This paper explores the value, in English-as-a-Second-Language medium tertiary education, of extending the notion of student autonomy beyond the context of language learning to the whole curriculum, arguing that autonomy needs to be seen in a broader, more socio-political perspective and that for students to enjoy autonomy requires a transformation in the roles not only of students, but in those of language teachers and subject teachers within the academic curriculum. Greater critical awareness is needed of the educational constraints imposed by prevailing concepts of "skills" as the basis of a tertiary communication curriculum and of knowledge as curricular "capital." It is suggested that underlying these notions are discourses that are adversarial; dualistic; and, ultimately, assimilationist. Although the language education discourse community may preach a critical approach, they often fall short of such critical standards in their own peer-directed public discourse. It is suggested that problem areas in language education include socialization, preoccupation with skills, and the dangers of dualism. (Contains 62 references.) (Author/NAV)