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Matthew T. Apple
Professor, Ritsumeikan University
Undergraduate courses at Ritsumeikan University College of Letters
Currently, I teach five separate courses; English 7 & 8, AW I/II, ARD I/II, and AP I/II are second-year required CBI courses with similar content, and the ILT and L&T courses are electives for 2nd year and above. My language courses are aimed at students in the International Studies and English Communication major, while my subject area courses can be taken by any undergraduate student in the College of Letters or international exchange student in the Studies in Kansai Program.
English VII / VIII: Current Events and Global Issues (Discussion)
Spring and Fall terms
(2nd years)
English 7 & 8 are courses devoted to current news around the world. We read about and discuss economic, social, and political issues both on a local and a global level.
Students are expected to produce an academic research presentation detailing one issue discussed in class.
Academic Presentation I / II

Spring and Fall Terms
(2nd years)
Students will learn how to plan, prepare, and give effective academic presentations based on their own research. The spring course focuses on developing an effective public speaking voice as well as physical presentation skills. The fall course will allow students to improve presentation structure, their use of visual imagery, and learn how to interact with the audience.
Academic Writing I / II

Spring and Fall Terms
(2nd years)
Writing is often thought of as a solitary activity, but all writing needs a reader, and all good writers need advice and help from other writers. In this class, we first focus on how to use the writing process to generate and organize ideas and to revise and improve logical flow and coherence.
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Once we have mastered the paragraph, we move on to academic essays and basic research paper writing skills.
Academic Reading and Discussion I / II

Spring and Fall Terms
(2nd years)
Understanding academic texts written in English requires not just vocabulary knowledge but also discourse-level knowledge, phrasal acuity, and cultural awareness. In this course, we encounter reading assignments as well as video tie-ins on a weekly basis to improve our overall reading and discussion abilities.
We also use various top-down and bottom-up reading strategies while learning about various topics, such as GMO, native American peoples, and music history.
Innovations in Language Teaching

Fall Term
(2nd year and above)
This course will introduce new methods and techniques for second language teaching. It is expected that students have some understanding of basic theories of second language acquisition prior to taking this course. Teaching methods covered include content and language integrated learning (CLIL), project-based learning (PBL), and the effective use of course management systems (CMS) to promote blended learning in the classroom. Alternative performance assessment tools such as portfolios and presentations will be examined. Ways in which teachers can utilize language corpora and various online audiovisual materials will also be investigated. Finally, various cooperative learning and peer scaffolding techniques will be introduced. Course content will frequently be updated to reflect the results of new second language acquisition research.
Language and Technology

Spring Term
(2nd year and above)
This course presents ways in which modern advances in technology interact with and influence English and people who use English to communicate with others in cultures around the world. Computer assisted language learning (CALL) has long been used to promote the learning of second languages; however, recent tools such as smartphones and the rapidly expanding use of social networking services (SNS) have dramatically increased the rate of language exchange and change. Virtual online communities of practice not only facilitate the creation of new words, phrases, and audiovisual means of communicating, but also present new challenges in the presentation of the self and the understanding of others. This class explores the interactive influences of language and technology on each other.
Special Seminar TE

Spring and Fall Terms
(3rd years and 4th years)
This seminar course introduces student to the concept of Global Englishes. Student learn about the history of the English language, how it developed and was influenced by other languages, how pidgins and creoles were formed, and how English continues to evolve and change around the world.
Students are normally expected to continue the course as 4th year students, when they will be required to conduct and write up a research project for graduation.
​This course is being taught by me for the 2023-2024 academic year in the place of a teacher on overseas sabbatical. It will revert to him from April 2024.
Graduate school courses (at other universities)
This course provides an overview of current theory and research into the influence of psychological constructs on foreign language learning. Readings and discussions will center around such important concepts as personality, language aptitude, motivation, and anxiety, among others. In order to further deepen their understanding of these variables and learn how they can be operationalized for future research, students will be given an opportunity to try out and assess research instruments commonly used to measure these constructs. Students will also be encouraged to explore the pedagogical implications of these constructs in order to better understand their role in language learning and how educators can capitalize on these differences in an attempt to more effectively instruct their students. In addition to the main textbook, course participants will submit weekly summary assignments of journal articles and answer questions about their contents, lead several in-class group discussions to deepen their knowledge and understanding of concepts and variables presented in class by the instructor, and write two course papers (one short literature review and one longer research or pedagogical project).
​(This course was last offered in 2021 and currently is planned again for 2023 or 2024.)
Introduction to Language Learning Motivation

Summer Intensive
(Nagoya University of Foreign Studies)
The purpose of this course twofold: to introduce concepts related to second or foreign language learning motivation and to encourage language instructors or instructors in training to apply motivational research to their own language teaching and learning contexts. Readings will help course participants comprehend the multiplicity of theories of motivation and how they can conduct their own classroom-based research to help both learners and teachers.
Three main goals are:
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to develop an understanding of language learning motivational theories;
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to develop the ability to think critically about motivational research findings;
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to connect theories of motivation to particular second or foreign language teaching contexts.
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​(This course is offered annually.)
Previous courses
In the past, I taught a seminar class ("zemi") for third and fourth year students about psychological aspects of language learning. I have no idea if I will teach it again in the future, but only time will tell. Other previously taught courses will be listed here from 2021.
This introductory lecture course gives students a basic overview of concepts related to language studies, including grammar variations, dialects and accents, bi-/multilingualism, endangered languages and language revival, and applied linguistics.
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Students are expected to take careful notes and after several comprehensive quizzes, present the results of their own investigations into a particular area of language studies that interests them.
Cultural Studies II (Intercultural Communication)

Spring term
(3rd and 4th year Advanced English Program and Study in Kyoto Program majors only)
This cultural studies course focuses on how globalization has changed the modern world's need for greater intercultural awareness and communication skills.
Students read about the various aspects of language, culture, and history needed to better communicate with those from different sociocultural backgrounds.
​This course has been cancelled (from 2022).
This seminar course is designed for to introduce concepts, pedagogical tools, and research topics related to the teaching and researching of second language learning.
Students are normally expected to continue the course as 4th year students, when they will be required to conduct and write up a research project for graduation.
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​This seminar course is currently closed.
Academic Listening and Study Skills

Spring and Fall Terms
(2nd years)
In this course, students focus on improving their academic English listening skills. We learn basic suprasegmentals (such as sentence-level stress and intonational patterns) as well as conversational and lecture-specific discourse markers. Skills include basic note-taking and summary skills.

The course content covers a wide variety of cultural information, from Northern African tribal culture to modern art and fashion.
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