Abstract:

Among engineering specialisms, Architecture is the one whose foundational pillars stand in science and art, in technology development and the search for beauty. In engineering universities, curricula for architecture reflects this, by combining the STEM agenda for this profession with the more humanistic track of arts and esthetics. Language teaching curricula for specific purposes often reflect the specialism curricula of the respective professional fields, in the values or vision it promotes, not only in the skills and vocabulary of the field. The present paper presents an approach to languages for specific purposes by discussing the choice of comprehension materials and tasks included in two textbooks for teaching English for architects and Italian for architects in a Romanian technical university. A comparative view is given on the topics of reading materials, the skills and subskills targeted and the learning outcomes. The rationale behind including texts that deal with the history of architecture, landmarks, fundamental values and principles of architectural design relates to the specific profile of the graduate whose technical skills should be doubled by effervescent imagination, solid cultural background and strong linguistic proficiency. The teaching materials and their approach to languages for specific purposes in Architecture support the view that in a coherent and integrated vision, students benefit from practice that strengthens key skills, knowledge and competence in all disciplines that shape the profile of an Architect.

Keywords:

Languages for specific purposes, language learning materials, reading comprehension, curriculum design, undergraduate architecture education.