ICL in UK Tertiary Education: The case of German

Abstract

In many European universities, the second language (L2) English is used to teach non-linguistic disciplines such as business or engineering. In anglophone UK, integration of content and language (ICL) generally features in Modern Languages undergraduate programmes where content is taught through the L2 to maximise exposure. However, few programmes employ a structured approach, and there is currently little research on ICL in UK universities. This paper reports on the extent to which German is used as the medium of instruction in UK undergraduate German programmes and discusses the institutional parameters which influence the integration of content and language. It appears that the practice of teaching subject-specific content in the target language is more wide-spread than previously thought. Content provision in the L2 is in fact quite common, but the extent, timing, and purpose of ICL depend on the type of university