Regional Study Material as a Necessary Component of the English Language Studying by Students of Non-Language Specialties

Abstract

Abstract. At the present stage of the development of society, English is necessary for intercultural communication, so its study is given much attention during the training of students of non-language specialties. At the same time, it is not enough to know only the vocabulary and grammar of the English language, because when communicating it is necessary to understand the culture and features of the country the representatives of which they communicate. The purpose of this publication is to prove the need to introduce material on regional studies in teaching English to students of non-language specialties and highlight our own experience in this field. During the research, such methods as analysis of scientific and pedagogical literature, generalization, synthesis and formulation of conclusions were used. The article highlights the approaches to regional studies as a science (discipline related to the methods of teaching foreign languages, which is aimed at studying general patterns of the development of large regions; discipline, which aims to study selected and organized set of economic, historical, socio-political, geographical and other knowledge; discipline, which is related to the content and features of language communication of native speakers, etc.). It is established that in order to effectively teach the material on regional studies it is necessary to carefully select educational material (historical texts, illustrations, audio and video materials), which presents the specifics of a particular English-speaking country. For thorough acquisition of knowledge, it is also advisable to perform exercises for better mastery of educational material (aspect-oriented, analytical and oral exercises aimed at mastering linguistic reading and exercises aimed at developing the ability to plan reading activities, form techniques of linguistic reading and self-control exercises). Our own experience of teaching regional studies to students of non-language specialties (preparation of reports and presentations, writing essays on relevant topics, organization of discussions) is highlighted.