Course Design: Case Study of Master I Mathematics at Tlemcen University

Abstract

English for Specific Purposes is a branch of English Language Teaching, it is aimed at learners with specific linguistics needs for a pre-determined and practical usage. The current study investigates the effectiveness of the English course offered at the department of mathematics at Tlemcen University, first year Master students were chosen as a sample population alongside their English teacher. The case study relied on three instruments: classroom observation, questionnaire and the interview. The results obtained from this case study stipulate that the course is closer to General English than it is to ESP. In fact, students’ needs are ignored for the most part because the syllabus is not built on needs analysis but rather on intuition, as an outcome, students still struggle with English and remain with the very basic linguistic competence. Bottom line is, English for specific purposes at the department of Mathematics is not up to the standards and would not be much of an assistance to students, be it in their current studies or during the postgraduate ones.