Bioethics in an ESP Classroom - Motivation, Implementation, Outcomes

DVOŘÁČKOVÁ, Veronika. Bioethics in an ESP Classroom - Motivation, Implementation, Outcomes. In Semmelweis Medical Linguistics Conference. 2023.

Basic information

• Original name: Bioethics in an ESP Classroom - Motivation, Implementation, Outcomes
• Authors: DVOŘÁČKOVÁ, Veronika.
• Edition: Semmelweis Medical Linguistics Conference, 2023.

Other information

• Original language: English
• Type of outcome: Presentations at conferences
• Country of publisher: Czech Republic
• Confidentiality degree: is not subject to a state or trade secret
• Organization unit: Language Centre
• Keywords in English: Medical English, bioethical module, literary approach, principlist approach
• Tags: International impact, Reviewed

Abstract

In an effort to create course content that would be intellectually provoking, communicationdriven and patient-centred, the authors of the Medical English course at the Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University Language Centre, Brno, Czech Republic have many times drawn from sources with a bioethical focus. In the currently built bioethical module we have adopted a two-step approach to introduce the first-year medics to the intriguing domain of bioethics. The presentation will look at both steps in sequence. To sensitise novice medical students to the very existence of bioethical issues, we first use a literary approach (Lesson 1). In this lesson, students rewrite a clinical case report by expanding on literary features which play little or no role in the genre of the clinical case report. Having become aware of the holistic nature of bioethical dilemmas, the students are better able to tackle the principle-driven approach based on argumentation which is taught in the following lesson. While dealing with the same case report, in Lesson 2 students evaluate the course of action described in the report using the conceptual framework consisting of four major bioethical principles. Apart from describing both lessons' pedagogical sequences and sharing insights from student course feedback, I will argue the concern for the development of argumentation skills shared by bioethics as well as ESP provides a perfect opportunity for better integration of ESP classes within the medical curriculum, an opportunity which sadly remains underused mainly due to curricular constraints. On a purely ESP level though, the use of bioethical argumentation which is fully alligned with the concept of logical argument within pragmatic competence as presented in CEFR CV (2020, 150) contributes significantly to the development of the ESP communicative competence in the learners of Medical English.