Extra Lesson 5

In our final lesson we discussed Animal Rights. We spoke about the various ways humanity uses animals – for food, clothing, companionship, sport, physical labour, and for scientific testing. We discussed the ethical issues related to all of these uses, and how people’s views vary depending on the type of animals affected, and also the cultural background of the people.

Steve

 

Extra Lesson 4

In this lesson our topic was ‘Marriage – for better or for worse’. We discussed if the idea of marriage for life was an outdated concept. We also discussed divorce, and if people decide to divorce as an ‘easy option’ rather than work harder to maintain a marriage.

Steve

Extra Lesson 3

In this lesson our topic was ‘Designer Babies’. We discussed morality and possible societal consequences of allowing parents to genetically ‘design’ their babies before birth to have specific desired characteristics.

Steve

Extra Lesson 2

In tonight’s lesson we spoke about Australia. We spoke about the climate, the wildlife, and the differences between Sydney and Melbourne. We also spoke about how the people and culture differ to Sweden.

Steve

 

Extra Lesson 1

In tonight’s lesson our topic was ‘Turning the other cheek’. We discussed forgiveness and also holding grudges. We talked about what we would do in a variety of different situations, and also did some exercises where we learnt several common expressions that can be used when talking about forgiveness.

Steve

 

Lesson 8

In our eighth lesson our topic was ‘It should be banned’. We discussed various different activities and whether we felt they should be legal or not. We also discussed participation in, and the effectiveness of, protests, boycotts and petitions.

Steve

 

Lesson 7

For our seventh lesson the topic of discussion was ‘Not my type’. The proved to be an entertaining lesson where we discussed various potentially negatively viewed attributes in potential partners, and whether it was possible to overlook these potential flaws.

Steve

Lesson 6

The topic for our sixth lesson was ‘The right to die’. We discussed euthanasia, and if we were generally in support of it or not. We also discussed it in the context of a variety of different scenarios and whether our opinion varied accordingly.

Steve

Lesson 5

The topic for our fifth lesson was ‘Is this news?’ We discussed the news media, and whether their reports are always actually newsworthy, or if they are sometimes use sensational reporting to boost sales or increase viewership.

Steve

 

Lesson 4

The topic for our fourth lesson was ‘Politically Incorrect Jokes’. We spoke about a variety of subjects for jokes, and they are ever, or sometimes, acceptable. We also discussed if the subject was acceptable or not depending on who was telling the joke.

Steve

 

Lesson 3

In our third lesson our conversation topic was ‘Telling Lies’. We began with an exercise where you spoke to your partner about a selected specific topic about yourself, and you had to include one lie. Your partner then had to try and guess which bit of information was a lie. We then read an article about a prominent politician who had been caught telling lies. We discussed whether lying was considered worse depending on a person’s standing within society, and whether it is fair to subject different people to different standards in regards to telling lies. After that, you were given a list of common life situations and spoke with your partner if you had ever told lies in these circumstances. Then we went through a few common expressions that are used when talking about lying, before finally asking each other if, and to what extent, they would lie in various imagined scenarios.

Steve

Lesson 2

The topic for our second lesson was ‘National Stereotypes’. We discussed national stereotypes of various countries, and whether we felt they were fair or not. We also discussed if Sweden’s stereotypical views of countries differed to the views of other countries.

Steve

Lesson 1

In our first lesson I began by introducing myself. I then made you all give a brief introduction of yourself to the whole class. next, I gave you a brief outline of what to expect from the course.

We discussed ‘Taboo Conversation Topics’. We spoke about how these differ among cultures, but can also vary depending on individual personalities. Whether a topic of conversation was considered taboo or not often depended on who you were speaking to, and your relationship with that person.

Steve