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ABI LF - Identity conflicts and competing values

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ABI LF - Identity conflicts and competing values

Mini-description: Analyse complex cases in which individual rights, group identity, institutions and competing social values collide. Your goal is not to find a politically “correct” answer, but to build a differentiated, evidence-based analysis, represent relevant perspectives fairly and explain how institutions frame, limit or protect competing claims.

Target group: Englisch als fortgeführte Fremdsprache, Leistungsfach, Kursstufe Baden-Württemberg.

Language rule: English first. Use context, word formation, visualisation, an English explanation and a monolingual dictionary before German help.

Media entry: What is in conflict?

Look at the images before reading any explanation. For each image, note four keywords: right – group – institution – value.

Starter question: When can protecting one person’s freedom affect another person’s equal access, dignity, safety or participation?

Viewing task: While watching the Crash Course overview, distinguish civil liberties from civil rights. Write down one example of each and one role played by courts.

I-can goals

I can identify the rights, identities, institutions and social values involved in a complex case.
I can distinguish facts, legal rules, arguments, interpretations and value judgements.
I can analyse language, framing, evidence and perspective in literary and non-literary material.
I can compare competing claims without caricaturing either side.
I can connect several materials independently and build a qualified line of argument.
I can speak in a structured monologue and sustain a responsive discussion.
I can write an analytical and argumentative response using precise evidence and appropriate register.
I can verify AI-generated information and source claims instead of using AI as a substitute author.

Before you start: activate prior knowledge

Without a dictionary, define the following in English: liberty, equality, identity, discrimination, institution, pluralism, precedent, dissent.

Then draw this four-part lens:

R – Rights → What freedom, protection or entitlement is claimed?

G – Groups → Which identities or communities are affected, and are they internally diverse?

I – Institutions → Who makes, applies or challenges the rule?

V – Values → Which social values are in tension: equality, autonomy, safety, inclusion, order, pluralism, democratic participation?

Add a fifth element:

E – Evidence → What material actually supports each claim?

Baden-Württemberg Abi check: current official basis

Status checked: 3 October 2026. The Baden-Württemberg Ministry currently provides official Abitur documents for the 2027 and 2028 examination cohorts. For both cohorts, English at Leistungsfach level is based on the Bildungsplan 2016. The official focus includes On the Move: Migration and Cross-Cultural Encounters as well as current questions of identity and political, cultural and social developments in the USA and the UK. The official documents also require stronger emphasis on AFB II and AFB III than on AFB I.

Official overview: Ministerium für Kultus Baden-Württemberg – Termine und Informationen zum Abitur

2027: Facherlass 2027 and Beurteilungs- und Korrekturrichtlinien 2027

2028: Facherlass 2028 and the current 2028 correction guidelines linked on the ministry page.

Bildungsplan: Englisch Leistungsfach 11/12 – Text- und Medienkompetenz

Important: Always use the documents for your own examination cohort. Do not assume that an older course sheet remains valid.

Written exam and communication exam are not the same

Area	What matters
Written part	For the 2027 and 2028 LF regulations: about 255 minutes including choice time; listening and writing are separate parts. The writing part can require reading comprehension, analysis and either a personal statement or a creative writing task.
Weighting	In the official 2027 and 2028 correction guidelines, listening contributes 20%, writing 55% and the communication examination 25% to the overall result of the written Abitur examination in the modern foreign language.
Communication exam	Individual or tandem format; 15 minutes preparation. It combines a monologue with a dialogue. The 2028 guidelines specify about 5 minutes monologue and about 10 minutes dialogue; tandem examinations last at least 20 minutes in total.
Assessment	Content/task fulfilment, interaction/discourse strategy and language performance are assessed separately and then combined.
Mediation	In the qualification phase, one test or part of a test assesses mediation in an isolated format, normally with English-language production. Do not confuse this course requirement with a separate mediation section in the final written examination.

LF standard: more breadth, depth and text complexity; more independent linking of materials; differentiated evidence-based analysis; increased AFB II/III.

Core analytical model

Use R-G-I-V-E whenever a case feels politically or morally overloaded.

Lens	Questions	Useful language
Rights	What right is claimed? Is the claim absolute, qualified or context-dependent?	The claimant argues that… / The scope of the right depends on…
Groups	Who is affected? Is the group presented as homogeneous although it is not?	The material frames the group as… / Internal diversity is obscured by…
Institutions	Which body has authority? Court, school, university, legislature, company, platform?	The institution justifies its rule by… / Its institutional role is…
Values	Which legitimate values compete?	The conflict is not simply X versus Y; it also involves…
Evidence	Which claim is supported by law, data, examples or source-based reasoning?	This claim is supported by… / The source does not establish that…

Rule for fair analysis: Describe each major position in terms its supporters would recognise, then test it against evidence, legal context, consequences and counterarguments.

Case Lab 1: Student speech and school authority

Real case anchor: In Mahanoy Area School District v. B. L. (2021), the U.S. Supreme Court held that a public school’s punishment of a student for the off-campus Snapchat speech at issue violated the First Amendment. The Court also stressed that schools can still have significant interests in some off-campus situations, for example serious bullying or threats.

Primary source: U.S. Supreme Court opinion

Analysis task: Apply R-G-I-V-E. Do not stop at “free speech vs school rules”. Consider student autonomy, school responsibility, community membership, digital reach and the institution’s educational role.

Transfer case – fictional: A sixth-form student posts an offensive meme from home. It names no classmate, but students identify the target group and demand school action. The school considers a temporary exclusion from an extracurricular leadership role.

LF challenge: Write two defensible mini-conclusions beginning with If the decisive criterion is…. The conclusions may differ because the criterion differs.

Case Lab 2: Equal treatment, group identity and university admissions

Real case anchor: In Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard / University of North Carolina (2023), the U.S. Supreme Court held that the challenged race-conscious admissions programmes did not satisfy the constitutional requirements applied by the Court. The majority and dissenting opinions sharply disagreed about how equal protection should operate in a society shaped by historical and continuing racial inequality.

Primary source: U.S. Supreme Court opinion

Viewing task: Separate three layers: what the Court held – how the ruling is explained – what consequences are predicted. Only the first layer can be checked directly against the judgment.

Perspective grid:

A colour-blind/equal-treatment argument focuses on limiting governmental or institutional use of racial categories.
A remedial/diversity argument focuses on the effects of unequal history, unequal opportunity and the value of diverse educational environments.
A strong analysis asks how each principle is defined, what evidence is offered and what trade-offs follow.

No winner is pre-selected. Your task is to compare reasoning, scope and evidence.

Case Lab 3: Expression and anti-discrimination rules

Real case anchor: In 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis (2023), the U.S. Supreme Court held that Colorado could not apply its public-accommodations law to compel the website designer in the case to create expressive work conveying a message she did not wish to express. The dissent emphasised the state’s anti-discrimination interest and equal access to goods and services.

Primary source: U.S. Supreme Court opinion

Perspective pair – source criticism required:

The two videos approach the case from different institutional and ideological perspectives. Neither replaces the judgment. Compare title, speaker selection, loaded wording, omitted counterarguments and use of legal concepts.

Analysis task: Build a two-column evidence map: speech/autonomy claim and equal-access/anti-discrimination claim. Under each point, add the best counterargument you can formulate.

Case Lab 4: UK rights, equality and institutional duties

In the UK, the Human Rights Act 1998 incorporates Convention rights including freedom of thought, conscience and religion and freedom of expression, while the Equality Act 2010 regulates discrimination in fields including services and education. Some rights can be subject to lawful restrictions under specified conditions.

Primary sources: Human Rights Act 1998 and Equality Act 2010

Fictional case: A university society invites a speaker whose religious argument is lawful but sharply criticised by students who believe it demeans a protected group. The university considers conditions on the event rather than cancellation.

Analyse: What would count as a proportionate institutional response? Distinguish disagreement, offence, discrimination, harassment, safety risk and viewpoint restriction. Do not assume these categories are interchangeable.

Historical depth: rights are institutionally developed

Historical civil-rights conflicts show why an apparently symmetrical rule can operate in an unequal social context. At the same time, constitutional and legal systems often use general principles such as equal protection, freedom of expression and due process. LF analysis should therefore connect principle, history, institution and consequence rather than relying on slogans.

Bridge to the official USA theme: American ideals such as liberty and equality can be shared at the level of principle while remaining contested in interpretation and implementation.

Listening and Viewing

Three-pass method:

Gist: What conflict and institution are central?
Structure: How does the speaker move from example to principle?
Evaluation: Which claims are factual, which are interpretive, and which need external verification?

Listening notes: Use abbreviations, arrows and categories instead of full sentences. After listening, reconstruct a 90-second oral summary without replaying.

Copyright-safe practice: Work with lawful embeds, official source pages and short quotations where permitted. Do not upload full films, full compulsory texts or unlicensed film sequences.

Reading: a compact fictional dossier

Material A – student statement

A student association argues that the school’s new event policy suppresses controversial viewpoints because permission can be withdrawn when administrators predict “serious community tension”. The association accepts safety checks but says vague criteria invite selective enforcement.

Material B – institution statement

The school says it has a duty to protect students and maintain an environment in which teaching can continue. It argues that the rule does not target any political or religious position and that decisions are based on concrete safety information.

Material C – observer note

In the previous term, two events with opposing viewpoints were both moved to larger rooms after security concerns. One event was delayed; neither was cancelled. Some students still report that uncertainty discourages participation.

Reading tasks:

Summarise each material in one sentence without evaluation.
Identify one claim that is supported and one that remains under-supported.
Analyse how the phrase serious community tension affects institutional discretion.
Connect the three materials and formulate a provisional judgement with one explicit limitation.

Context vocabulary and word formation

Core term	English explanation	Word family / contrast
liberty	protected freedom to act, speak or believe within a legal framework	liberty – liberal – liberate
equality	equal status, treatment or opportunity, depending on context	equal – equality – unequal – inequality
discrimination	differential treatment based on a legally or socially relevant characteristic	discriminate – discrimination – discriminatory
inclusion	practice of enabling participation and belonging	include – inclusion – inclusive – exclusion
representation	presence, portrayal or acting on behalf of others	represent – representation – representative
legitimacy	recognised justification or authority	legitimate – legitimacy – legitimise
proportionality	relation between an aim and the extent of a restriction	proportion – proportional – disproportionate
dissent	disagreement, especially a formal judicial disagreement with a majority	dissent – dissenting
precedent	an earlier decision relevant to later legal reasoning	precede – precedent – unprecedented
accommodation	an adjustment intended to allow participation while respecting competing needs	accommodate – accommodation

Dictionary-first routine: context → word family → visualise → English explanation → monolingual dictionary → bilingual dictionary / German help.

German help only after the English steps: claim = Anspruch/Behauptung depending on context; right = Recht; evidence = Beleg; trade-off = Zielkonflikt; scope = Reichweite.

Visualisation: conflict map

Copy and complete:

Person A’s right → affected by → institutional rule ← justified by ← social value

Group B’s interest → supported/challenged by → evidence

Historical context → changes interpretation of → present conflict

Counterargument → tests → your provisional judgement

A strong LF answer moves between these arrows instead of listing isolated pros and cons.

Analysis: from observation to interpretation

Use the O-E-L-C sequence:

O – Observation: What is literally present?

E – Evidence: Which wording, image detail, statistic or structural feature proves it?

L – Link: How does the feature shape perspective, tone, credibility or audience response?

C – Conflict: How does that effect connect to the rights/identity/institution/value conflict?

Weak: “The author uses emotional language.”

Stronger: “By describing the policy as a ‘barrier’ rather than a ‘safeguard’, the writer frames institutional regulation as exclusionary before presenting evidence; this lexical choice therefore positions autonomy and access in conflict.”

Speaking: Communication Exam Lab

Practice format based on the current 2027/2028 official guidelines: 15 minutes preparation; monologue plus dialogue; individual or tandem format.

Monologue prompt: Analyse the fictional poster statement “Equal treatment is not always identical treatment.” Explain two possible interpretations and connect them to one case from this MOOC.

Dialogue prompt: Discuss which criteria an institution should make transparent when rights and group interests collide. You do not need identical conclusions, but you must respond to your partner.

Useful interaction moves:

I agree with your distinction, but I would qualify…
Could you explain what evidence would justify that restriction?
That depends on whether we define equality as…
A counterexample would be…
We may be mixing a legal claim with a moral claim here.

Private practice option: Record yourself only if you want to. Keep recordings private unless you deliberately choose otherwise. No upload is required.

Writing: LF micro-training

Task A – Analysis, AFB II: In 220–280 words, analyse how one of the fictional dossier texts frames institutional authority. Use at least three precise textual references.

Task B – Evaluation, AFB III: In 280–350 words, discuss whether institutions should use the same rule for all groups when the effects of that rule differ. Define your criterion before reaching a conditional conclusion.

Task C – Material link: Connect one U.S. case, one UK legal principle and one historical image. Do not force them into equivalence; state one important contextual difference.

Abi writing discipline: Claim → evidence → analysis → link → counterargument → qualified judgement.

Mediation

Fictional German input: Eine Schülervertretung plant eine Podiumsdiskussion zu kontroversen Identitätsfragen. Die Schulleitung erlaubt die Veranstaltung, verlangt aber transparente Regeln gegen persönliche Angriffe und eine Moderation, die mehreren Positionen Raum gibt.

Mediation task: Write a 150–180 word English briefing for an exchange student who will moderate the event. Convey what is relevant for the communicative purpose; do not translate sentence by sentence.

Help ladder

If you get stuck, move down only as far as necessary.

Context: infer meaning from the sentence and topic.
Word formation: identify root, prefix, suffix and cognates.
Visualisation: draw R-G-I-V-E or O-E-L-C.
English explanation: paraphrase the difficult term in simpler English.
Dictionary: use a monolingual learner’s dictionary.
German support: use bilingual help only after the earlier steps.

LF stretch: Remove one support step on the second attempt and work with a more complex or conflicting source.

Feedback and error analysis

Use this error log after speaking or writing.

Code	Problem	Repair question
E	evidence too vague	Which exact detail proves my claim?
P	perspective flattened	Would supporters of this position recognise my summary?
C	context missing	Which legal, historical or institutional context changes the meaning?
L	language too general	Can I replace good/bad/important with precise analytical vocabulary?
K	knowledge claim unverified	Is this a fact, an interpretation or an AI-generated claim that needs checking?
T	task not answered	Which operator controls what I must do?

Peer feedback rule: Give one evidence-based strength and one actionable revision. Do not grade a classmate’s political viewpoint.

AI and source discipline

AI may help you generate questions, vocabulary practice or alternative explanations, but it must not replace your own analysis or essay.

Check factual and legal claims against primary or official sources.
Mark AI assistance when your course or teacher requires disclosure.
Never cite an AI answer as proof when the original source is available.
Test generated quotations: invented quotations are unacceptable.
Write your final analysis independently.
Do not upload personal data, classmates’ work, private recordings or copyrighted compulsory texts to external AI services.
This MOOC uses fictional learner data; recordings are optional and private.

Differentiation for Leistungsfach

Core: identify R-G-I-V-E and support one interpretation with evidence.

LF standard: compare two materials, integrate context, address a strong counterargument and qualify the conclusion.

LF stretch: connect three materials from different genres or jurisdictions, evaluate source limitations and explain why an analogy partly works and partly fails.

Language differentiation: sentence starters → key phrases only → no scaffold.

Pace differentiation: one case in depth → two-case comparison → multi-material synthesis.

Transfer: new case without a model answer

Fictional scenario: A city-funded cultural centre offers rooms to many community groups. A group applies for a meeting whose lawful message is deeply opposed by another group that also uses the centre. Staff fear protests but have no concrete evidence of violence.

Build a response in five steps:

identify the competing claims;
distinguish legal or institutional questions from moral disagreement;
name evidence still needed;
design two possible institutional responses;
explain the trade-off created by each response.

Do not assume that “neutrality” automatically means the same practical outcome in every case.

Abi-Check

Before finishing, ask yourself:

Have I answered the operator rather than the topic in general?
Have I separated summary, analysis and evaluation?
Have I used evidence for each major analytical claim?
Have I represented competing perspectives fairly?
Have I linked materials independently instead of discussing them one after another?
Have I used precise analytical vocabulary and varied syntax?
Have I checked current official rules for my Abitur cohort?
Can I explain the difference between the written part and the communication examination?

Next course: ABI LF - On the Move: Migration and Cross-Cultural Encounters and ABI LF - American ideals and realities.

Interaktive Aufgaben

Quiz: Teste Dein Wissen

Which sequence best captures the analytical lens used in this MOOC? (Rights Groups Institutions Values Evidence) (!Rights Government Ideology Voting Emotion) (!Rules Groups Information Vocabulary Evaluation) (!Reading Grammar Institutions Voice Essays)

What should come before a final evaluation in a complex identity conflict? (Identifying claims evidence institutions and counterarguments) (!Choosing the position you personally prefer) (!Ignoring legal and historical context) (!Reducing both sides to slogans)

What did the Mahanoy case primarily concern? (Off-campus student speech and public-school authority) (!University admissions and race-conscious policy) (!Website design and public accommodation law) (!British equality legislation)

What is the main purpose of O-E-L-C? (To move from observation and evidence to analytical interpretation) (!To translate every sentence into German) (!To memorise political opinions) (!To replace textual evidence with background knowledge)

Which source should be checked first for the exact holding of a U.S. Supreme Court case? (The official court opinion) (!A social-media comment) (!An unsourced AI summary) (!A campaign advertisement)

What does a fair perspective comparison require? (Presenting major positions recognisably and testing them against evidence) (!Treating every claim as equally well supported) (!Avoiding counterarguments) (!Choosing a side before reading the sources)

What is a useful LF feature of a qualified judgement? (It states the criterion and relevant limitation) (!It uses only emotional language) (!It avoids evidence) (!It repeats the introduction)

Which skill is explicitly practised in the communication examination? (Monologic and dialogic speaking) (!Only silent reading) (!Only translation into German) (!Only multiple-choice listening)

What should you do with an AI-generated factual claim? (Check it against a reliable original or official source) (!Treat it as automatically correct) (!Cite the chatbot instead of the source) (!Upload private class data for verification)

Which statement best describes mediation? (It conveys relevant meaning for a purpose and audience rather than translating word for word) (!It reproduces every source sentence literally) (!It is identical to literary analysis) (!It requires a public audio upload)

Memory

Civil liberty	Protected freedom against certain forms of government interference
Equal protection	Constitutional principle concerning legally impermissible unequal treatment
Institution	Body that makes applies or enforces rules
Dissent	Judicial opinion disagreeing with the majority
Precedent	Earlier decision relevant to later legal reasoning
Proportionality	Test of whether a restriction goes further than justified by its aim

Drag and Drop

Ordne die richtigen Begriffe zu.	Thema
Freedom of expression	Individual right
Protected characteristic	Group identity
School or court	Institution
Public safety	Competing social value
Source-based support	Evidence

...

Kreuzworträtsel

Liberty	Which English noun means protected freedom?
Equality	Which concept concerns equal status or treatment?
Identity	Which term describes how people understand belonging and selfhood?
Institution	Which term describes an organised body such as a court or school?
Pluralism	Which concept describes coexistence of diverse views and groups?
Evidence	What must support an analytical claim?

LearningApps

Lückentext

A complex case should first be separated into rights, groups, institutions, values and

. A fair analysis presents an opposing perspective without turning it into a

. The analytical step after identifying a textual feature is to explain its

. A judicial opinion that disagrees with the majority is called a

. In LF writing, a strong evaluation normally states the relevant

. The communication examination combines monologic and

speaking. Mediation focuses on the communicative purpose rather than literal

. AI-generated factual claims should be

against reliable sources.

Offene Aufgaben

Leicht

Conflict map: Create an R-G-I-V-E diagram for one fictional case from this MOOC.
Vocabulary portrait: Build a one-page visual word-family map for equality, inclusion, discrimination and legitimacy.
Media framing: Compare the title and thumbnail language of two embedded videos and identify two framing choices.
One-minute speaking: Give a private one-minute explanation of the difference between a right, an institution and a social value.

Standard

Case brief: Write a 250-word neutral case brief on Mahanoy, SFFA or 303 Creative using the official judgment as the factual anchor.
Perspective swap: Write the strongest argument for one position, then rewrite it from the competing perspective without ridicule.
Source audit: Take five factual claims from an AI-generated or web summary and verify each against an official or primary source.
Communication practice: In pairs, complete a five-minute monologue and ten-minute discussion using a fictional institutional conflict.

Schwer

Comparative analysis: Compare a U.S. constitutional conflict with a UK rights/equality conflict and explain both similarities and limits of the comparison.
Multi-material synthesis: Link one image, one judgment and one video in a 500-word analysis without treating them as equivalent source types.
Policy design: Draft a neutral institutional policy for controversial school events and justify each clause against competing rights and values.
Abi simulation: Create and complete your own AFB-II/III task using three lawful sources, then produce an error log and revision memo.

Lernkontrolle

Transferanalyse: A school applies a facially identical rule to two student groups, but the practical effects differ. Explain which additional evidence you would need before evaluating fairness.
Institutionelle Abwägung: Compare two possible responses to the fictional cultural-centre case and explain the trade-off each creates.
Quellenkritik: Explain why an advocacy video and a Supreme Court judgment cannot be treated as equivalent evidence even when both discuss the same case.
Materialverknüpfung: Connect one historical civil-rights image with one modern identity conflict without claiming that the situations are identical.
Sprachliche Analyse: Show how two different labels for the same institutional rule can frame it as protection or restriction.
Urteilsbildung: Formulate a conditional conclusion on a new case, name the criterion on which it depends and identify one plausible counterargument.

Lernnachweis

For a strong Lernnachweis, you should be able to:

identify rights, identities, institutions, competing values and relevant evidence;
distinguish descriptive fact, attributed argument, interpretation and personal evaluation;
analyse language and media framing with precise textual or visual evidence;
connect several materials independently;
formulate and answer counterarguments fairly;
speak coherently in monologue and interact responsively in dialogue;
write a differentiated AFB-II/III response with a qualified conclusion;
mediate for purpose and audience rather than translate mechanically;
verify legal, political and AI-generated claims using reliable sources;
apply the current rules for your own Baden-Württemberg Abitur cohort.

OERs zum Thema

Primary and official reading:

Verknüpfte Lernbereiche

Identity conflicts and competing values

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