山梨大(甲府市武田)は2016年度までに、ほぼすべての講義でテキストを英語の書籍とし、英語で講義することを決めた。
全学的な講義の英語化は、国際教育に特化した大学を除けば極めて珍しい。専門性の高い分野では、学生への負担増も課題となりそうだ。
同大総務課によると、英語化するのは、日本文学など日本語の使用が必須な科目を除く全講義。来春から段階的に導入し、4年後をめどに完全移行する。
段階的導入には、教員が英語で指導する準備期間を確保することや、一斉導入による学生のテキスト購入費の急増を避ける狙いがある。入試でも、早ければ16年実施の試験から、全学部の2次試験に英語を課すなど、比重増加を検討する。
英語化は、前田秀一郎学長や理事、学部長など10人で構成する「グローバル化推進会議」で10月に決定。既に大学院では、一部の講義の英語化を始めており、同課は「グローバル化に乗り遅れることなく、優秀な人材を育てる環境を整えたい」と説明する。
文部科学省大学振興課によると、全学的に講義を英語化し、英語の授業だけで卒業が可能な大学は、国際教養大(秋田市)の例があるが、「ほかには把握しておらず、珍しいのではないか」としている。
山梨大は医学、工学、生命環境学、教育人間科学の4学部。同大総務課は「元々英語の方が講義を進めやすい科目も多く、英語化はしやすい」としている。
これに対し、学内の意見はさまざま。ある男性教員は「日本語の教材よりレベルが高く適切な英語教材があれば、既に使っているはず。今の学生の英語力では、4年後の移行は正直難しいだろう。特に何も変えるつもりはない」と冷ややかだ。教育人間科学部4年の男子学生(23)は「英語を重視した特色のある大学として、就職の時に有利になるかも」と話し、工学部1年の女子学生(18)は「いきなり英語になっても、授業の内容を理解できるか不安」と漏らした。
(2012年11月13日16時41分 読売新聞)
(試譯文)
The transition in giving all lectures in
English was something very new except for the universities which specialized in
international education. Turning into a field of highly specialized nature, together
with the increase in the burden to students would likely to become a subject of
discussion.
According to the administration division of
the same university regarding switching lectures into English, all lectures
would be translated into English except for subjects which using Japanese was
indispensable, such as Japanese literature. English would be introduced
gradually starting from next spring and carried out in full swing within the
limit of four years from now.
In the introduction phase, there was the aim
to ensure that teachers could secure the preparation period in giving guidance
in English and simultaneously avoid rapid increase in textbook buying expenses
for students. Because the entrance examination would be conducted as early as
in 2016, there would be a review on the right percentage increase in imposing
English on the secondary examinations for all the faculties.
The conversion into English was determined
in October at "the globalization promotion meeting" which consisted
of ten people, such as President Shuichiro Maeda, together with the Director and
the Dean. The translation of some parts of the lectures into English had
already begun in the graduate school, and the same section explained that
"we would like to improve the environment where excellent and talented people
are brought up, without missing the globalization".
According to the University Administration
Improvement Division of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and
Technology, the International Culture University (Akita city) although was an
example of a university that converted into English for all lectures in all the
studies, and could give English lessons which could provide graduation,
"others do not grasp it and are considering it as something new."
On the other hand, opinion inside the
school was divided. A certain male teacher said coldly that "if there is
English teaching material that is of suitable high-level and is better than
Japanese material in teaching, already it should have been used. Noting the
present student's command of English and the shift in four years from now,
honestly and probably, it would be difficult. There is no special plan to
change anything”. A male fourth year student of the educational human science (23) said "as a university that had a special feature of treating English
as important, it could become advantageous at the time of employment"; a
female first-year student at the faculty of technology (18) revealed by saying that
"if it becomes English suddenly, there was worry whether the contents of
the lessons could be understood".
So, as far as this university is concerned,
one of the meanings of going globalization is to help students to learn and use
English.