Abitur NRW Englisch 2021 · GK · Haupttermin · Weiterbildungskolleg

Klausurteil A

Molara Wood

The Last Bus Stop

This short story takes place in London, where Sade, Ronke and Maryam, three young women, formed a friendship. Sade, who tells the story, is now preparing to phone Ronke, who has moved to New York, in order to let her know what has happened to Maryam. Before she makes the call, she recalls the day Ronke announced that she intended to leave.

“I have model friends who aren’t doing badly in New York.” You looked at the greying sky

outside the window. “Yeah, I think that’s where I’m headed. America. The Last Bus Stop.”

I turned to Maryam who had sunk into the sofa, holding her mug close as though for warmth.

We were thinking the same thing: we would soon be losing our friend to America. God’s

5 own country. The Last Bus Stop for many of our generation who, once they got there, never

seemed to think there was anywhere left to go – or return. […]

That was the great thing about being around you, Ronke. The confidence that the world was

wide, lush and inviting and you had your place in it, a sure footing that could not slip. Back

in Lagos, Maryam and I would never move in the same circles as you. We’d probably never

10 meet your kind – rich and privileged with the world yours for the taking, able to enjoy

Beethoven if you chose. But in London we were your best friends. Remember how, when

irritated by those Nigerians we considered beneath us, we’d smirk, “London is a leveler”?

When it came to leveling Nigerians, London was indiscriminate. It leveled either way, up or

down the social ladder. Maryam and I didn’t mind that London leveled us up with you, Ronke.

15 Looking back, I see it was all that time in your company that got Maryam thinking about

becoming a model. It also fueled her dreams of escape to America, The Last Bus Stop.

Maryam was too short to be a model of course but carried herself like one. She was forced

to take a break from university, unable to afford the fees. Money from home had dried up.

Her widowed mother’s fabric retailing business in Lagos was badly hit by a ban on imported

20 textiles; then armed robbers swept the shop clean of expensive laces, voiles and jacquards.

Maryam’s student work permit ran out with her study visa, so she could not continue work

as a part-time beauty consultant with her new, illegal immigrant status. She did the odd job

where they were not too fussy about papers; and kept close to her beloved haunts by hanging

with you. Now you are gone, and tomorrow I will not attend lectures. I must go to Maryam,

25 you see.

I remember the day you left for New York, Ronke. We saw you off to Gatwick Airport.

When it was time to go through the passengers’ only gates, you wrapped us in what you

liked to call “major hugs.”

Maryam sobbed on the Gatwick Express back to Victoria Station and I pushed tissues into

30 her hands, embarrassed at the sneaky glances from other passengers. I realized then that

Maryam was crying more for herself than for you. She hadn’t found a way to escape her

predicament as you had just done. When the sniffling stopped, Maryam slipped on the

Gianfranco Ferré sunglasses you gave her. She looked a bit like the model she wanted to be

then, but a monologue ensued.

35 “I hate phoning home now, what’s the use? Mum can hardly feed my brothers, let alone find

the foreign exchange to support me here.”

I only listened, one arm round her shoulders.

“No use calling for money… Mum just cries and cries till my credit runs out. Last time I

phoned she begged me to come back home. But, go home to what, Sade, tell me; go home

40 to what? Go back a failure, a university drop-out. Go back with my head bowed when my

contemporaries in Lagos have done better with their lives? No. I can’t go back… I can’t go

back. Not just now.” […]

Now on the lone sofa in my living room, I dial your US number. How to say it, Ronke?

That Maryam was caught attempting to board a flight to America with a forged passport

45 and is to be deported back to Nigeria? That the dodgy boyfriend took every penny she had

left to facilitate her last dash for The Last Bus Stop? If Kate Moss could make it as a model

without a great height, who was to say Maryam couldn’t? And if she couldn’t be a model in

America, she could be other things, couldn’t she? Ronke was there, was she not? Maryam

blurted it all out to me when I saw her at the Immigration Detention Centre today. Now,

50 I must in turn blurt it all out to you. You, Ronke, who started Maryam’s dream rolling.

I hear the phone ringing from across the waters. The receiver feels moist next to my cheek

as I wait for an answer.

Annotations:

20 laces, voiles and jacquards – types of textiles

33 Gianfranco Ferré – an Italian fashion designer

46 Kate Moss – British supermodel that was particularly successful in the 1990s and 2000s

1.

Outline the information the text gives you about the backgrounds and present situations of the three young women. [12 Punkte]

Klausurteil A

Molara Wood

The Last Bus Stop

This short story takes place in London, where Sade, Ronke and Maryam, three young women, formed a friendship. Sade, who tells the story, is now preparing to phone Ronke, who has moved to New York, in order to let her know what has happened to Maryam. Before she makes the call, she recalls the day Ronke announced that she intended to leave.

“I have model friends who aren’t doing badly in New York.” You looked at the greying sky

outside the window. “Yeah, I think that’s where I’m headed. America. The Last Bus Stop.”

I turned to Maryam who had sunk into the sofa, holding her mug close as though for warmth.

We were thinking the same thing: we would soon be losing our friend to America. God’s

5 own country. The Last Bus Stop for many of our generation who, once they got there, never

seemed to think there was anywhere left to go – or return. […]

That was the great thing about being around you, Ronke. The confidence that the world was

wide, lush and inviting and you had your place in it, a sure footing that could not slip. Back

in Lagos, Maryam and I would never move in the same circles as you. We’d probably never

10 meet your kind – rich and privileged with the world yours for the taking, able to enjoy

Beethoven if you chose. But in London we were your best friends. Remember how, when

irritated by those Nigerians we considered beneath us, we’d smirk, “London is a leveler”?

When it came to leveling Nigerians, London was indiscriminate. It leveled either way, up or

down the social ladder. Maryam and I didn’t mind that London leveled us up with you, Ronke.

15 Looking back, I see it was all that time in your company that got Maryam thinking about

becoming a model. It also fueled her dreams of escape to America, The Last Bus Stop.

Maryam was too short to be a model of course but carried herself like one. She was forced

to take a break from university, unable to afford the fees. Money from home had dried up.

Her widowed mother’s fabric retailing business in Lagos was badly hit by a ban on imported

20 textiles; then armed robbers swept the shop clean of expensive laces, voiles and jacquards.

Maryam’s student work permit ran out with her study visa, so she could not continue work

as a part-time beauty consultant with her new, illegal immigrant status. She did the odd job

where they were not too fussy about papers; and kept close to her beloved haunts by hanging

with you. Now you are gone, and tomorrow I will not attend lectures. I must go to Maryam,

25 you see.

I remember the day you left for New York, Ronke. We saw you off to Gatwick Airport.

When it was time to go through the passengers’ only gates, you wrapped us in what you

liked to call “major hugs.”

Maryam sobbed on the Gatwick Express back to Victoria Station and I pushed tissues into

30 her hands, embarrassed at the sneaky glances from other passengers. I realized then that

Maryam was crying more for herself than for you. She hadn’t found a way to escape her

predicament as you had just done. When the sniffling stopped, Maryam slipped on the

Gianfranco Ferré sunglasses you gave her. She looked a bit like the model she wanted to be

then, but a monologue ensued.

35 “I hate phoning home now, what’s the use? Mum can hardly feed my brothers, let alone find

the foreign exchange to support me here.”

I only listened, one arm round her shoulders.

“No use calling for money… Mum just cries and cries till my credit runs out. Last time I

phoned she begged me to come back home. But, go home to what, Sade, tell me; go home

40 to what? Go back a failure, a university drop-out. Go back with my head bowed when my

contemporaries in Lagos have done better with their lives? No. I can’t go back… I can’t go

back. Not just now.” […]

Now on the lone sofa in my living room, I dial your US number. How to say it, Ronke?

That Maryam was caught attempting to board a flight to America with a forged passport

45 and is to be deported back to Nigeria? That the dodgy boyfriend took every penny she had

left to facilitate her last dash for The Last Bus Stop? If Kate Moss could make it as a model

without a great height, who was to say Maryam couldn’t? And if she couldn’t be a model in

America, she could be other things, couldn’t she? Ronke was there, was she not? Maryam

blurted it all out to me when I saw her at the Immigration Detention Centre today. Now,

50 I must in turn blurt it all out to you. You, Ronke, who started Maryam’s dream rolling.

I hear the phone ringing from across the waters. The receiver feels moist next to my cheek

as I wait for an answer.

Annotations:

20 laces, voiles and jacquards – types of textiles

33 Gianfranco Ferré – an Italian fashion designer

46 Kate Moss – British supermodel that was particularly successful in the 1990s and 2000s

2.

Analyse the way in which Maryam and her situation are portrayed. Focus on the point of view and on how she relates to the other characters. [16 Punkte]

3. Select one of the tasks below:

3.1

A 2018 survey found that 45% of Nigerian adults intend to emigrate within the next five years, and 28% of these respondents want to go to the USA. 1

Comment on these figures and what they imply. Draw on what you have covered in class about Nigeria and about American myths and realities.

(Evaluation: comment)

[14 Punkte]

1 The survey was conducted by Pew Research Center, an independent US-American opinion research institute. https://pewrsr.ch/2OsJI1z [27.06.2020]

Klausurteil A

Molara Wood

The Last Bus Stop

This short story takes place in London, where Sade, Ronke and Maryam, three young women, formed a friendship. Sade, who tells the story, is now preparing to phone Ronke, who has moved to New York, in order to let her know what has happened to Maryam. Before she makes the call, she recalls the day Ronke announced that she intended to leave.

“I have model friends who aren’t doing badly in New York.” You looked at the greying sky

outside the window. “Yeah, I think that’s where I’m headed. America. The Last Bus Stop.”

I turned to Maryam who had sunk into the sofa, holding her mug close as though for warmth.

We were thinking the same thing: we would soon be losing our friend to America. God’s

5 own country. The Last Bus Stop for many of our generation who, once they got there, never

seemed to think there was anywhere left to go – or return. […]

That was the great thing about being around you, Ronke. The confidence that the world was

wide, lush and inviting and you had your place in it, a sure footing that could not slip. Back

in Lagos, Maryam and I would never move in the same circles as you. We’d probably never

10 meet your kind – rich and privileged with the world yours for the taking, able to enjoy

Beethoven if you chose. But in London we were your best friends. Remember how, when

irritated by those Nigerians we considered beneath us, we’d smirk, “London is a leveler”?

When it came to leveling Nigerians, London was indiscriminate. It leveled either way, up or

down the social ladder. Maryam and I didn’t mind that London leveled us up with you, Ronke.

15 Looking back, I see it was all that time in your company that got Maryam thinking about

becoming a model. It also fueled her dreams of escape to America, The Last Bus Stop.

Maryam was too short to be a model of course but carried herself like one. She was forced

to take a break from university, unable to afford the fees. Money from home had dried up.

Her widowed mother’s fabric retailing business in Lagos was badly hit by a ban on imported

20 textiles; then armed robbers swept the shop clean of expensive laces, voiles and jacquards.

Maryam’s student work permit ran out with her study visa, so she could not continue work

as a part-time beauty consultant with her new, illegal immigrant status. She did the odd job

where they were not too fussy about papers; and kept close to her beloved haunts by hanging

with you. Now you are gone, and tomorrow I will not attend lectures. I must go to Maryam,

25 you see.

I remember the day you left for New York, Ronke. We saw you off to Gatwick Airport.

When it was time to go through the passengers’ only gates, you wrapped us in what you

liked to call “major hugs.”

Maryam sobbed on the Gatwick Express back to Victoria Station and I pushed tissues into

30 her hands, embarrassed at the sneaky glances from other passengers. I realized then that

Maryam was crying more for herself than for you. She hadn’t found a way to escape her

predicament as you had just done. When the sniffling stopped, Maryam slipped on the

Gianfranco Ferré sunglasses you gave her. She looked a bit like the model she wanted to be

then, but a monologue ensued.

35 “I hate phoning home now, what’s the use? Mum can hardly feed my brothers, let alone find

the foreign exchange to support me here.”

I only listened, one arm round her shoulders.

“No use calling for money… Mum just cries and cries till my credit runs out. Last time I

phoned she begged me to come back home. But, go home to what, Sade, tell me; go home

40 to what? Go back a failure, a university drop-out. Go back with my head bowed when my

contemporaries in Lagos have done better with their lives? No. I can’t go back… I can’t go

back. Not just now.” […]

Now on the lone sofa in my living room, I dial your US number. How to say it, Ronke?

That Maryam was caught attempting to board a flight to America with a forged passport

45 and is to be deported back to Nigeria? That the dodgy boyfriend took every penny she had

left to facilitate her last dash for The Last Bus Stop? If Kate Moss could make it as a model

without a great height, who was to say Maryam couldn’t? And if she couldn’t be a model in

America, she could be other things, couldn’t she? Ronke was there, was she not? Maryam

blurted it all out to me when I saw her at the Immigration Detention Centre today. Now,

50 I must in turn blurt it all out to you. You, Ronke, who started Maryam’s dream rolling.

I hear the phone ringing from across the waters. The receiver feels moist next to my cheek

as I wait for an answer.

Annotations:

20 laces, voiles and jacquards – types of textiles

33 Gianfranco Ferré – an Italian fashion designer

46 Kate Moss – British supermodel that was particularly successful in the 1990s and 2000s

3.2

Maryam spends her final day at the Immigration Detention Centre writing a letter to Abike, her childhood friend in Nigeria. Write this letter and concentrate on how she feels about going back to Nigeria as well as on what she hopes and fears for her future. [14 Punkte]

Klausurteil A

Molara Wood

The Last Bus Stop

This short story takes place in London, where Sade, Ronke and Maryam, three young women, formed a friendship. Sade, who tells the story, is now preparing to phone Ronke, who has moved to New York, in order to let her know what has happened to Maryam. Before she makes the call, she recalls the day Ronke announced that she intended to leave.

“I have model friends who aren’t doing badly in New York.” You looked at the greying sky

outside the window. “Yeah, I think that’s where I’m headed. America. The Last Bus Stop.”

I turned to Maryam who had sunk into the sofa, holding her mug close as though for warmth.

We were thinking the same thing: we would soon be losing our friend to America. God’s

5 own country. The Last Bus Stop for many of our generation who, once they got there, never

seemed to think there was anywhere left to go – or return. […]

That was the great thing about being around you, Ronke. The confidence that the world was

wide, lush and inviting and you had your place in it, a sure footing that could not slip. Back

in Lagos, Maryam and I would never move in the same circles as you. We’d probably never

10 meet your kind – rich and privileged with the world yours for the taking, able to enjoy

Beethoven if you chose. But in London we were your best friends. Remember how, when

irritated by those Nigerians we considered beneath us, we’d smirk, “London is a leveler”?

When it came to leveling Nigerians, London was indiscriminate. It leveled either way, up or

down the social ladder. Maryam and I didn’t mind that London leveled us up with you, Ronke.

15 Looking back, I see it was all that time in your company that got Maryam thinking about

becoming a model. It also fueled her dreams of escape to America, The Last Bus Stop.

Maryam was too short to be a model of course but carried herself like one. She was forced

to take a break from university, unable to afford the fees. Money from home had dried up.

Her widowed mother’s fabric retailing business in Lagos was badly hit by a ban on imported

20 textiles; then armed robbers swept the shop clean of expensive laces, voiles and jacquards.

Maryam’s student work permit ran out with her study visa, so she could not continue work

as a part-time beauty consultant with her new, illegal immigrant status. She did the odd job

where they were not too fussy about papers; and kept close to her beloved haunts by hanging

with you. Now you are gone, and tomorrow I will not attend lectures. I must go to Maryam,

25 you see.

I remember the day you left for New York, Ronke. We saw you off to Gatwick Airport.

When it was time to go through the passengers’ only gates, you wrapped us in what you

liked to call “major hugs.”

Maryam sobbed on the Gatwick Express back to Victoria Station and I pushed tissues into

30 her hands, embarrassed at the sneaky glances from other passengers. I realized then that

Maryam was crying more for herself than for you. She hadn’t found a way to escape her

predicament as you had just done. When the sniffling stopped, Maryam slipped on the

Gianfranco Ferré sunglasses you gave her. She looked a bit like the model she wanted to be

then, but a monologue ensued.

35 “I hate phoning home now, what’s the use? Mum can hardly feed my brothers, let alone find

the foreign exchange to support me here.”

I only listened, one arm round her shoulders.

“No use calling for money… Mum just cries and cries till my credit runs out. Last time I

phoned she begged me to come back home. But, go home to what, Sade, tell me; go home

40 to what? Go back a failure, a university drop-out. Go back with my head bowed when my

contemporaries in Lagos have done better with their lives? No. I can’t go back… I can’t go

back. Not just now.” […]

Now on the lone sofa in my living room, I dial your US number. How to say it, Ronke?

That Maryam was caught attempting to board a flight to America with a forged passport

45 and is to be deported back to Nigeria? That the dodgy boyfriend took every penny she had

left to facilitate her last dash for The Last Bus Stop? If Kate Moss could make it as a model

without a great height, who was to say Maryam couldn’t? And if she couldn’t be a model in

America, she could be other things, couldn’t she? Ronke was there, was she not? Maryam

blurted it all out to me when I saw her at the Immigration Detention Centre today. Now,

50 I must in turn blurt it all out to you. You, Ronke, who started Maryam’s dream rolling.

I hear the phone ringing from across the waters. The receiver feels moist next to my cheek

as I wait for an answer.

Annotations:

20 laces, voiles and jacquards – types of textiles

33 Gianfranco Ferré – an Italian fashion designer

46 Kate Moss – British supermodel that was particularly successful in the 1990s and 2000s

Klausurteil B: Sprachmittlung isoliert

4. Your former exchange student from the USA is preparing a presentation on the situation in Germany for a school project about social mobility around the world and has asked you for support.

Write an email to your friend outlining what Nina Monecke’s article says about the situation of young people from poor families in Germany, the problems they are confronted with and the suggestions made for improving their situation. (Mediation) [18 Punkte]

Nina Monecke: Sarah ist mit Hartz IV aufgewachsen und wird nun als Erste in ihrer Familie studieren

In einer gerechten Gesellschaft, in der jede*r die gleichen Chancen hat, wäre Sarah keine Ausnahme. Aber in unserer Gesellschaft ist sie es. Weil sie als Tochter einer alleinerziehenden Mutter und Hartz-IV-Empfängerin aufs Gymnasium gegangen ist, weil sie das Abitur mit der Abschlussnote 1,2 abgeschlossen hat und weil sie in diesen Tagen ihre ersten Seminare und Vorlesungen an der Uni besucht.

Für die zwei Millionen Kinder und Jugendliche, die in Deutschland in Familien mit Hartz IV aufwachsen, ist all das nicht selbstverständlich. „Statistisch bin ich nicht vorhanden“, sagt Sarah. Eine Studie der Deutschen Hochschul- und Wissenschaftsforschung unterscheidet lediglich nach Bildungsgrad der Eltern: Von 100 Kindern aus Akademiker*innenfamilien studieren statistisch 79, bei Nicht-Akademiker*innenfamilien sind es 27.

Vor einem Jahr, ein Jahr vor ihrem Schulabschluss, ist Sarah mit einem Tweet bekannt geworden. Darin schrieb die heute 18-Jährige: „Hartz IV ist der größte Scheiß.“ Warum? Weil Kinder von Hartz-IV-Empfänger*innen nicht mehr als 100 Euro im Monat verdienen dürfen. Sie könnten, doch alles, was über diesem Betrag liegt, wird zu 80 Prozent abgezogen. Bei einem 450-Euro-Nebenjob wären Sarah am Ende 170 Euro geblieben. Sie und ihre Mutter bilden eine sogenannte Bedarfsgemeinschaft, deshalb werden die Einkünfte der Tochter mit dem Hartz-IV-Satz der Mutter verrechnet.

Was das für Sarah bedeutet? „Führerschein machen? Sicher nicht, bevor du ausgezogen bist. Du kannst ja nicht darauf sparen.“ Oder: „Deine Freunde fahren in den Urlaub, vielleicht sogar als Abschlussfahrt? Kannst du knicken.“ Sarah könnte viele weitere Beispiele nennen. Kindern, die in Armut aufwuchsen – und für die das schon schlimm genug sei –, nehme man so auch noch die Möglichkeit, sich selbst daraus zu befreien.

Im Oktober beginnt Sarah trotz allem ihr Studium an der Uni Bonn, Politikwissenschaft mit Philosophie im Nebenfach. Von der liberalen Erzählung, man könne alles schaffen, wenn man sich nur hart genug anstrengt, hält sie nichts. Dafür will sie auch nicht als gutes Beispiel herhalten. „Es geht nicht darum, dass es nicht möglich ist, es zu schaffen. Es geht darum, dass es nicht fair ist, wenn der eine durchrennt und der andere erst über drei Mauern klettern muss. Wir müssen klarmachen, wie Chancen verteilt sind, und gucken, wo wir diese Hürden abbauen können.“

Sarah nennt ihre Position privilegiert, weil sie gut durch die Schule gekommen ist. […]

Zwei zentrale Dinge müssten sich aus Sarahs Sicht ändern. Das Eine ist die Schule. Kinder nach der vierten Klasse zu sortieren, findet Sarah falsch. Es verfestige Ungerechtigkeiten nur. Wer von zu Hause nicht die Unterstützung bekomme, die er oder sie braucht, müsste diese in der Schule bekommen. Oft gehe es aber auch einfach um Geld – und damit um Teilhabe. Vieles berechne kein Hartz-IV-Satz mit ein. Zum Beispiel Geld für einen Umzug, für erste eigene Möbel, für die Kaution einer Wohnung oder eines WG-Zimmers, für Uni-Bücher. Oder auch einfach für Musikunterricht, Pizza, Kino. „Bei Chancengleichheit geht es nicht darum, dass alle Zugang zur Uni bekommen. Sondern darum, dass Kinder sich ausprobieren können und dieselben Chancen haben“, sagt Sarah. „Wenn ein Kind mit Existenzängsten aufwächst, dann wird es kein glückliches Kind – und auch kein erfolgreiches.“

Zuschüsse für Klassenfahrten oder Mitgliedsbeiträge im Sportverein, genau das soll das sogenannte Bildungs- und Teilhabepaket für einkommensschwache Familien fördern. Ein aktueller Bericht des Paritätischen Wohlfahrtsverbandes zeigt aber: Das Geld kommt bei vielen nicht an. Weniger als 15 Prozent der bedürftigen Schüler*innen unter 15 Jahren profitierten davon. Viele Anträge würden nicht bewilligt, die Verfahren für eben diese Anträge werden schon seit Langem als zu kompliziert kritisiert. […]

Sarah hat sich für ein Studium der Politikwissenschaften und Philosophie entschieden, weil sie die Verhältnisse, in denen wir leben, verändern will. Verhältnisse, in denen sie die Ausnahme ist.

Anmerkung: Bildungs- und Teilhabepaket – staatliche Unterstützung von Kindern aus bedürftigen Familien, um diesen die Teilnahme am gesellschaftlichen und kulturellen Leben zu ermöglichen sowie ihre Bildungschancen zu verbessern

Klausurteil A

Steven Poole

Wake up, humanity! A hi-tech dystopian future is not inevitable

When is the future no longer the future? Only a decade ago, air travel seemed to be moving

ineluctably towards giant planes, or “superjumbos”. But last week Airbus announced it will

cease manufacturing its A380, the world’s fattest passenger jet, as current trends favour

smaller and more fuel-efficient craft. Progress changed course. A more vivid reminder of

5 lost dreams will come in a few weeks: 2 March marks the 50th anniversary of the maiden

flight of Concorde. Once upon a time, all aviation was going to be supersonic. But sometimes,

the future is cancelled.

What if what we think is going to be the future right now is cancelled in its turn? We are

supposedly on an unstoppable path towards driverless vehicles, fully automated internet-

10 connected “smart homes”, and godlike artificial intelligence – but, then, we’ve been promised

flying cars for half a century, and they are still (allegedly) just around the corner. We live in

a time when technological change is portrayed as an inexorable, impersonal force: we’d

better learn how to surf the tsunami or drown. But as a society, we always have a choice

about which direction we take next. And sometimes we make the wrong decision.

15 For one thing, history is full of technological marvels that were abandoned for reasons that

were only reassessed much later. To most people in the late 19th century, when fleets of

electric taxis operated in London and Manhattan, the electric car was clearly going to win

out over the filthy petrol-driven alternative. But then vast oil reserves were discovered in

America, and the future went into reverse. Until, in the late 20th century, global warming

20 and advances in battery technology made electric cars seem like a good idea again. Similarly,

vinyl records have enjoyed a major resurgence in the age of the MP3: not necessarily

because they are an objectively better sonic format, but because it turned out that people

liked owning their culture as physical objects.

Just as we resurrect ideas from the past, we also have the power to bury ideas in the present

25 – whether for business reasons, like Airbus, or for the wider public good. Technology isn’t

just something that happens to us; it’s something we can decide to build and to use, or not.

Should we, for example, allow anyone to make inheritable changes in the DNA of humans?

One of the inventors of the modern gene-editing method Crispr, Jennifer Doudna, thinks

not: she has called for a moratorium on such “germline” editing, because of the potentially

30 disastrous consequences. Many thinkers on machine intelligence meanwhile – led by the

philosopher Nick Bostrom – suggest that the supposedly sci-fi scenario of a conscious AI

escaping its box and taking over the world represents such an enormous, existential threat

to humanity that we ought to be taking steps right now to prevent it happening.

Not much less alarming, and far closer, is the moment when “deep fakes”– computer-generated

35 pictures and video – become indistinguishable from the real thing. The dream is that you can

make a video in which, say, Jacob Rees-Mogg breaks down in tears and admits he doesn’t

understand half of the long words he uses, and this would be impossible to tell from an

authentic TV broadcast. Satisfying as it would be to shame some individuals in this way, the

wider result would be a total corrosion of trust, not only in news media but in documentary

40 evidence of many kinds.

So, as work continues apace on deep fakes, we are sleepwalking towards a media dystopia

in which nothing at all can be trusted, and the only people to benefit will be authoritarian

leaders who insist on their own fantastical realities. Therefore, it’s hard not to think that

researchers building deep-fake technology right now are actively working, whether they

45 realise it or not, to destroy liberal democracy. Should we just sit back and let them, because,

you know, technology will always happen anyway?

We should not, and it’s time to reject the wider myth that tech is apolitical. We are so used

to hearing that technological progress is smooth and inevitable these days that it just seems

like common sense. But this idea may not be unrelated to the fact that the people who promote

50 it are mainly the people with a large financial interest in the adoption of new technology.

Just as our past futures need not be dead to us, our present future is not compulsory.

Annotations:

2 · ineluctably · – unavoidably

6 · Concorde · – supersonic passenger airliner retired in 2003

29 · moratorium · – a temporary stopping of an activity, especially by official agreement

29 · germline editing · – process by which the genome of an individual is edited in such a way that the change is inheritable

36 · Jacob Rees-Mogg · – British Conservative politician known for his extravagant language use

41 · apace · – at a fast speed

1. Point out what Steven Poole states regarding certain inventions from earlier times and the possible consequences of today's technological developments. (Comprehension) [12 Punkte]

Klausurteil A

Steven Poole

Wake up, humanity! A hi-tech dystopian future is not inevitable

When is the future no longer the future? Only a decade ago, air travel seemed to be moving

ineluctably towards giant planes, or “superjumbos”. But last week Airbus announced it will

cease manufacturing its A380, the world’s fattest passenger jet, as current trends favour

smaller and more fuel-efficient craft. Progress changed course. A more vivid reminder of

5 lost dreams will come in a few weeks: 2 March marks the 50th anniversary of the maiden

flight of Concorde. Once upon a time, all aviation was going to be supersonic. But sometimes,

the future is cancelled.

What if what we think is going to be the future right now is cancelled in its turn? We are

supposedly on an unstoppable path towards driverless vehicles, fully automated internet-

10 connected “smart homes”, and godlike artificial intelligence – but, then, we’ve been promised

flying cars for half a century, and they are still (allegedly) just around the corner. We live in

a time when technological change is portrayed as an inexorable, impersonal force: we’d

better learn how to surf the tsunami or drown. But as a society, we always have a choice

about which direction we take next. And sometimes we make the wrong decision.

15 For one thing, history is full of technological marvels that were abandoned for reasons that

were only reassessed much later. To most people in the late 19th century, when fleets of

electric taxis operated in London and Manhattan, the electric car was clearly going to win

out over the filthy petrol-driven alternative. But then vast oil reserves were discovered in

America, and the future went into reverse. Until, in the late 20th century, global warming

20 and advances in battery technology made electric cars seem like a good idea again. Similarly,

vinyl records have enjoyed a major resurgence in the age of the MP3: not necessarily

because they are an objectively better sonic format, but because it turned out that people

liked owning their culture as physical objects.

Just as we resurrect ideas from the past, we also have the power to bury ideas in the present

25 – whether for business reasons, like Airbus, or for the wider public good. Technology isn’t

just something that happens to us; it’s something we can decide to build and to use, or not.

Should we, for example, allow anyone to make inheritable changes in the DNA of humans?

One of the inventors of the modern gene-editing method Crispr, Jennifer Doudna, thinks

not: she has called for a moratorium on such “germline” editing, because of the potentially

30 disastrous consequences. Many thinkers on machine intelligence meanwhile – led by the

philosopher Nick Bostrom – suggest that the supposedly sci-fi scenario of a conscious AI

escaping its box and taking over the world represents such an enormous, existential threat

to humanity that we ought to be taking steps right now to prevent it happening.

Not much less alarming, and far closer, is the moment when “deep fakes”– computer-generated

35 pictures and video – become indistinguishable from the real thing. The dream is that you can

make a video in which, say, Jacob Rees-Mogg breaks down in tears and admits he doesn’t

understand half of the long words he uses, and this would be impossible to tell from an

authentic TV broadcast. Satisfying as it would be to shame some individuals in this way, the

wider result would be a total corrosion of trust, not only in news media but in documentary

40 evidence of many kinds.

So, as work continues apace on deep fakes, we are sleepwalking towards a media dystopia

in which nothing at all can be trusted, and the only people to benefit will be authoritarian

leaders who insist on their own fantastical realities. Therefore, it’s hard not to think that

researchers building deep-fake technology right now are actively working, whether they

45 realise it or not, to destroy liberal democracy. Should we just sit back and let them, because,

you know, technology will always happen anyway?

We should not, and it’s time to reject the wider myth that tech is apolitical. We are so used

to hearing that technological progress is smooth and inevitable these days that it just seems

like common sense. But this idea may not be unrelated to the fact that the people who promote

50 it are mainly the people with a large financial interest in the adoption of new technology.

Just as our past futures need not be dead to us, our present future is not compulsory.

Annotations:

2 · ineluctably · – unavoidably

6 · Concorde · – supersonic passenger airliner retired in 2003

29 · moratorium · – a temporary stopping of an activity, especially by official agreement

29 · germline editing · – process by which the genome of an individual is edited in such a way that the change is inheritable

36 · Jacob Rees-Mogg · – British Conservative politician known for his extravagant language use

41 · apace · – at a fast speed

2. Analyse the way in which the author conveys his opinions about technological progress. Concentrate on the communicative strategies and the language used. (Analysis) [16 Punkte]

Klausurteil A

Steven Poole

Wake up, humanity! A hi-tech dystopian future is not inevitable

When is the future no longer the future? Only a decade ago, air travel seemed to be moving

ineluctably towards giant planes, or “superjumbos”. But last week Airbus announced it will

cease manufacturing its A380, the world’s fattest passenger jet, as current trends favour

smaller and more fuel-efficient craft. Progress changed course. A more vivid reminder of

5 lost dreams will come in a few weeks: 2 March marks the 50th anniversary of the maiden

flight of Concorde. Once upon a time, all aviation was going to be supersonic. But sometimes,

the future is cancelled.

What if what we think is going to be the future right now is cancelled in its turn? We are

supposedly on an unstoppable path towards driverless vehicles, fully automated internet-

10 connected “smart homes”, and godlike artificial intelligence – but, then, we’ve been promised

flying cars for half a century, and they are still (allegedly) just around the corner. We live in

a time when technological change is portrayed as an inexorable, impersonal force: we’d

better learn how to surf the tsunami or drown. But as a society, we always have a choice

about which direction we take next. And sometimes we make the wrong decision.

15 For one thing, history is full of technological marvels that were abandoned for reasons that

were only reassessed much later. To most people in the late 19th century, when fleets of

electric taxis operated in London and Manhattan, the electric car was clearly going to win

out over the filthy petrol-driven alternative. But then vast oil reserves were discovered in

America, and the future went into reverse. Until, in the late 20th century, global warming

20 and advances in battery technology made electric cars seem like a good idea again. Similarly,

vinyl records have enjoyed a major resurgence in the age of the MP3: not necessarily

because they are an objectively better sonic format, but because it turned out that people

liked owning their culture as physical objects.

Just as we resurrect ideas from the past, we also have the power to bury ideas in the present

25 – whether for business reasons, like Airbus, or for the wider public good. Technology isn’t

just something that happens to us; it’s something we can decide to build and to use, or not.

Should we, for example, allow anyone to make inheritable changes in the DNA of humans?

One of the inventors of the modern gene-editing method Crispr, Jennifer Doudna, thinks

not: she has called for a moratorium on such “germline” editing, because of the potentially

30 disastrous consequences. Many thinkers on machine intelligence meanwhile – led by the

philosopher Nick Bostrom – suggest that the supposedly sci-fi scenario of a conscious AI

escaping its box and taking over the world represents such an enormous, existential threat

to humanity that we ought to be taking steps right now to prevent it happening.

Not much less alarming, and far closer, is the moment when “deep fakes”– computer-generated

35 pictures and video – become indistinguishable from the real thing. The dream is that you can

make a video in which, say, Jacob Rees-Mogg breaks down in tears and admits he doesn’t

understand half of the long words he uses, and this would be impossible to tell from an

authentic TV broadcast. Satisfying as it would be to shame some individuals in this way, the

wider result would be a total corrosion of trust, not only in news media but in documentary

40 evidence of many kinds.

So, as work continues apace on deep fakes, we are sleepwalking towards a media dystopia

in which nothing at all can be trusted, and the only people to benefit will be authoritarian

leaders who insist on their own fantastical realities. Therefore, it’s hard not to think that

researchers building deep-fake technology right now are actively working, whether they

45 realise it or not, to destroy liberal democracy. Should we just sit back and let them, because,

you know, technology will always happen anyway?

We should not, and it’s time to reject the wider myth that tech is apolitical. We are so used

to hearing that technological progress is smooth and inevitable these days that it just seems

like common sense. But this idea may not be unrelated to the fact that the people who promote

50 it are mainly the people with a large financial interest in the adoption of new technology.

Just as our past futures need not be dead to us, our present future is not compulsory.

Annotations:

2 · ineluctably · – unavoidably

6 · Concorde · – supersonic passenger airliner retired in 2003

29 · moratorium · – a temporary stopping of an activity, especially by official agreement

29 · germline editing · – process by which the genome of an individual is edited in such a way that the change is inheritable

36 · Jacob Rees-Mogg · – British Conservative politician known for his extravagant language use

41 · apace · – at a fast speed

3.1 "[W]e are sleepwalking towards a media dystopia" (l. 41). Discuss this claim, drawing on what you have covered in class about culture and communication in a globalised world. (Evaluation: comment) [14 Punkte]

3.2

Together with its European partner schools, your school has started a joint project called Visions for Tomorrow's High Tech World of Work. Every participant is asked to submit an online article in which she/he presents their own ideas. Write your article.

(Evaluation: re-creation of text)

[14 Punkte]

Klausurteil A

Steven Poole

Wake up, humanity! A hi-tech dystopian future is not inevitable

When is the future no longer the future? Only a decade ago, air travel seemed to be moving

ineluctably towards giant planes, or “superjumbos”. But last week Airbus announced it will

cease manufacturing its A380, the world’s fattest passenger jet, as current trends favour

smaller and more fuel-efficient craft. Progress changed course. A more vivid reminder of

5 lost dreams will come in a few weeks: 2 March marks the 50th anniversary of the maiden

flight of Concorde. Once upon a time, all aviation was going to be supersonic. But sometimes,

the future is cancelled.

What if what we think is going to be the future right now is cancelled in its turn? We are

supposedly on an unstoppable path towards driverless vehicles, fully automated internet-

10 connected “smart homes”, and godlike artificial intelligence – but, then, we’ve been promised

flying cars for half a century, and they are still (allegedly) just around the corner. We live in

a time when technological change is portrayed as an inexorable, impersonal force: we’d

better learn how to surf the tsunami or drown. But as a society, we always have a choice

about which direction we take next. And sometimes we make the wrong decision.

15 For one thing, history is full of technological marvels that were abandoned for reasons that

were only reassessed much later. To most people in the late 19th century, when fleets of

electric taxis operated in London and Manhattan, the electric car was clearly going to win

out over the filthy petrol-driven alternative. But then vast oil reserves were discovered in

America, and the future went into reverse. Until, in the late 20th century, global warming

20 and advances in battery technology made electric cars seem like a good idea again. Similarly,

vinyl records have enjoyed a major resurgence in the age of the MP3: not necessarily

because they are an objectively better sonic format, but because it turned out that people

liked owning their culture as physical objects.

Just as we resurrect ideas from the past, we also have the power to bury ideas in the present

25 – whether for business reasons, like Airbus, or for the wider public good. Technology isn’t

just something that happens to us; it’s something we can decide to build and to use, or not.

Should we, for example, allow anyone to make inheritable changes in the DNA of humans?

One of the inventors of the modern gene-editing method Crispr, Jennifer Doudna, thinks

not: she has called for a moratorium on such “germline” editing, because of the potentially

30 disastrous consequences. Many thinkers on machine intelligence meanwhile – led by the

philosopher Nick Bostrom – suggest that the supposedly sci-fi scenario of a conscious AI

escaping its box and taking over the world represents such an enormous, existential threat

to humanity that we ought to be taking steps right now to prevent it happening.

Not much less alarming, and far closer, is the moment when “deep fakes”– computer-generated

35 pictures and video – become indistinguishable from the real thing. The dream is that you can

make a video in which, say, Jacob Rees-Mogg breaks down in tears and admits he doesn’t

understand half of the long words he uses, and this would be impossible to tell from an

authentic TV broadcast. Satisfying as it would be to shame some individuals in this way, the

wider result would be a total corrosion of trust, not only in news media but in documentary

40 evidence of many kinds.

So, as work continues apace on deep fakes, we are sleepwalking towards a media dystopia

in which nothing at all can be trusted, and the only people to benefit will be authoritarian

leaders who insist on their own fantastical realities. Therefore, it’s hard not to think that

researchers building deep-fake technology right now are actively working, whether they

45 realise it or not, to destroy liberal democracy. Should we just sit back and let them, because,

you know, technology will always happen anyway?

We should not, and it’s time to reject the wider myth that tech is apolitical. We are so used

to hearing that technological progress is smooth and inevitable these days that it just seems

like common sense. But this idea may not be unrelated to the fact that the people who promote

50 it are mainly the people with a large financial interest in the adoption of new technology.

Just as our past futures need not be dead to us, our present future is not compulsory.

Annotations:

2 · ineluctably · – unavoidably

6 · Concorde · – supersonic passenger airliner retired in 2003

29 · moratorium · – a temporary stopping of an activity, especially by official agreement

29 · germline editing · – process by which the genome of an individual is edited in such a way that the change is inheritable

36 · Jacob Rees-Mogg · – British Conservative politician known for his extravagant language use

41 · apace · – at a fast speed

Klausurteil B: Sprachmittlung isoliert

4. A friend of yours from the USA studies computer science and is thinking about spending a term abroad, so she/he is searching for an appealing programme. You came across the article by Annabelle Theobald and want to inform her/him by email about the new lecture in Saarbrücken, including its aims and content. Write this email. (Mediation) [18 Punkte]

Textgrundlage: Annabelle Theobald, „Die Perle der Saar-Universität“

Die Perle der Saar-Universität

Wie geht man damit um, dass eine an sich gute Technik auch zu schlechten Zwecken missbraucht werden kann? Diese und ähnliche Fragen stellen sich Informatiker und Philosophen – allerdings selten am selben Tisch. Die Vorlesung „Ethics for Nerds“, die an der Universität des Saarlandes seit dem Sommersemester 2016 angeboten wird, hat Moralphilosophie und Informatik zusammengeführt. Der Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft erklärte sie zur Hochschulperle. Die Auszeichnung soll innovative Projekte deutscher Universitäten sichtbarer machen.

Um das Projekt an der Saar-Universität umsetzen zu können, hat sich der Informatikprofessor Holger Hermanns an Kevin Baum gewandt, der als Erster im Saarland einen Master-Abschluss in Philosophie und Informatik gemacht hat und nun als Doktorand an der Saar-Uni beschäftigt ist. Er hält den Großteil der Vorlesung. Im Sommersemester 2015 startete das Projekt mit dem Seminar „Ethik für Nerds“, war aber schnell ausgebucht. Als klar wurde, dass das Angebot von den Studierenden gut angenommen wird, wurde daraus die Vorlesung „Ethics for Nerds“, in englischer Sprache und ergänzt durch begleitende Übungen. Im vergangenen Sommersemester nahmen an der Vorlesung etwa 120 Studenten aus Bachelor- und Masterstudiengängen teil.

Ziel der Vorlesung sei es, so Kevin Baum, Informatiker auf ihre Aufgaben vorzubereiten und sie zu motivieren, sich in den öffentlichen Diskurs einzubringen. „Die Vorlesung ist am Puls der Zeit“, sagt Holger Hermanns. Für die behandelten Themen, die sich oft im Spannungsfeld von Freiheit, Privatsphäre und Sicherheit bewegten, gebe es immer aktuelle Beispiele. Eben diese Aktualität führe dazu, dass die Studenten sich für die Vorlesung begeistern, so Baum. Der Ausgangspunkt sei dabei zunächst aber meist ein anderer: „Die Studenten gehen oft mit der Haltung rein: Das ist nicht die Verantwortung von Informatikern, sondern die der späteren Arbeitgeber“, sagt Kevin Baum. Allerdings sei das ein Fehlschluss, denn die Probleme erkennen könne letztlich nur der Informatiker und dieser trage damit auch gesellschaftliche Verantwortung.

Der Titel der Vorlesung […] soll laut Hermanns auch öffentliche Aufmerksamkeit für das Thema schaffen. Im Duden wird ein Nerd als „sehr intelligenter, aber sozial isolierter Computerfan“ beschrieben; die Bezeichnung ist im Sprachgebrauch bisher eher abwertend gebraucht worden. „Die Wahrnehmung des Begriffes Nerds hat sich gewandelt. Mittlerweile ist der Nerd in der Mitte der Gesellschaft angekommen“, so Holger Hermanns. […]

Die Vorlesung ist laut Baum in drei Teile gegliedert. Zunächst gebe es eine Einführung in die Moralphilosophie. Es wird darüber geredet, welche moralischen Theorien es gibt. Es geht darum zu klären, „was ist moralische Verantwortung jenseits dessen, was jeder an Vorstellungen mitbringt“, so Baum. Zudem schaue man sich die ethischen Leitlinien verschiedener Verbände an, darunter die der Gesellschaft für Informatik. Die Leitlinien erklärten zwar, worauf man achten müsse, aber für die richtige Anwendung brauche es doch mehr. Darum gehe es im zweiten Teil der Vorlesung anhand von konkreten und aktuellen Beispielen. „Da ergibt sich oft keine abschließende Antwort, sondern es werden verschiedene Argumente erarbeitet, die man danach abwägen kann“, sagt Kevin Baum. Im dritten Teil werde auf Grundlage des Gelernten beispielsweise darüber geredet, wie man autonome Fahrzeuge gestalten könnte und ob Roboter in bestimmten Bereichen Rechte haben sollten.

Einigkeit herrscht bei den beiden Forschern, dass wirkliche Herausforderungen oft die seien, die gesellschaftlich keine so große Aufmerksamkeit erfahren. „Die echten Probleme sind nicht der Terminator von morgen oder die künstliche Intelligenz, die wegläuft, sondern vielmehr, dass wir aus Versehen ein System aus Algorithmen basteln, die sich gegenseitig stützen und von denen keiner mehr weiß, wie sie wirken“, so Kevin Baum. Ein großes Thema ist daher laut Holger Hermanns die Erklärbarkeit von Systemen. Baum pflichtet bei: „Die künstliche Intelligenz muss so programmiert sein, dass deren Empfehlungen und Entscheidungen nachvollziehbar und hinterfragbar sind. Maschinen als Träger von Verantwortung sind wahnwitziger Unsinn.“

Klausurteil A: Leseverstehen und Schreiben integriert

Klausurteil A

Rene Germain and Adesuwa Ajayi

Black Lives Matter – Unless You’re Black in the Workplace

Rene Germain and Adesuwa Ajayi, the authors of this text, are black women who live in the United Kingdom.

The murder of George Floyd in the US and the resulting Black Lives Matter protests taking

place globally have led many organisations to express their support for the Black Lives Matter

movement and their black employees, and making generous donations to black organisations.

However, this new apparent solidarity with the black community is rather surprising, especially

5 to their Black employees who are used to dealing with racism and micro-aggressions every

day.

It’s ironic to see companies who have failed to act on racism for so long, suddenly professing

to care. Where is the solidarity when you pay us less than our white counterparts? Where is

the solidarity when you fail to hire and promote us into senior leadership roles? Where is

10 the solidarity when we report racist incidents and we are told to ignore it?

Numerous conversations have been happening online as company statements have been

critiqued by current and former Black employees. As the two black female founders of nine

to five’s, an online community for black people in the workplace, we saw it as our duty to

amplify and expand this conversation, so we created #blackintheoffice on twitter and asked

15 Black employees to message us their experiences so we could share them anonymously.

The response has been overwhelming, with many recommending the thread as essential line

manager and senior leadership reading. Whilst it provides a much-needed raw insight into

the black British employee experience, it has also been heart-breaking to read.

Common trends we saw across the submissions included Black women being subjected to

20 negative comments about their natural hair styles, weaves and wigs, with colleagues touching

their hair and even attempting to remove wigs during work night out.

Many of those that got in touch with us said they found out upon leaving their jobs that they

were being significantly underpaid, and being replaced with lesser qualified white people

who were being paid more.

25 Others spoke of being labelled as “aggressive, pushy, sassy, negative”, or being subject to

inappropriate comments about drug use, gangs or slavery, and receiving no support from

their peers or HR when reporting incidents.

And the submissions showed this issue isn’t unique to one particular industry either. It happens

everywhere, from law to banking, recruitment, fashion and luxury, beauty and cosmetics,

30 charity, transport, aviation, education, property and construction, journalism and more. As

suspected, there is no “safe industry” or “safe workplace” if you are Black.

Now more than ever, companies need to realise that talk is cheap and Black employees are

tired. We are tired of the blanket statements and empty promises. We want to know of the

specific actions you are going to take to create a safe environment for Black employees to

35 thrive. We would like clear transparency and accountability around those actions. We would

like to be spoken to as the Black community and not referred to as BAME or people of colour,

because we are not a singular homogenous group. We want to be listened to and trust that

we can report incidents without fear of retribution. We want to be paid fairly. We want to

see more Black people in senior leadership, because we know they exist in our firms and

40 externally, so why don’t you hire or promote them?

Now is also the time to recognise the things that don’t work. It simply isn’t enough to just

hire more Black people, not until you have taken the necessary steps to make your workplace

more inclusive of them. Hiring a diversity and inclusion lead takes away from the fact that a

diverse and inclusive workplace needs to be the responsibility of everyone. The unconscious

45 bias trainings mask the ugly reality that much of the behaviours Black employees are

subjected to are very conscious and calculated. “One size fit all” diversity and inclusion

initiatives for “minority” employees don’t address the unique issues those individual

communities face.

Systemic racism is rife and the injustices that Black people are subjected to don’t stop with

50 police brutality. The way in which companies treat their Black employees is another type of

injustice that needs to be acknowledged and addressed. It’s time for companies to do better

and take action.

Annotations:

16 · thread – here: the compilation of tweets on a particular topic

16 – 17 · line manager and senior leadership reading – something people in superior managing positions should read

25 · sassy – informal: disrespectful

27 · HR (Human Resources) – the department in a company responsible for staff-related issues, including hiring and training employees

33 · blanket statements – generalising statements

36 · BAME (Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority) – term used in the UK to refer to people who are not white

43 · diversity and inclusion lead – person responsible for increasing diversity and equal participation in a company

44 – 45 · unconscious bias training – training to make people aware of unconscious prejudices

1.

Outline what Rene Germain and Adesuwa Ajayi have set up as an initiative and which insights have resulted from it. (Comprehension) [12 Punkte]

Klausurteil A: Leseverstehen und Schreiben integriert

Klausurteil A

Rene Germain and Adesuwa Ajayi

Black Lives Matter – Unless You’re Black in the Workplace

Rene Germain and Adesuwa Ajayi, the authors of this text, are black women who live in the United Kingdom.

The murder of George Floyd in the US and the resulting Black Lives Matter protests taking

place globally have led many organisations to express their support for the Black Lives Matter

movement and their black employees, and making generous donations to black organisations.

However, this new apparent solidarity with the black community is rather surprising, especially

5 to their Black employees who are used to dealing with racism and micro-aggressions every

day.

It’s ironic to see companies who have failed to act on racism for so long, suddenly professing

to care. Where is the solidarity when you pay us less than our white counterparts? Where is

the solidarity when you fail to hire and promote us into senior leadership roles? Where is

10 the solidarity when we report racist incidents and we are told to ignore it?

Numerous conversations have been happening online as company statements have been

critiqued by current and former Black employees. As the two black female founders of nine

to five’s, an online community for black people in the workplace, we saw it as our duty to

amplify and expand this conversation, so we created #blackintheoffice on twitter and asked

15 Black employees to message us their experiences so we could share them anonymously.

The response has been overwhelming, with many recommending the thread as essential line

manager and senior leadership reading. Whilst it provides a much-needed raw insight into

the black British employee experience, it has also been heart-breaking to read.

Common trends we saw across the submissions included Black women being subjected to

20 negative comments about their natural hair styles, weaves and wigs, with colleagues touching

their hair and even attempting to remove wigs during work night out.

Many of those that got in touch with us said they found out upon leaving their jobs that they

were being significantly underpaid, and being replaced with lesser qualified white people

who were being paid more.

25 Others spoke of being labelled as “aggressive, pushy, sassy, negative”, or being subject to

inappropriate comments about drug use, gangs or slavery, and receiving no support from

their peers or HR when reporting incidents.

And the submissions showed this issue isn’t unique to one particular industry either. It happens

everywhere, from law to banking, recruitment, fashion and luxury, beauty and cosmetics,

30 charity, transport, aviation, education, property and construction, journalism and more. As

suspected, there is no “safe industry” or “safe workplace” if you are Black.

Now more than ever, companies need to realise that talk is cheap and Black employees are

tired. We are tired of the blanket statements and empty promises. We want to know of the

specific actions you are going to take to create a safe environment for Black employees to

35 thrive. We would like clear transparency and accountability around those actions. We would

like to be spoken to as the Black community and not referred to as BAME or people of colour,

because we are not a singular homogenous group. We want to be listened to and trust that

we can report incidents without fear of retribution. We want to be paid fairly. We want to

see more Black people in senior leadership, because we know they exist in our firms and

40 externally, so why don’t you hire or promote them?

Now is also the time to recognise the things that don’t work. It simply isn’t enough to just

hire more Black people, not until you have taken the necessary steps to make your workplace

more inclusive of them. Hiring a diversity and inclusion lead takes away from the fact that a

diverse and inclusive workplace needs to be the responsibility of everyone. The unconscious

45 bias trainings mask the ugly reality that much of the behaviours Black employees are

subjected to are very conscious and calculated. “One size fit all” diversity and inclusion

initiatives for “minority” employees don’t address the unique issues those individual

communities face.

Systemic racism is rife and the injustices that Black people are subjected to don’t stop with

50 police brutality. The way in which companies treat their Black employees is another type of

injustice that needs to be acknowledged and addressed. It’s time for companies to do better

and take action.

Annotations:

16 · thread – here: the compilation of tweets on a particular topic

16 – 17 · line manager and senior leadership reading – something people in superior managing positions should read

25 · sassy – informal: disrespectful

27 · HR (Human Resources) – the department in a company responsible for staff-related issues, including hiring and training employees

33 · blanket statements – generalising statements

36 · BAME (Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority) – term used in the UK to refer to people who are not white

43 · diversity and inclusion lead – person responsible for increasing diversity and equal participation in a company

44 – 45 · unconscious bias training – training to make people aware of unconscious prejudices

2.

Analyse in which way the authors convey their opinions on the present situation of Black employees in the UK. Concentrate on communicative strategies and the use of language. (Analysis) [16 Punkte]

3.1

In response to the Black Lives Matter protests against racism throughout the USA, former President Barack Obama stated in June 2020 that “this moment can be a real turning point in our nation’s long journey to live up to our highest ideals.” Discuss this statement, drawing on what you have covered in class about American myths and realities. (Evaluation: comment) [14 Punkte]

[1] https://obama.medium.com/how-to-make-this-moment-the-turning-point-for-real-change-9fa209806067 [17.10.2020]

Klausurteil A: Leseverstehen und Schreiben integriert

Klausurteil A

Rene Germain and Adesuwa Ajayi

Black Lives Matter – Unless You’re Black in the Workplace

Rene Germain and Adesuwa Ajayi, the authors of this text, are black women who live in the United Kingdom.

The murder of George Floyd in the US and the resulting Black Lives Matter protests taking

place globally have led many organisations to express their support for the Black Lives Matter

movement and their black employees, and making generous donations to black organisations.

However, this new apparent solidarity with the black community is rather surprising, especially

5 to their Black employees who are used to dealing with racism and micro-aggressions every

day.

It’s ironic to see companies who have failed to act on racism for so long, suddenly professing

to care. Where is the solidarity when you pay us less than our white counterparts? Where is

the solidarity when you fail to hire and promote us into senior leadership roles? Where is

10 the solidarity when we report racist incidents and we are told to ignore it?

Numerous conversations have been happening online as company statements have been

critiqued by current and former Black employees. As the two black female founders of nine

to five’s, an online community for black people in the workplace, we saw it as our duty to

amplify and expand this conversation, so we created #blackintheoffice on twitter and asked

15 Black employees to message us their experiences so we could share them anonymously.

The response has been overwhelming, with many recommending the thread as essential line

manager and senior leadership reading. Whilst it provides a much-needed raw insight into

the black British employee experience, it has also been heart-breaking to read.

Common trends we saw across the submissions included Black women being subjected to

20 negative comments about their natural hair styles, weaves and wigs, with colleagues touching

their hair and even attempting to remove wigs during work night out.

Many of those that got in touch with us said they found out upon leaving their jobs that they

were being significantly underpaid, and being replaced with lesser qualified white people

who were being paid more.

25 Others spoke of being labelled as “aggressive, pushy, sassy, negative”, or being subject to

inappropriate comments about drug use, gangs or slavery, and receiving no support from

their peers or HR when reporting incidents.

And the submissions showed this issue isn’t unique to one particular industry either. It happens

everywhere, from law to banking, recruitment, fashion and luxury, beauty and cosmetics,

30 charity, transport, aviation, education, property and construction, journalism and more. As

suspected, there is no “safe industry” or “safe workplace” if you are Black.

Now more than ever, companies need to realise that talk is cheap and Black employees are

tired. We are tired of the blanket statements and empty promises. We want to know of the

specific actions you are going to take to create a safe environment for Black employees to

35 thrive. We would like clear transparency and accountability around those actions. We would

like to be spoken to as the Black community and not referred to as BAME or people of colour,

because we are not a singular homogenous group. We want to be listened to and trust that

we can report incidents without fear of retribution. We want to be paid fairly. We want to

see more Black people in senior leadership, because we know they exist in our firms and

40 externally, so why don’t you hire or promote them?

Now is also the time to recognise the things that don’t work. It simply isn’t enough to just

hire more Black people, not until you have taken the necessary steps to make your workplace

more inclusive of them. Hiring a diversity and inclusion lead takes away from the fact that a

diverse and inclusive workplace needs to be the responsibility of everyone. The unconscious

45 bias trainings mask the ugly reality that much of the behaviours Black employees are

subjected to are very conscious and calculated. “One size fit all” diversity and inclusion

initiatives for “minority” employees don’t address the unique issues those individual

communities face.

Systemic racism is rife and the injustices that Black people are subjected to don’t stop with

50 police brutality. The way in which companies treat their Black employees is another type of

injustice that needs to be acknowledged and addressed. It’s time for companies to do better

and take action.

Annotations:

16 · thread – here: the compilation of tweets on a particular topic

16 – 17 · line manager and senior leadership reading – something people in superior managing positions should read

25 · sassy – informal: disrespectful

27 · HR (Human Resources) – the department in a company responsible for staff-related issues, including hiring and training employees

33 · blanket statements – generalising statements

36 · BAME (Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority) – term used in the UK to refer to people who are not white

43 · diversity and inclusion lead – person responsible for increasing diversity and equal participation in a company

44 – 45 · unconscious bias training – training to make people aware of unconscious prejudices

3.2

Imagine you are a British student based in London. After reading the article, you ask yourself whether the situation in the workplace that it presents reflects the current state of Britain as a multicultural society. Write a letter to the editor expressing your opinion on this issue. (Evaluation: re-creation of text) [14 Punkte]

Klausurteil B: Sprachmittlung isoliert

4. Motivated by the Black Lives Matter movement, your former British exchange partner has become part of an international network aiming to draw attention to racism in the workplace. She/He would like to know more about the situation in Germany. You have come across the interview with Nursemin Sönmez.

Write an email to your friend in which you outline Ms Sönmez's statements on racial discrimination and the ways in which German companies can respond to it.

(Mediation) (18 Punkte)

Klausurteil A

Rene Germain and Adesuwa Ajayi

Black Lives Matter – Unless You’re Black in the Workplace

Rene Germain and Adesuwa Ajayi, the authors of this text, are black women who live in the United Kingdom.

The murder of George Floyd in the US and the resulting Black Lives Matter protests taking

place globally have led many organisations to express their support for the Black Lives Matter

movement and their black employees, and making generous donations to black organisations.

However, this new apparent solidarity with the black community is rather surprising, especially

5 to their Black employees who are used to dealing with racism and micro-aggressions every

day.

It’s ironic to see companies who have failed to act on racism for so long, suddenly professing

to care. Where is the solidarity when you pay us less than our white counterparts? Where is

the solidarity when you fail to hire and promote us into senior leadership roles? Where is

10 the solidarity when we report racist incidents and we are told to ignore it?

Numerous conversations have been happening online as company statements have been

critiqued by current and former Black employees. As the two black female founders of nine

to five’s, an online community for black people in the workplace, we saw it as our duty to

amplify and expand this conversation, so we created #blackintheoffice on twitter and asked

15 Black employees to message us their experiences so we could share them anonymously.

The response has been overwhelming, with many recommending the thread as essential line

manager and senior leadership reading. Whilst it provides a much-needed raw insight into

the black British employee experience, it has also been heart-breaking to read.

Common trends we saw across the submissions included Black women being subjected to

20 negative comments about their natural hair styles, weaves and wigs, with colleagues touching

their hair and even attempting to remove wigs during work night out.

Many of those that got in touch with us said they found out upon leaving their jobs that they

were being significantly underpaid, and being replaced with lesser qualified white people

who were being paid more.

25 Others spoke of being labelled as “aggressive, pushy, sassy, negative”, or being subject to

inappropriate comments about drug use, gangs or slavery, and receiving no support from

their peers or HR when reporting incidents.

And the submissions showed this issue isn’t unique to one particular industry either. It happens

everywhere, from law to banking, recruitment, fashion and luxury, beauty and cosmetics,

30 charity, transport, aviation, education, property and construction, journalism and more. As

suspected, there is no “safe industry” or “safe workplace” if you are Black.

Now more than ever, companies need to realise that talk is cheap and Black employees are

tired. We are tired of the blanket statements and empty promises. We want to know of the

specific actions you are going to take to create a safe environment for Black employees to

35 thrive. We would like clear transparency and accountability around those actions. We would

like to be spoken to as the Black community and not referred to as BAME or people of colour,

because we are not a singular homogenous group. We want to be listened to and trust that

we can report incidents without fear of retribution. We want to be paid fairly. We want to

see more Black people in senior leadership, because we know they exist in our firms and

40 externally, so why don’t you hire or promote them?

Now is also the time to recognise the things that don’t work. It simply isn’t enough to just

hire more Black people, not until you have taken the necessary steps to make your workplace

more inclusive of them. Hiring a diversity and inclusion lead takes away from the fact that a

diverse and inclusive workplace needs to be the responsibility of everyone. The unconscious

45 bias trainings mask the ugly reality that much of the behaviours Black employees are

subjected to are very conscious and calculated. “One size fit all” diversity and inclusion

initiatives for “minority” employees don’t address the unique issues those individual

communities face.

Systemic racism is rife and the injustices that Black people are subjected to don’t stop with

50 police brutality. The way in which companies treat their Black employees is another type of

injustice that needs to be acknowledged and addressed. It’s time for companies to do better

and take action.

Annotations:

16 · thread – here: the compilation of tweets on a particular topic

16 – 17 · line manager and senior leadership reading – something people in superior managing positions should read

25 · sassy – informal: disrespectful

27 · HR (Human Resources) – the department in a company responsible for staff-related issues, including hiring and training employees

33 · blanket statements – generalising statements

36 · BAME (Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority) – term used in the UK to refer to people who are not white

43 · diversity and inclusion lead – person responsible for increasing diversity and equal participation in a company

44 – 45 · unconscious bias training – training to make people aware of unconscious prejudices

Stella Männer – Rassismus am Arbeitsplatz: „Kaum jemand sagt: Wir haben ein Rassismus-Problem“

Nursemin Sönmez berät als Diversity- und Anti-Rassismus-Trainerin Unternehmen und Kultureinrichtungen. In den Wochen vor dem Interview waren mehrere rassistische Vorfälle in deutschen Großunternehmen bekannt geworden.

ZEIT ONLINE: Was sagt das über eine Unternehmenskultur aus, wenn solche Vorfälle [...] oder auch subtilere Formen der Diskriminierung passieren?

Sönmez: Ich glaube, es sagt mehr darüber aus, in welchem gesellschaftlichen Klima sich das Unternehmen befindet. Sprüche wie „Das darf man doch mal sagen dürfen“ oder „Nimm das doch nicht so ernst“ sind in Deutschland immer noch verbreitet. Aber natürlich sagt es auch etwas darüber aus, welche Leitbilder und Werte in diesem Unternehmen vermittelt werden. Und welches Betriebsklima gefördert und auf der Führungsebene vorgelebt wird.

ZEIT ONLINE: Sie geben als Diversity- und Anti-Rassismus-Trainerin Workshops und Beratungen in Unternehmen und Kultureinrichtungen, wann werden Sie gerufen?

Sönmez: [...] [Z]um Beispiel, wenn Organisationen merken, dass sie bestimmte Zielgruppen nicht erreichen. Wenn Menschen, denen ein anderer kultureller Hintergrund zugeschrieben wird, nicht im eigenen Personal vorkommen. Hier spielt auch der gesellschaftliche und politische Druck auf Unternehmen eine Rolle. Manchmal hat es aber auch ökonomische Gründe. Bestimmte Projekt- oder Fördertöpfe könnten leichter angezapft werden, wenn die Belegschaft eine gewisse Vielfalt und Internationalität präsentieren kann. Wenn es Vorfälle mit Klienten gibt, kommen Unternehmen besonders schnell.

ZEIT ONLINE: Sie bekommen keine Anrufe, weil Mitarbeiter andere diskriminiert haben?

Sönmez: Es ruft kaum jemand bei mir an und sagt: Wir haben in unserem Unternehmen ein Rassismus-Problem. Viele wollen ein allgemeines Diversity-Training. Meistens stellen sich die Probleme erst während des Workshops heraus. Wenn die Mitarbeiterinnen und Mitarbeiter ins Gespräch kommen, merken und benennen vor allem sensible und erfahrene Mitarbeiter oder Mitarbeiterinnen: Wir haben hier ein Problem mit Rassismus.

ZEIT ONLINE: Die meisten Menschen würden wahrscheinlich von sich behaupten, nicht rassistisch zu sein. Wie schaffen Sie es, dass solche Probleme von den Mitarbeitern selbst angesprochen werden?

Sönmez: Es gibt viele Übungen, mit denen man die Teilnehmerinnen und Teilnehmer für das Thema Diskriminierung sensibilisiert. Eine heißt zum Beispiel Identitätsmolekül. Da reflektieren wir, welche Identitäten jeder einzelne hat und welche Relevanz diese verschiedenen Identitäten in unterschiedlichen gesellschaftlichen Kontexten und Machtverhältnissen haben. Die Teilnehmerinnen und Teilnehmer erkennen von sich ausgehend, dass eine Person mehr ist als nur das Mitglied einer bestimmten Gruppe oder Community. In anderen Übungen geht es darum, zur Reflexion anzuregen: Mit welchen Stereotypen und Vorurteilen bin ich selbst behaftet? Und wie prägen diese mein Handeln im Arbeitsleben?

ZEIT ONLINE: Kommt es vor, dass sich Teilnehmerinnen und Teilnehmer Ihrer Workshops angegriffen fühlen, wenn ihr Verhalten kritisiert wird?

Sönmez: Wenn es in weißen Organisationen um die Personalauswahl geht, ist es Standard, dass sich die Teilnehmerinnen und Teilnehmer angegriffen fühlen und argumentieren, dass es ein Zufall sei, dass ihr Team weiß ist. Sätze wie „Die bewerben sich ja nicht“ oder „Die haben ja nicht die gleichen Kompetenzen“ fallen oft.

ZEIT ONLINE: Gibt es bestimmte Branchen, in denen Rassismus am Arbeitsplatz weiter verbreitet ist als in anderen?

Sönmez: Nein. Die Form, wie rassistische Diskriminierung auftritt, ist unterschiedlich, aber nicht, dass sie auftritt. Rassistische Denkmuster sind in der bürgerlichen Mitte vorhanden, die Arbeitswelt bleibt deshalb nicht davon verschont. Aufgrund von Hierarchien und Abhängigkeiten tritt Diskriminierung hier noch verstärkter auf.

ZEIT ONLINE: Was sollten Führungskräfte tun, wenn es zu einem rassistischen Vorfall im Betrieb kommt?

Sönmez: Wichtig ist, die rechtlichen Konsequenzen, die es gibt, auch zu nutzen. Das Allgemeine Gleichbehandlungsgesetz verpflichtet Arbeitgeberinnen dazu, ihre Mitarbeiter vor Diskriminierung zu schützen. Deshalb sollten sie prüfen, ob Sanktionsmöglichkeiten wie eine Abmahnung oder eine Kündigung angemessen sind. Außerdem sollten sie sich klar zu Anti-Rassismus bekennen und kommunizieren: Rassismus hat bei uns keinen Platz. Das Wort Rassismus sollte dabei in den Mund genommen und benannt werden. Wichtig ist auch, den Vorfall nicht als Einzelfall abzutun. Insbesondere die Leitungsebene sollte sich fragen, warum es zu diesem Vorfall kommen konnte und warum keiner eingeschritten ist. Braucht das Team vielleicht einen Workshop oder eine professionelle Begleitung? Parallel sollte man die von Rassismus betroffene Person unterstützen.