8. trends in teaching english for specific purposes

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Benesch, S. (2001a). 

Critical English for academic purposes: Theory, politics, and 

practice

. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. 

 

For those interested in how a critical approach to pedagogy can be 

realized in the EAP classroom, Benesch provides clearly reasoned, well 

illustrated accounts of her own classroom practice.  The author is especially 

adept at articulating in practitioner-friendly terms her own critical stance and 

that of the critical theorists who have influenced her.  Benesch’s book helps 

readers redefine EAP, especially the subject-area linked EAP class, as much 

more than a “service” to the rest of the academic community. 

 

Candlin, C. (Ed.). (2002). 

Research and practice in professional discourse

. Hong 

Kong: City University of Hong Kong Press. 

 

Candlin’s edited volume is impressive in the scope of its coverage 

of what Bhatia refers to (in this same volume) as “professional discourse 

analysis.”  The 26 chapters report and reflect on discourse practices in a 

broad range of areas, including health and social care, business 

communication, the academy, and the media.  Although the methods focused 

on, such as ethnography, genre analysis, corpus linguistics, and 

conversational analysis, primarily relate to research rather than to pedagogy, 

---

180  DIANE D. BELCHER 

 

ESP practitioners, who are, by necessity and choice, discourse analysts, 

should find much of interest in this volume. 

 

Hewings, M. (Ed.) (2001). 

Academic writing in context: Implications and 

applications: Papers in honour of Tony Dudley-Evans

. Birmingham, UK: 

University of Birmingham Press. 

 

This collection of 15 original essays is an unusually stimulating and 

engaging Festschrift, quite appropriate as a tribute to one of the most 

significant contributors to the popularity and development of ESP over the 

course of three decades.  The chapters cover a wide array of EAP topics, 

ranging from issues relevant to the socialization of novice academic readers 

and writers, to the specific rhetorical and linguistic features of genres within 

and across various disciplines.   

 

Johns, A. (Ed.). (2002). 

Genre in the classroom: Multiple perspectives

. Mahwah, NJ: 

Erlbaum. 

 

Johns has assembled, in this 17-chapter volume, representatives of 

all three major schools of thought in genre studies: the Sydney School, New 

Rhetoric, and ESP.  The contributors consider what a genre approach can (or 

cannot) offer classroom practitioners.  This volume succeeds as few others 

have in showcasing the multiplicity of views on genre as a concept and as a 

facilitator of literacy and language learning. 

 

Orr, T. (Ed.). (2002). 

English for specific purposes

. Alexandria, VA: TESOL. 

 

Like other volumes in the TESOL Case Studies Series, this book 

was written by and for practitioners.  Readers should find especially helpful 

the concise and straightforward accounts of the curricular decision-making 

processes of each of the ESP contributors.  The 12 chapters address 

classroom-practice issues in both academic and workplace settings, many of 

which are familiar ESP domains, such as English for legal purposes, for 

medical purposes, and for business.  Much less familiar sites of ESP 

practice, however, are also represented, including English for shipbuilding, 

for tourism, and for the horse-racing business.