BOOK REVIEWS 215 c BASTURKMEN, H., DEVELOPING COURSES IN ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES. (PALGRAVE MACMILLAN. 2010. PP. XIV, 157) Review by Birut Zemits, School of Academic Language and Learning, Charles Darwin University, Australia _ Helen Basturkmen’s book provides clear strategies on how educators can develop courses for English for Specific Purposes (ESP) at both an institutional and classroom level for a variety of learning contexts. The book, which extends on a previous publication (Basturkmen, 2006), draws on the experiences of New Zealand educators from various disciplines who have found innovative ways to provide instruction in ESP, and is well organised and highly accessible. Beginning with an examination of nuances in definitions of terms related to the subject area, the author follows with well researched perspectives on needs analysis, highlighting the importance of research about the needs of students before any planning or teaching is done. However, she does recognise that, to target any course development for a specific student body, a realistic and pragmatic approach must acknowledge the limited time and resources many institutions have for specialised language courses. Refreshingly, Basturkmen does not purport to advise on course structures, but illustrates methods and ideas to solve problems that individuals or institutions may have when providing specialised courses for areas of language deficiency, rather than for overall language needs. The book is divided into two main parts which form a useful and integrated balance between theory and practical application. The first part extensively explores aspects that should be considered when developing a course that focuses on specific language needs in a particular discipline area, noting the need for ‘goal driven’ learning. Strategies for clearly defining the course needs are provided. These strategies emphasise a balance between analysing students’ difficulties with written or spoken language in a target genre and a form of ethnographic inquiry based on their learning needs. This ethnographic inquiry is illustrated by hypothetical scenarios that bring to life a number of situations in which ESP courses could be developed for specific student needs. Especially useful are the pragmatic approaches that are suggested for small client groups over short periods of time. The author emphasises ways that an individual teacher or work unit can draw on previous models to determine course structure. She also prioritises the investigation of spoken and written discourse in determining a curriculum for any area where English is required for a specialised domain of knowledge and emphasises that, in developing ESP curriculum, course content, relevance of materials and evaluation must be thoroughly considered. The second part of the book gives the reader four diverse case studies of ESP provision and offers critical comment about how these evolved and their outcomes. To illustrate the variety ARAL 35:2 (2012), 215-217 DOI 10.1075/aral.35.2.06zem ISSN 0155–0640 / E-ISSN 1833–7139 © AUSTRALIAN REVIEW OF APPLIED LINGUISTICS