4th-Year Discussion and Debate

Syllabus | Schedule | Moodle | Home

Learning goals

  • To improve your ability to analyze and synthesize information from various sources
  • To improve your ability to use logic and examples to build a good argument
  • To improve your ability use English to discuss complex and controversial issues

Materials

All materials will be available on the class home page. You do not need to buy anything.

Attendance and participation

Attendance and participation are mandatory. Please let the instructor know if you're going to have to miss a class. More than three unexcused absences may result in a lower grade, and more than six unexcused absences may result in your not passing the class.

Selected topics and readings

At the beginning of the semester, we will choose six timely topics worthy of discussion and debate. For each topic, we will choose a minimum of three readings that address differing views of that topic. The readings for each topic will be chosen and posted by the group(s) posting the discussion starters for that topic.

Weekly oral comments should be somewhat related to the topic under discussion.

Each week, we will discuss the current topic and related readings, and we will hold speed discussions about topic.

Weekly oral comments

You are responsible for posting weekly individual oral comments to our on-line discussion forum. Your comments should be related to the topic we are discussing and reading about that week. You might choose to comment on an individual article, your own thoughts, or some other aspect related to the current topic.

For full credit, your comments must be posted weekly. It doesn't matter if you post them before or after each week's class, but you need to post at least one comment every week (starting the third week of class) for full credit. The purpose of the oral comments is to give you regular English speaking practice, increase your fluency, and get you thinking about the current topic of discussion. Therefore, it does you little good to post a bunch of comments at the end of the month or semester.

At the beginning of the semester, you will choose one or two classmates with whom you will work to develop a selected topic and to post the initial discussion starter for that topic.

Requirements for Moodle discussion starters

When it is your group's week to begin a discussion, you need to post your oral introduction of the topic to our class Moodle page before class of the week your posting is due. Your topic introduction must include at least:

  • A description of the topic.
  • A list of useful vocabulary relevant to the topic.
  • Some possible discussion questions that students can use as a basis for their individual comments.
  • Attached readings. You need to include at least one article that your group read in preparation for your comments. Your article should be authentic material (i.e., something from an English-language newspaper, magazine, news site, book, etc.)

Your group will be assigned a particular stand to take regarding the topic. It doesn't matter if you agree with the stand your group has been assigned; your assignment is to argue a particular viewpoint. Use the vocabulary from your readings to support your comments.

Individual oral defense on one topic

As a final project, you will be required to record an oral defence of your position on one of the topics we covered during the semester. You can choose which topic to address. Your oral statement should cover and address both sides of the topic and you should use sound logic and specific examples to support your stand. Your statement should be four and seven minutes long. You upload your final oral project to the class Moodle.

Your final comments will be graded on the extent to which you:

  • use good logic
  • use specific, sound examples
  • address opposing viewpoints
  • use language relevant to your topic
  • organize and deliver your statement in a clear manner

Grading

Attendance and participation: 40%
Oral comments: 30%
Final oral defence: 30%

Contacting your instructor

Please feel free to contact me at any time.
Email: dan(at)cailab.net