Establishing disciplinary english in the curriculum for english majors in chinese tertiary education

Abstract

Despite several reforms in English language teaching (ELT) for English majors at university level in China over the past decades, few studies have paid attention to how the curriculum for English majors needs modifying. The article calls for the establishment of disciplinary English as an important component in the English major curriculum in Chinese tertiary education. Focusing specifically on the development of ELT for English majors, this article discusses how disciplinary English might help solve literacy problems faced by English majors and clarifies the need for disciplinary English and its position in the English major curriculum. Disciplinary English is the research and teaching of English used in disciplines in higher education context and it can be further classified in line with different types of disciplines and fields of practice. Disciplinary English is related to English for academic purposes (EAP) and disciplinary literacy in six aspects: context, students, nature, syllabus, aim, and focus. The establishment of disciplinary English in the English major curriculum has important implications for the future development of ELT for English majors in China.