Exam questions Christian Ethics 2019:

General information about the exam:

This is an oral exam. After you receive your questions, you have as much time as you need to prepare yourself.
The written preparation merely serves as an aid to the student and will not be taken into consideration by the
professor, who is only concerned with the student’s oral presentation – with the exception of the key term
definition, which has to be written down. During the exam, the professor will take personal notes which are not
revealed to the student. The actual oral part of the exam only takes 15 minutes.
Students receive two questions, taken from the list which will be made gradually available on Toledo - each
counting for 50% of the mark.
1. The first will formulate a general question about one of the key themes of the course (including a sub-
question to define a key term in written form; list of key terms will be put on Toledo). Students are
tested on their acquired knowledge and insights. In the list of exam questions these questions are
indicated with an ‘-‘.
It is important to answer in a structured way: give your definition of the requested key term to the
professor begin your answer by briefly summarizing the different points you will address. The key
elements for each answer have been offered in class (some of the blackboard diagrams, available on
Toledo, might be helpful) and can be found in the course notes as well. The course notes have to be
studied carefully – bearing in mind the distinction between core texts (in the overview presented
without *) and texts to be commented upon (presented with a *). Please keep in mind that the elements
for a complete answer are usually not limited to one section (or page) in the course notes. You can
distinguish yourself by integrating elements from different places in the course materials, for instance,
by mentioning links you see or significant contrasts. However, do not lose yourself in long side-
remarks. Be to the point.

2. The second question will consist in the request to comment upon a text fragment, which has been
discussed during the course. These questions are indicated below with a star ‘*’ (corresponding to texts
in the overview, which are also indicated with a star). You will receive a copy of the text fragment you
need at the exam, together with your questions. This means that, while studying the materials indicated
with a *, you have to focus on understanding the fragments; it makes no sense to learn them by heart.
The comment question often indicates what you have to explain about the text. Mention the context of
the text (which time period, who wrote it, etc.). Commenting also means that you are able to point at the
relevant words and sentences in the text. During the preparation you can underline words and sentences
in the copy you received from the professor and write comments upon it. Here again, you can
distinguish yourself by integrating in your comment elements from different places in the course
materials, for instance, by mentioning links you see or significant contrasts.
During the oral exam, additional questions may be asked for a variety of purposes: to help the student explain to
come to a satisfying answer, to further enhance his/her insights, to test his/her insights into other parts of the
study material, to apply it to a concrete issue, to see the more general moral theological relevance of the matter
treated in the answer, etc.
The first and the second question will be complementary in covering each one of the major aspects of the course
(either the history or the contemporary challenges of Christian ethics; throughout the course we went back and
forth from historical themes to contemporary issues).
Beware: the fact that you have a list of exam questions might cause you to cut the course apart in isolated
answers to the different questions; please try to avoid this temptation and seek to see the overall coherence of the
course.
3. Bonus question: I would like you to formulate a critical question of your own about one aspect of the
course.
Form of this question: ‘After studying this course of Christian Ethics (in particular: … [INDICATE AN
IDEA AND WHERE YOU FOUND IT IN THE COURSE NOTES OR YOUR CLASS NOTES], I
wondered about following question: … [Maximum 100 words.]’
You can write down this question before the exam and give it to me when you enter. In addition to the
two questions at the exam, this critical question will be considered as an extra factor for determining the
grade. If it gives evidence of a personal reflection and integration of the course, it may positively
influence the grade; if not, it won’t harm your grade. It serves also as a kind of feedback for the future
development of my course.