FILTERING ESP ‘THROUGH THE LOOKING-GLASS’ OF ART AND CULTURE FOR LIFE SCIENCE STUDENTS
FILTERING ESP ‘THROUGH THE LOOKING-GLASS’ OF ART AND CULTURE FOR LIFE SCIENCE STUDENTS

Summary/Abstract: With this paper we approach the much-trodden path of the part played by culture within the economy of any foreign language acquisition process, with a view to filtering its utmost importance under the current turmoiled inter-cultural context. Once regarded as the colourful backdrop of any setting architectured to facilitate the teaching of a new language, cultural aspects, otherwise organically linked to that particular system of communication, seem to act as insightful accelerators of a thorough understanding of the anthropologic matrix of the target language. The aim of the paper is to approach the phenomenon of teaching English for Specific Purposes to Romanian life science students, in search of a ‘bridge’ that could span between the realm of science and academic communication patterns and the endless kingdom of creativity and artistic imagination. We embark upon this journey with one goal in mind, that of sculpturing mindsets, encouraging respect for other people and their cultural heritage, while fostering a clear understanding of the interrelation of language and human nature. A rather unusual research tool, the tree, both as a core element of the plant kingdom, as well as a metaphorical construct has been selected to act as the figurative ‘axis mundi’ of the study that intends to ‘weigh’ students’ responses to the challenges implied not only by the accurate decoding of scientific constructs and language, but also by a genuine understanding of the imbedded cultural symbolism which projects the story onto an altogether greater canvas.

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