In the Name of God
Approaches to ESP Research and Practice
Dr. Zahra Amirian
Second semester, 1395-1396
This course introduces participants to the fundamental aspects related to theory, research and practice in English for Specific Purposes (ESP). Participants will be acquainted with the basic characteristics and theoretical concepts in ESP. They will also be exposed to major developments in the field of ESP research and practice. Participants will also be introduced to the concept of Target Situation Analysis (TSA) of target communities. In addition, they will be given practice in designing ESP syllabuses specific to particular groups of learners.
Its objectives include:
1) To develop an understanding about the factors that led to the emergence of ESP and the forces, both theoretical and applied, that have shaped its subsequent development.
2) To assist students develop needs assessments and genre analyses for specific groups of learners.
3) To assist students in preparing a syllabus, lesson and assessment plan based upon their needs assessments and genre analyses.
Weekly schedule:
Week 1: Introduction to the course, mode of implementation and assessment. Discussion on expectations of the course
Week 2: Introduction: The nature of ESP
(a) Defining ESP
(b) ESP vs. EGP
(c) Characteristics of ESP
Week 3: Developments in ESP
Week 4: Notions of Genre, Discourse Communities, Social Constructionism and Enculturation.
Week 5: Research traditions in ESP
Week 6: Target Situation Analysis – Introduction
Week 7: Target Situation Analysis
Briefing on Project Work
(a) A framework for TSA
(b) Data collection procedure
Week 8-9: Target Situation Analysis – Project Work (cont.)
(a) Sources of information
(b) Data analysis
(c) Progress report & peer evaluation
Week 10-11: Syllabus design in ESP
Designing a tentative syllabus related to Project Work
Week 12: Methodology in TESP: TESP vs. TEGP methodology
Week 13: EAP (recent trends and research areas)
(a) Teaching reading and listening for specific purposes
(b) Teaching writing and speaking for specific purposes
Week 14: English for science and technology (recent trends and research areas)
Week 15: Review session
Basic texts:
Basturkmen, H. (2006). Ideas and options in English for specific purposes. Lawrence Erlbaum
Associates, Inc.
Hutchinson, T. and Waters, A. (1987). English for Specific Purposes: A Learning-Centered
Approach. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press.
Robinson, P.C. (1991). ESP Today: A Practitioner’s Guide. New York: Prentice Hall.
Swales, J. M. (1991). Genre Analysis. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press.
Some major articles:
Belcher, D. D. (2004). Trends in teaching English for specific purposes. Annual Review of
Applied Linguistics. 24, 165-186.
Bosher, S. & Smalkoski, K. (2002). From needs analysis to curriculum development: Designing
a course in health-care communication for immigrant students in the USA. English for
Specific Purposes, 21(1): 59-79. (can be accessed online from IU Library website with an
IU account)
Dudley-Evans, T. (2000). Genre analysis: A key to a theory of ESP? Iberica, 2, 3-11. Also
available at: www.uv.es/aelfe/WebRAs/RA-2-Dudley.pdf
Johns, A. M. (1991). English for specific purposes (ESP): Its history and contributions. In M.
Celce-Murcia (Ed.), Teaching English as a second or foreign language (2nd ed., pp. 67-77).
New York: Newbury House.
Johns, A. M., & Price-Machada, D. (2001). English for specific purposes (ESP): Tailoring
courses to students' needs-and to the outside world. In M. Celce-Murcia (Ed.), Teaching
English as a second or foreign language (3rd ed., pp. 43-54). Boston: Heinle & Heinle.
West, R. (1994). Needs analysis in language teaching. Language Teaching 27(1): 1-19.
For Further Reference:
English for Specific Purposes, an International Research Journal.
Supplementary reading:
Nunan, D. (1988). The learner-centered curriculum. Cambridge University Press.
Stevick, E. W. (1991). Humanism in language teaching. OUP.
Crombie, W. Discourse and language learning; a relational approach to syllabus design. Oxford
University Press.
Munby, J. Communicative syllabus design; A sociolinguistic model for defining the content of
purpose-specific language programs. Cambridge University Press.
Evaluation:
Active class participation (critical review of the articles) 20%
Practical work (target-situation analysis for a specific group of learners + designing a tentative syllabus for that group) 40%
Final exam