ENLT508 CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN ELT

Course Objectives

This course focuses on the field of English Language Teaching (henceforth, ELT) as a glocal (a global phenomenon with a set of local implications) profession. In this course, we are going to explore a wide variety of issues, topics, debates and trends that have played a significant role in the development of the ELT, both as a profession and as an activity.  As course participants, you are going to get more familiar with research interests in ELT in relation to the socio-political, socio-cultural, economic, and intellectual influences and shifts in the field. As part of our classwork, we are going to survey fundamental issues in ELT, including (but certainly not limited to) language teaching methodology, language teacher education, ELT in Northern Cyprus and Turkey, critical approaches to ELT, and second language learning and technology.  

Participants in this course will learn:

• the political and intellectual roots of ELT
• social, economic and cultural influences on ELT
• key issues, trends, debates, paradoxes in ELT
• the impact of current theories and research findings on classroom practices

Course Content

Analyzing current academic research, scholarship, and debates in broad areas of English language teaching. These areas include, but are not limited to, teaching English to Turkish speakers, linguistics, language acquisition, the Turkish educational system, technology and language instruction, and global Englishes.

Course Learning Outcomes

Participants successfully completing this course will be able to:

• define the intellectual and professional parameters of ELT
• use key concepts and terms related to ELT
• utilize various theoretical frameworks in their discussions and analyses
• explore and critique the roles played by ELT in various contexts
• describe and assess the implications of theoretical/practical developments to ELT