Scott McCloud is a cartoonist and he has written non-fiction books about comics and has given a TED talk on the subject. His personal circumstances (his work as a cartoonist) means that his non-fiction work on comic theory is given more weight. However, the influence of McCloud’s work as a Read more…
The 2015 image titled “Pillars of Creation” by NASA is a update on the original 1995 photo. There are multiple links between past knowledge and present knowledge in this RLE. The key phrase in the Prescribed Title is “wholly dependent” and with this RLE it could be argued either way. Read more…
https://www.poetryinternationalweb.net/pi/site/poem/item/3779/auto/0/CLIFF The original poem (written in Japanese) is about women on Saipan who jumped off of a cliff during the latter stages of WWII as U.S. forces approached. There are a number of different translations in English that in some ways differ from the original. One such translation adds variation Read more…
The Kojiki is a collection of ancient Japanese myths and other stories that dates back about 1500 years. There are aspects of the text that have connections to Japanese culture and society now. One male individual in the extract below states that “It is not proper that the woman speak Read more…
Greta Thunberg’s environmental awareness campaign is an example of the “what could be” / “why not” phrases in the second sentence of Prescribed Title #1. However, the activism of Thunberg and other is grounded in the research of scientists whose work is based on the “what is” and “why” parts Read more…
“A Grade 4 lesson that included material critical of Alberta’s oil industry prompted a Facebook debate among parents that devolved into threats and prompted the school to call in the RCMP and cancel a holiday dance.” https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/alberta/article-rcmp-intervene-after-school-lesson-on-albertas-oil-industry-prompts/ This debate shows very conflicting views on the oil sands that have very Read more…
The CBC article discusses a Canada-wide survey which shows that “one in five Canadians experiences discrimination regularly or occasionally.” https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/race-relations-survey-canada-british-columbia-1.5389940 There are a number of people mentioned in the article whose “personal circumstances” affect how others view their knowledge: A professor at a Canadian university who is of Jamaican descent Read more…
A solid TOK essay should have RLEs that can be directly linked to the Prescribed Title. Within each RLE there are a multiple Different Perspectives that need to be discussed and analyzed. Successful TOK essays include Different Perspectives of individuals that have a unique view on a particular RLE. The Read more…
Prescribed Title #6 focuses on the link between present and past knowledge. RLEs with connections to religious knowledge systems are well-suited to this RLE. In many religious belief systems, a religious text, leader, etc is believed to possess a kind of knowledge that is timeless. So, in some respects present Read more…
“An Indian man is fighting for the right to believe in the non-existence of God. But Ravi Kumar’s quest for a document granting him legal recognition for his status has got him into trouble with the authorities. ” https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-50492808 Ravi Kumar’s struggle for recognition is doing more than asking why; Read more…