The CATESOL Journal

This case study of an adjunct-model English for Academic Purposes (EAP) writing course linked to a policy-analysis course describes an effective approach for putting “specificity” into practice in EAP curriculum design. The rationale for interdisciplinary collaboration, the positive learning outcomes from the EAP writing course, the learning transfer to the policy course, and the pedagogical implications are described in detail. It is suggested that the EAP instructor work primarily with texts within students’ disciplines, teach the universal principles of well-written discourse implicit in the text type, and teach students to analyze those features of the text that vary according to the audience, context, and rhetorical situation. The findings and pedagogical implications add to the current body of research about curriculum design in EAP and the positive learning outcomes appear to negate the argument that EAP instructors need specialized training in learners’ fields to teach disciplinary writing courses.