LANG42115: Teaching English for Academic Purposes (TEAP)

• at the end of this module, students will:
• have full working knowledge of the principle theoretical underpinnings of EAP
• be able to critically evaluate theory and practice in relation to wider cultural and global higher education contexts
• be able to locate EAP with respect to related research and discourses (eg Academic Literacies: Critical Pedagogy: Neoliberalism; (Inter)disciplinarity)
• have full understanding of the influence of relevant theory on EAP learning and teaching practice
• be able to critically evaluate new proposals in theoretical perspectives on academic discourse in terms of their applicability to EAP teaching
• be able to critically evaluate published EAP teaching resources in terms of their applicability to specific learning contexts
• be able to theorise personal practice in terms of current theoretical perspectives on EAP
• be able to apply relevant methods of enquiry to investigate issues in EAP within current theoretical frameworks

• in this module we will explore and critically assess the theory and practice of English for Academic Purposes (EAP). A central focus throughout will be the classroom practice of EAP and the needs of (mainly) international students preparing for university-level study in an English-speaking HE context.
• we examine the importance for teacher development and education of locating EAP within an understanding of university academic practices; the local affordances of institutions and practitioners; and the wider, global contexts of higher education.
• this context-sensitive view informs our exploration of EAP student needs, academic discourse, curriculum, assessment, pedagogies and teacher autonomy
• the module is informed partly by the Competency Framework for Teachers of EAP (BALEAP, 2008, 20014) but also adopts a critical stance in relation to this particular statement of the professional knowledge and competencies of EAP teachers

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• understanding of how disciplinary epistemologies impact academic textual and linguistic practices
• full understanding of the relationship between theory and practice in EAP course design, assessment and pedagogy
• understanding of current approaches to EAP teaching as they relate to different approaches to academic discourse analysis
• full understanding of the ways in which EAP theory and practice differ from mainstream English language teaching and CLT methodology

Subject-specific Skills:

• to be able to critically assess the relationship between theory and practice in published research and pedagogical literature
• to be able to critically assess the sociological and cultural influences on the localised practice of EAP
• to assess the merits of the most influential theories of academic writing that currently exist, including genre theory and academic literacies
• mastery of skills in critical teaching, drawing on current theory where possible

Key Skills:

• ability to read and understand primary texts
• ability to connect theoretical issues to an applied context
• ability to be critically reflexive, locating values and practices within an awareness of wider structures and contexts

• the lectures will introduce students to a range of theoretical and applied perspectives on current issues in English for Academic Purposes and the implications and applications for the EAP classroom that arise from them, such that students will have a good command of relevant theoretical background and be able to apply this knowledge to actual or envisaged teaching practice
• the seminars will provide a forum for discussion structured around weekly readings
• the tutorials will provide support for the course assessment so that the student adequately demonstrates an ability to research and organise complex material

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