Abstract:

The paper presents the experience of the Department of Foreign Languages, Ecological Faculty, RUDN University in teaching English for specific purposes (ESP). A case study of the evaluation and introduction of “An Ecomodernist Manifesto” in ESP classes is discussed here. “An Ecomodernist Manifesto” is a 25-page essay written by 18 environmental scientists, activists, and scholars. “An Ecomodernist Manifesto” covers a wide range of environmental issues: population growth, climate change, air and water pollution, global warming, deforestation, extinction, urbanization, renewable energy, etc. The authors of the manifesto approve of urbanization, agricultural intensification, nuclear power, aquaculture, and desalination while they disapprove of suburbanization, low-yield farming, and many forms of renewable energy production. The manifesto was considered to be controversial and inspired much debate. Its critics’ opinions varied from highly positive to strongly negative. The present study is an attempt to evaluate the content of the manifesto as a means to enhance ecological faculty students’ environmental and ethical awareness in ESP classes. The respondents in the study were the students of the Ecological Faculty of RUDN University with the upper-intermediate and advanced level of language proficiency.

Keywords:

Teaching and studying foreign languages, English for specific purposes (ESP), teaching material, environmental and ethical awareness, case study.