Cultural literacy and sustainable development through English: a look from CLIL in pharmacy

Abstract This paper considers the cultural aspects of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) in Higher Education and its contribution towards cultural literacy and sustainable development in health sciences. It reports on a study conducted within a pharmacy degree programme at a Spanish university which seeks to examine the study plan and CLIL activities and explore pharmacy lecturers’ insights into the cultural impact of the integration of English in their content subjects. As one of the main components of the conceptual framework of CLIL, culture by default is an integral part in any activity in a foreign language and thus has the potential to foster intercultural competence and cultural literacy. This literacy, in turn, is essential for the attainment of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda and each of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Although science subject lecturers may have reservations about the contribution of English towards cultural literacy and tend to treat culture as merely transmitting knowledge about other cultures, they recognise its significance regarding the pursuit of SDGs. CLIL activities and support from English teachers clearly internationalised the contents of their subjects, which abound with opportunities for the development of cultural literacy and sustainability awareness. Further collaboration and joint actions between content and language specialists can help to exploit them more fully in class and reinforce the role of languages and language teachers at university.