Popescu, Teodora (2017) The Business English Language Curriculum. Project Report. Editura MEGA, Cluj-Napoca.
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Abstract
The present study came to life as a result of the scientific inquiry and classroom practice I carried out over a period of almost twenty years of teaching business English at tertiary level, before, during and after completing a PhD thesis in Business English language curricula. I have constantly, throughout these years, tried to combine theoretical investigations with practical applications, and whenever possible, I kept a record of the analysis of quantitative and qualitative data obtained as a result of my classroom research, and analysed it in order to improve my teaching performance and my students’ learning experiences, or, as the case may be, to present the results on different occasions, such as conferences or round tables dedicated to the subject. It is structured into four main chapters, which lead us along the path of business language curriculum, from the general, wider perspective upon curriculum to more hands-on, practice- and research-based approaches to business English. The first chapter, Curriculum. A history of the concept focuses on the evolution of curriculum, from its birth to nowadays theory and practice. The main definitions, together an overview of the main theorists’ models and philosophies are presented, although not exhaustively. Curriculum, as an overarching concept will by necessity include learning situations and experiences, as well as the design, implementation and evaluation of educational programmes. Types and components of curriculum are also described, with an emphasis on current challenges of the contemporary world. Chapter two, The language curriculum deals with some aspects of what makes the difference between curriculum and syllabus, and addresses the historical typology of the language syllabus. Therefore, it describes, in turn, the formal, functional, situational / topical, lexical, skills-based, procedural, process and task-based syllabi, assessing their relevance to the process of language learning / teaching. 10 The third chapter, The business language curriculum tackles the subject of the business language education within the larger framework of English for Specific Purposes, a part of which it is indeed, functioning according to the ESP principles and methodology. It starts with an introduction into the history of ESP, continuing with a conceptual framework, including purpose, content and categories. The history of ESP is further analysed through the description of the main development stages up to the 21st century and present-day challenges. A special emphasis is placed on ESP course evaluation and the ways in which this can be achieved. Next, the chapter addresses the distinction between General English and Business English. Specific topics pertaining to business English are tackled, such as materials design, the interplay of culture and business language, or the metaphoricity of business English. Finally, a potential paradigm for the design and implementation of business language programmes is brought forth, drawing on the model already envisaged by Popescu as back as 2006, as a result of her doctoral research. Chapter four, Practical applications concentrates on several hands-on aspects related to the business language curriculum, such as materials design with a focus on both skills and grammar and lexis knowledge, translation in the business English class, business dictionaries and glossaries, and last, but not least, CLIL applications for tertiary education. All in all, the book is intended for teachers of business and ESP teachers in general, who need to keep up to date with the latest developments in the field (such as the use of corpus studies, CLIL or EAP methodological suggestions). It can be equally useful to MA students of English who want to expand their knowledge in the field of the business language subgenre.
| Item Type: | Monograph (Project Report) |
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| Additional Information: | This work was supported by a grant of the Romanian National Authority for Scientific Research and Innovation, CNCS – UEFISCDI, project number PN-II-RU-TE-2014-4-2785, project title: UNIVERSALS AND VARIANTS OF ENGLISH AND ROMANIAN BUSINESS METAPHORS. A CORPUS-BASED CONCEPTUAL MAPPING OF CONTEMPORARY JOURNALESE. |
| Publisher: | Editura MEGA |
| Place of Publication: | Cluj-Napoca |
| Status: | Published |
| Date Deposited: | 10 Jun 2020 14:19 |
| Last Modified: | 10 Jun 2020 14:19 |
| URI: | https://ebooks.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/331 |
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