Descripció general i informació rellevant |
This changing world requires us to adapt to new demands, especially as English
has become an international language increasingly used in a variety of situations and for
different purposes. In such a context, English language teachers are faced with the challenge to
help learners become effective language users for different tasks and in different situations,
whether academic or professional, that can be related to business, medicine, law, engineering,
tourism, etc. In fact, it is very likely that English language teachers nowadays find a job within
the domain of “English for Specific Purposes” (ESP). The objective of this module is to introduce
students to this important field of English language teaching (ELT). ESP consists in designing
courses based on learner needs and the characteristics of the disciplines and purposes for which
language is used. In this module, we’ll present some key issues in ESP by drawing on aspects of
linguistics and language teaching that are already familiar to students, such as needs analysis,
course design and materials development, teacher and learner roles, the teaching of language
skills, discourse and genre analysis, as well as information technology in the analysis and
teaching of English for specific purposes. Objectives This course will introduce students to key
concepts and trends in ESP so that they can draw on their own knowledge of applied linguistics
and language teaching in order to teach and study how language is used in different contexts
and for a variety of purposes. Specifically, it aims at helping students achieve the following
objectives: - To be aware of the role of English as an international language in a variety of
changing situations in international settings. - To be able to teach English in different situations
and for a variety of purposes. - To make the most of the teaching-learning process to achieve
greater effectiveness. - To become familiar with the tools to analyse the use of English in
academic and professional situations. - To be able to design courses and materials adapted to
language learners’ specific needs. - To be able to apply tools and methods in linguistics and
language teaching that are relevant to ESP teaching: the development of language skills,
discourse and genre analysis, course design, applications of information technology, etc. |