutions
In-Class Presentation:
________________________________________________________________
Week 14 – December 4
Book Club Reflection (10% of final mark)
In-Class Presentation:
________________________________________________________________
Week 15 – December 11
Final Exam Review Session
News Portfolios due (10% of final mark)
In-Class Presentation:
________________________________________________________________
Week 16 – December 18
FINAL exam (30% of final mark)