Resumen

CARABELLI, Patricia. The specificity of English as a foreign language courses for university purposes: the case of the Universidad de la República. InterCambios [online]. 2025, vol.12, n.1, e206.  Epub 01-Dic-2025. ISSN 2301-0118.  https://doi.org/10.29156/inter.12.8.

Many universities include English as a foreign language courses due to the vitality and hegemony of this language in the academic and scientific areas. The Universidad de la República (Uruguay) embraces an open, plural, and diverse perspective to foreign languages. Between 2019 and 2022 courses of eleven different languages were offered - English among them, and most courses were of this language: twenty-three out of seventy-seven -. By carrying out an ethnography of discourse in educational contexts (Johnson, 2011), using different research techniques (document analysis, semi-structured interviews, surveys and classroom observations), the discursive knot (Jäger, 2003) regarding English language teaching, that includes an analysis concerning the way in which English language course are given at the Universidad de la República, was analyzed. It was concluded that, although heterogeneity exists regarding the variety of courses that are being offered, they are context-specific, as they share the university’s characteristics and prioritize the socio-cultural aspects of the language. The objectives, approaches and knowledge provided in them are linked to a university discursivity (Dogliotti, 2019) characteristic of the institution and to knowledge related to the disciplines that are studied in the faculties and centers where the courses are being taught.

Palabras clave : English as a foreign language teaching; English for academic purposes; English for specific purposes.

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