veranstalter: Stefan Keller (FHNW, PH Basel)
ansprechpartner: Miriam Locher
email: miriam.locher@unibas.ch
web:
institution: HPSL
language: Englisch
location institution: Basel
date_raw: 21.11.2013, 10:15-12:00h
date_sort: 21.11.2013, 00:00:00

‘Genre’ as a basis for understanding and teaching English for special purposes

Prof. Dr. Stefan Keller (FHNW / PH Basel)

In this lecture, I will work from the notion that all communication – written as well as spoken – happens within genres. The linguistic concept of genre is therefore a powerful starting-point for understanding what is ‘special’ or ‘specific’ about certain contexts of language use. We will explore this notion from two perspectives: ‘genre’ as a kind of text and as a social practice. We will then investigate how this notion can become fruitful for teaching English for special purposes in a Swiss context. Students will be asked to reflect on the relative importance of certain genres, and their internal structure. They will also have the chance to design learning tasks based on the premises that learning a language (a) is a social activity; (b) requires specific outcomes and expectations; and (c) involves knowledge of specific conventions and modes of expression.