Theory Of Knowledge
This compulsory course will focus on the central questions of philosophy. It begins with an examination of the nature of knowledge, and goes on to address the problems and complications that arise through the attempts in the past and present to answer those questions. So in a sense, TOK is not an add-on to the Diploma programme, but rather it is almost the nerve centre forging links to and around the subjects to help the students to understand those subjects better. At the same time, the concepts of the Theory of Knowledge course empowers the students with the ability to make judgements, to identify prejudice and bias and/ or to think outside the box in a manner of speaking. In short, it prepares them for the real world.
The aims of the course are:
- to provide opportunities to rise to the challenges of reflective critical thinking.
- to engage in ongoing global discussions about perception, language, reason and emotion.
- to set the major epistemological questions into a relevant context for by illustrating the ways in which they relate to the other subjects which are studied.
- to help students to become more self-aware and aware of the complexity of thought and the role it plays in a global society.
The TOK diagram is a pictorial representation of the TOK programme.
TOK classes are held once a week in the first and last semesters of the Diploma programme and twice a week in the 2nd and 3rd semesters. There is no assigned textbook but there is a Theory of Knowledge Course Companion published by Oxford University Press which provides the key information.
 |
|
Assessments for this course are:
- An essay of 1200-1600 words to be chosen from a list of 10 possible titles. This is marked by the External Examiner. It is marked out of 40.
- An oral presentation lasting about 10 minutes/person, this can be individual or in groups. The subject of the presentations is a contemporary knowledge issue to be chosen by the student with some guidance from the teacher for suitability and relevance. The student/students have to present both sides of the issue.
|
The presentation, an internal assessment marked out 20 is marked by the subject teacher, who then sends the grades to the IB Office. The grade for awarded for TOK as a subject ranges from A –E.
It is to be noted that an E for either the Extended Essay or TOK will mean that a student will require a total of 28 points to be awarded the Diploma as opposed to the 24 points for students who fulfil all the required criteria for the IB Diploma.
Possible presentation topics:
- Should the death penalty be abolished?
- Does man have the right to play God? Is cloning of humans ethical?
- The terrorist: is he a freedom fighter or a killer of innocent humans?
Possible essay topics:
- Evaluate the role of intuition in different areas of knowledge.
- Are reason and emotion equally necessary in justifying moral decisions?
- “History is always on the move, slowly eroding today’s orthodoxy and making space for yesterday’s heresy.” Discuss the extent to which this claim applies to history and at least one other area of knowledge.
- Does language play roles of equal importance in different areas of knowledge?
Suggested booklist:
While this is not a comprehensive list reading, some of the books will be of help to the students when writing up the essays.
Preparation for these assessments which are due in the second semester of the second year of the diploma programme, include classroom discussions, oral presentations, reflective journal entries, role playing and essay writing.
The TOK Course helps the students to hone their critical thinking skills and be able to voice their opinions about issues that concern them. At the university level the TOK provides them with the basics of a courses in Philosophy or courses that would require critical thinking skills.
