Students will have the opportunity to engage in frequent academic discussions. After conducting research on an approved topic, students will have the opportunity to conduct basic research and present their findings either through presentations or structure discussions. Students will develop critical thinking skills and argumentation skills.

Students will engage in instructor- and self-directed learning of philosophical/ethical theories and their daily application. The required course text, videos, and class discussion will all be used to engage students in the process of learning more about philosophy/ethics in order to improve their speaking skills. The instructor will provide language feedback to supplement students' own self-reflective (and peer-reflective) feedback.

The thematic content for this course revolves around philosophy and ethics, including an overview of a few important theorists and a consideration of the importance of philosophy and ethics for daily life. Students will prepare for and engage in class discussions and debates on various philosophical/ethical topics. Students will need to read and watch course materials (available on Moodle) in order to inform critical, thoughtful debate. Through frequent peer & instructor interactions students will have ample opportunity to engage in formal, academic discussion in English.

At a minimum, students are expected to already know the following (see curriculum for more details):general presentation skills;academic vocabulary on a wide range of topics;how to express themselves in formal, academic settings;how to conduct general research on a narrowly defined topic; andhow to synthesize information.It is expected that students have a generally advanced level of English, especially as regards pronunciation. Frequent, systematic errors can be grounds for failing the course.Upon enrolling in this course, students are not expected to have any knowledge of philosophy/ethics as an academic subject though they will learn the basics of this area of study and are expected to demonstrate this knowledge in discussions and the final oral examination.

COURSE PREREQUISITES: B.A.: Successful completion of both Pronunciation AND Language Productive and Receptive Skills B.Ed.: Successful completion of the courses in MODULE ENC (Lehramt); check your curriculum and any curriculum updates to be sure.Erasmus/Study-abroad: Check with the course instructor regarding your language ability. N.B. Some circumstances may allow for students to be exempted from certain course prerequisites.

IMPORTANT: Students must purchase or have easy access to the following text:Blackburn, Simon. 2001. Being Good. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN: 978-0-19-285377-6 Other materials will be provided on Moodle to students, who are then expected to have these materials readily available in either printed or electronic form during class.

Students will be graded on their performance as group leaders and discussants in teacher- and student-led discussions on ethics and philosophy.A final oral examination will take place in which students (in pairs or small groups) discuss a set text on philosophy. A rubric on how students are assessed will be made available on Moodle.

The oral examination at the end of term will be based on the text read throughout the semester and the discussions held during term. The general topic is philosophy/ethics. Students will be expected to exhibit knowledge of the theoretical ideas covered over the course of term (terminology being an important aspect of this) and should also show advanced grammatical structures and rhetorical strategies related to idea presentation and argumentation.

Students will be evaluated according to their performance oncompletion of in-class/Moodle-based assignments* (some require extensive peer interaction);an oral examination (conducted in pairs or small groups of students at the end of term); andin-class, student-led discussions (topic to be determined by students and instructor).*Failure to do these non-graded assignments will constitute a fail grade!