This 4th year class meets every Monday afternoon and has focussed on a number of areas including:

Teaching as a job: Many of the students in the class are planning to become teachers and activities have looked at that job, including from an international perspective. A BBC programme about students at Manchester Metropolitan University was used to look at why older people decide to become mature students on education courses and at how they are assessed.

Working Abroad: Some of the students in the class would like to work abroad in the future, so we look at such people's experiences. Material included a BBC programme on Filipino nurses who are working in the health service in England and an article on the multicultural staff at the Hilton Hotel in Washington D.C.

Dilemmas: We discuss a wide range of issues which bring out different viewpoints. Issues we have looked at have included:

The high-profile case of a twelve year old boy in Nagasaki who is accused of murdering a four year old. He is under the age of criminal responsibility in Japan.

The amusement park in the centre of Tokyo whose new ride has turned out to be much noisier than expected for residents in the area.

The convert to Islam in Florida, U.S.A., who wanted the right to remain wearing a veil when she was photographed for her driver's licence.

Thesis Development: Students are encouraged to talk about and present their ideas for their graduation theses.

Students are also encouraged to borrow books (including graded readers), DVDs and videos to improve their listening and reading skills.

Students also have the opportunity to meet visitors. The last, shown here, was on 1st December, when they met Rika Kojima, who is working for a U.S. publisher, to find out what it is like to be in a job working for a foreign company and to be involved in sales.

Photo: Takao Imai