Integrating intercultural competence into EMI and ESP in Spanish higher education

University internationalisation is often linked to mobility and the development of intercultural perspectives. The promotion of English has led universities to widely embrace EMI (English-Medium Instruction). In Spain, where universities have only recently engaged in internationalisation, newly impl...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Aguilar Pérez, Marta|||0000-0001-7116-502X, Arnó Macià, Elisabet|||0000-0002-3431-6439
Tipo de recurso: capítulo de libro
Fecha de publicación:2026
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Repositorio:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:dnet:upcommonspor::f46fc93443afbe38bf7de0344d29198d
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2117/462222
https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-11272-9_4
Access Level:acceso embargado
Palabra clave:Intercultural communicative competence
English for specific purposes
English-medium instruction
Internationalization
Teaching ICC
Interculturality
EMI
ESP
Internationalisation
Higher education
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Ensenyament i aprenentatge
Descripción
Sumario:University internationalisation is often linked to mobility and the development of intercultural perspectives. The promotion of English has led universities to widely embrace EMI (English-Medium Instruction). In Spain, where universities have only recently engaged in internationalisation, newly implemented EMI courses co-exist with traditional ESP (English for Specific Purposes) courses. Considering the common aim of EMI and ESP to help students communicate internationally, a question arises as to how interculturality is actually addressed in such learning contexts. Through an examination of recent research (2015–2021), the chapter explores how interculturality is addressed, explicitly or implicitly, by stakeholders in EMI and ESP in Spanish universities. Through the studies analysed, we identify the roles of EMI and ESP courses and lecturers in promoting university students’ intercultural competence, and especially how the two types of instruction can integrate intercultural competence in a complementary way. This chapter provides a kaleidoscopic view of the role of interculturality in these areas, identifying good practices and missed opportunities to inform practice in Spain and beyond.