(UFU - 2016 - 2ª FASE) A recent combined report from the British Council and Oxford University states that “there is a fast-moving worldwide shift from English being taught as a foreign language (EFL) to English being the medium of instruction (EMI) for academic subjects”. Growing out of the bilingual education movement of the 1950s in Europe and Canada, the pace of implementation today is rapidly advancing, being referred to by some as a potential “pandemic” or “revolution”. In 2002 there were over 800 EMI programmes operating in Europe alone. Today there are well over 6400 and a growing number in various other traditionally English-as-a-foreign-language countries around the world. French universities, for example, are now legally allowed to offer a limited number of classes in English and Italy’s Politecnico di Milano began teaching all of its graduate classes in English in 2014. In short, the move to use English as the lingua franca of higher education globally is seen as the single most significant current trend in internationalising higher education.
In Asia too, universities in countries like China, Taiwan, Korea Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia are increasingly adopting English as a way to gain access to cutting-edge knowledge, enhance national competitiveness in innovation and knowledge production and, naturally, as a strategy for improving graduates’ English proficiency. Japan has also increasingly begun to experiment with EMI classes, although originally for slightly different reasons.
Disponível em: <http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1060798.pdf>. Acesso em: dez. 2015.
RESPONDA A QUESTÃO EM PORTUGUÊS. RESPOSTAS EM INGLÊS NÃO SERÃO ACEITAS.
Based on the text, answer the following questions.
A) Why are most universities using English as the medium of instruction for academic subjects?
B) Is the statement “Italian universities can now offer undergraduate courses using EMI” right or wrong? Justify your answer.
Gabarito: