Course Description
1. Course Description:
This course is designed for third year level students as an introduction to English for Specific Purposes. It tackles the past, present and future of specialised courses and research in ESP. It helps students build a solid ground on ESP, its emergence, development and current status. Additionally, it provides vital details on designing specialised courses and following a coherent set of steps to fulfill specialised learners of English in the most efficient and least time and energy-consuming manner.
2. Prerequisite Knowledge:
To attend this course, students should show adequate linguistic proficiency in both receptive and productive skills. Students should also acquire a standard knowledge of language aspects, linguistics and didactics. Skills related to Information and Communication Technologies are of a great importance and will serve learners’ learning process immensely.
3. Course Objectives
These course aims to provide learners with a solid foundation in understanding the principles, theories, and practices of ESP, enabling them to effectively design, adapt, and deliver ESP courses to meet the language needs of learners in specific professional fields. By the end of the course, learners will be able to:
- Understand the concept and scope of English for Specific Purposes (ESP): Familiarize language teachers with the definition, characteristics, and importance of ESP as a specialized approach to language teaching.
- Explore the key principles and theories of ESP: Introduce language teachers to the theoretical foundations underlying ESP, including the notion of needs analysis, domain-specific language, and the role of discourse analysis in ESP instruction.
- Identify the distinguishing features of ESP learners and their language needs: Develop the ability to recognize the unique characteristics and language requirements of learners in specific professional fields and understand the importance of conducting needs analysis.
- Analyze the role of context and purpose in ESP instruction: Explore the influence of the professional context and learners' specific purposes on ESP teaching and learning, emphasizing the importance of relevance and authenticity in materials and activities.
- Examine different approaches and methodologies in ESP: Introduce language teachers to various instructional approaches used in ESP, such as genre-based approaches, task-based approaches, and content-based instruction, and explore their application in different professional domains.
4. Assessment and Grading:
Participants will be assessed based on their active participation in discussions, completion of assignments and projects, and a final project that demonstrates their understanding and application of ESP teaching principles and strategies.
By the end of this ESP module for language teachers, participants will have acquired the necessary knowledge, skills, and resources to design, implement, and evaluate ESP courses effectively. They will be well-equipped to cater to the specific language needs of learners in professional fields and create engaging and successful learning experiences.
5.Course Policies:
Ethical and academic behaviour are highly required and to be respected during the whole academic year. No tolerance policy on dishonesty, cheating, plagiarism and providing misleading information. Finally, students are allowed to use different electronic devices and other sources of information, only for educational purposes.