2002-09-25
Attention all first-year medical students:
During the week of October 15-18, all M1s will begin Medical English 1. Classes will be held from 15:00 to 16:30 from Tuesday to Friday each week, and you are required to attend one ME1 class per week, on the same day every week, for ten weeks.
You are required to attend every class except when you are ill or have a special excuse; circumstances of all absences must be communicated to the instructor in writing. Attendance, however, is the only requirement: there will be little homework and no final exam.
As your instructor, I am asking you to choose the day of the week (i.e., Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday) you wish to attend Medical English 1. You should base your choice on your self-assessed English ability and on your availability on that day of the week. Tuesday classes are for students who are confident of their English ability and eager to work hard. Friday classes are for those who require basic English instruction. Wednesday and Thursday classes are for those of intermediate ability. You may choose the day you prefer, but I will override your choice if necessary.
Although the course content will be very similar in all classes (listening practice and discussions), students will be assigned whenever possible to a class where the other students are of similar English-language ability. There is one exception, however: students who choose to focus all their attention on oral presentations in English will meet each Thursday with Dr Joseph Green, instead of each Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday with me, Christopher Holmes. If you prefer to spend all your ME1 time on oral presentations, reply to this e-mail by specifying that you wish to take Dr Green's Thursday class. Otherwise (that is, if you prefer to take a general medical English class with listening practice and discussions), choose a day based on your self-assessed ability and reply to this e-mail before October 10, 2002. If you do not choose a class day by that date, I will assign you randomly to a class day, subject to change later.
This information will also be posted on the bulletin board, and you may choose your class day preference at the Kyoumuka office (instead of by sending e-mail to me). Please ensure that all of your classmates are aware of this announcement and respond before October 10.
I look forward to seeing you in class.
Sincerely,
Christopher Holmes
University of Tokyo Faculty of Medicine