Communication, Ethics and Sustainable Development, 6 credits

Main field of study

Course level

Advancement level

Course offered for

• Materials Science and Nanotechnology, Master's programme
• Biomedical Engineering, Master's programme
• Communication Systems, Master's programme
• Electronics Engineering, Master's programme

Specific information

The course is not available for exchange students

Prerequisites

Intended learning outcomes

The aim of the course is to help students become more effective speakers and writers in an academic context using English as the language of communication. Taking a holistic approach to communication which includes linguistic accuracy and appropriacy as well as incorporating the concepts of Ethics and Sustainable Development, it provides an opportunity to develop skills required for successfully completing a master’s programme and pursuing a career in science and engineering. After completing the course, students are expected to 

• be familiar with academic expectations and conventions
• be able to read, understand and summarise a general text or an academic article accurately
• be able to systematically analyse and critically appraise research articles
• critically and constructively examine other students’ work
• formulate, organise, and present ideas and opinions in English with accuracy, clarity, and coherence
• understand and use an appropriate referencing system
• identify and analyse their own linguistic strengths and weaknesses, and develop and apply strategies to improve their competence to communicate successfully in English
• be aware of differences in communication processes among cultures, identify challenges that arise from these differences, and find ways to address them in intercultural interactions
• be able to present and discuss ethical challenges connected to the engineering profession, technological development and its applications
• be able to explain central theories, principles, and concepts within normative ethics, and apply these to particular cases and situations
• be able to present and discuss the economic, social, and environmental pillars of sustainability
• reflect upon and think critically about sustainability and sustainable practice in their own field of study. 

Course content

The course will include grammar exercises, vocabulary building work and texts and articles to read and study. Some of these texts will be of a general, scientific and technical nature, while later in the course more programme specific articles related to sustainable development and ethics can be used. 

Teaching and working methods

The course will be organised in two general parts. Both parts will require students to prepare work at home and to read and study a number of texts and academic articles.
The first part will consist of lessons during which English is approached on a more micro-level. The focus will be on accuracy at sentence level and grammar revision and practice will be central. The structures that are most commonly found in technical and scientific texts will be studied and emphasized and standard academic terminology will be introduced and practised.
The second part of the course will take a more macro-level approach and students will be expected to produce original texts themselves. These texts will then be discussed and subject to peer review and classes will take the form of seminars. Sustainable development and Ethics will be addressed mainly through readings, seminars and presentations.
The course runs the entire spring semester. 

Examination

Grades

Department

Director of Studies or equivalent

Examiner

Education components

Course literature