PHILOSOPHY S6-S7

In philosophy, students learn the basics of logical argumentation, reasoning, justifying their own views, and understanding the views of others. Students can choose to take philosophy as a two-hour or four-hour course. The two-hour philosophy course is compulsory in S6 and S7, and over the course of two years, students learn the basics of epistemology (theory of knowledge), ethics, political philosophy, and philosophical anthropology. The aim of the philosophy course is for students to achieve specific learning objectives. Students learn to:

·      Identify philosophical areas, linking them relevantly and with intellectual curiosity to the contemporary world,

·      Link ideas based on evidence with diverse ways of knowing, including cross-cultural ones,

·      Acknowledge the limits of human faculties and language,

·      Dare to overcome egocentric, ethnocentric, and stereotypical thinking,

·      Acknowledge and understand ideas other than one’s own,

·      Critically appreciate the power of philosophical ideas, discourse, texts, and other forms of human expression,

·      Move from the concrete to the abstract, from the particular to the general, and vice versa.

At the end of the course, students will be able to choose philosophy as one of their final oral exams (BAC exam). During the year, students will receive marks for their project work, oral assessments, and philosophical essays. Students also have the option of choosing philosophy as a four-hour course. In this case, they will be introduced to the same areas of philosophy as in the two-hour course, but with additional content and philosophers and in greater depth. The four-hour course also provides more time to prepare for writing a philosophical essay. If students attend the four-hour course, they can choose to take philosophy as an oral or written final examination (BAC exam).

ETHICS S1-S7

The aim of the non-denominational ethics course is to provide a moral education grounded in free thought, independent of any specific philosophical framework.

This course is meant for all students and seeks to teach them the following competences through open discussion to:

• Search for coherent and lucid answers with rigorous respect for facts and rational ideas.

• Adopt a personal, responsible stance that fosters self-sufficiency and openness.

• Develop a genuine moral code based on tolerance, including the ability to challenge oneself.

Teachers use different teaching methods and prioritize discussion, fostering active and tolerant listening strategies, and respecting everyone's right to contribute to or lead discussions. The goal is to seek consensus or at least encourage the positive evolution of debate, in the spirit of pedagogical humanism. The examples of some activities in class are using texts, the press, video documentaries, student presentations, teamwork, role play, debates, excursions, exhibitions, etc.

Classes from S1 to S3 have ethics two times per week whereas classes from S4 to S7 have this class once a week. Ethics courses award an A grade in classes S1 to S3, and both an A and B grade in classes S4 to S7. The B grade is based on knowledge of facts and quality of argument, while the A grade considers the students' participation in class. 

The subject is being taught in L2 from S3 on that is not necessarily mastered by all students on a high level. The teachers take this possible difficulties into account when assessing.