Embed sustainability in the curriculum: transform the world

Abstract This paper is an activity report that draws on the experience of embedding sustainability into the mainstream curriculum in the Language Centre, School of Languages, Cultures and Societies at the University of Leeds, UK. It describes and reflects on programmes that delivered the concept of sustainability and how learners developed their academic and sustainability literacies. The programmes in question are Language for Engineering and Language in Context Sustainability module. These programmes are developed and delivered in the context of English for Academic Purposes to pre-sessional postgraduate and undergraduate international students. The former programme prepares students for their postgraduate studies in the receiving schools, such as Engineering, Computer Science and Transport. The latter is an elective programme for a cross-discipline student cohort primarily to develop language specific to the concept of sustainability. Both programmes focus on expanding subject specific lexis and developing criticality skills. Positive student engagement and response – student feedback – is an effective indicator that there is a demand for programmes in the mainstream curriculum that promote sustainability literacies. It is time for sustainability to move from the margins and occupy its place at the forefront in language learning.