TOK

IB DP course syllabus

2016 - 2017

School of Young Politicians Gymnasium 1306

Teacher: Eleanor Crossley / David Nugent

The IB Core is a two-year course focusing on the Theory of Knowledge course (ToK) but also including

embedded instruction and time on task for the Creativity, Activity, and Service component (CAS) and the

Extended Essay (EE). Titled simply “Theory of Knowledge” for simplicity’s sake, this course aims not only

to create opportunities for full IB Diploma students to hone strong thinking and communication skills, but

also to foster balanced open-mindedness and to help you become more active risk-takers. In other words, the

IB Core aims to develop the whole person, not just the student part of you.

Theory of Knowledge Course Overview

ToK is “a course about critical thinking and inquiring into the process of knowing, rather than learning a

specific body of knowledge…. The course examines how we know what we claim to know. It does this by

encouraging students to analyze knowledge claims and explore knowledge questions.” (ToK Guide, 2015,

p. 8)

What TOK is not:

• It is not a philosophy class, though there will be times when we touch on how thinkers in the past

have explored knowledge questions. And certainly critical thinking is common to both philosophy

and TOK.

• It is not a debating society. My intent in the design of our inquiries is to explore questions and

examine multiple perspectives, not to try to prove ourselves right and others wrong.

• It is not a course without a curriculum.

ToK Curriculum

In a very real sense, the curriculum is you, the knower. In another sense, the curriculum can be understood to

consist of:

• An examination of knowledge itself, through the linked lenses of both personal knowledge and

shared knowledge

• EIGHT Ways of Knowing (language, sense perception, emotion, reason, imagination, faith,

intuition, memory. We will touch on all of these to some extent. IB’s ToK Guide suggests that

“studying four of these eight in depth would be appropriate” (p. 8).

• EIGHT Areas of Knowledge (mathematics, natural sciences, human (social) sciences, the arts,

history, ethics, religious knowledge systems, indigenous knowledge systems. We will study six or

seven of these. IB suggests that “six would be appropriate” (p. 8).

Embedded CAS and EE

Throughout the ToK course we will make forays into both CAS and EE.

• CAS: This aspect of the Core is not a class – it’s your chance to delve into experiences and activities

of your own interest outside the classroom over 18 months of your “IB years.” IB provides

guidelines, but again, much of the decision-making here will be yours. You’ll receive instruction,

guidance, and resources periodically – as well as regular reflection and planning sessions during ToK.

• EE: This research project gives you the opportunity to dig deeply into a topic of your choice (within

certain parameters) and express specific ideas and findings about it. IB provides process suggestions

and assessment goals, and you’ll receive instruction on each step of the process in ToK. Like CAS,

however, much of this project will be completed outside of class so you can maximize your time on

it.

IB Core Assessments

Completion of all required elements of the Core – ToK, CAS, and EE – is mandatory to be eligible for

earning the full IB Diploma. Demonstrating mastery of the skills for each contributes points toward earning

the IB Diploma.

IB TOK Assessments

1. Essay on a prescribed title: One essay (1600-word maximum) on a prompt selected by the students

from a list of six prompts set by IB for each exam session. This is uploaded electronically by IB and marked

by an IB examiner. It is externally assessed and worth 67% of your overall grade for TOK.

2. Oral presentation: One approximately 10-minute presentation that explores a real-life/contemporary

situation from a Theory of Knowledge perspective. This is the internal assessment for the course – marked

by the instructor and moderated by IB by means of an electronically uploaded outline that is part of an

official presentation and marking document. The IA is worth 33% of your overall grade for TOK.

Level: DP1

Duration of

the unit

(weeks)

Unit title - Covered topics in that unit Assessment

component

4 weeks Introduction

Knowledge claims and justifications

Personal and shared knowledge

Philosophical ideas about knowledge

Checks for truth

Consequences of belief

Different kinds of perspectives

Essay from list of

questions on nature of

knowledge

WOKs and AOKs

3 weeks WOK: Sense Perception

Biology of the senses and relation to knowledge

Theories about sense perception

Optical illusions and subjectivity of the senses

Selectivity

Development of sense perception

Writing skills: punctuation and grammar

Essay in response to

sense perception

question

4 weeks WOK: Language

Definition of language

Origins of language

Meaning

Language and personhood

Limitations of language

Language as manipulation

Language and thought

Writing skills: essay introductions

Essay in response to

question on language

3 weeks WOK: Reason

Definition of reason and how to reason well

Culture and reason

Different types of reasoning

Poor reasoning

Logical fallacies

Writing skills: transitions and paragraph structures

Essay in response to

question on reason

4 weeks WOK: Emotion

Emotion and art

Range of emotions

Cultural perspectives

Emotion and reason

Detailed essay plan on

emotion question

Emotion as problematic

Writing skills: essay planning

Mocks: mini-presentations

4 weeks AOK: Natural Sciences

Presentations: Introduction to TOK presentations

Scope of natural sciences

WOKs and natural sciences

Methodology

Scientific research

Historical development of natural sciences and impact on society

Ethics

Writing skills: syntax, sentence structure and academic writing

Group presentation on

a real-life situation

related to natural

sciences

4 weeks AOK: Human Sciences

Presentations:

Scope of human sciences

Anthropology – methodology and challenges

Economics – methodology and challenges

Psychology – methodology and challenges

Historical development of human sciences

Free will

Writing skills: common errors

Essay in response to

question on human

sciences

3 weeks AOK: History

Scope of history

WOKs and history

Methodology

Historical research

Perspectives

Development of the discipline

Detailed essay plan on

history question

3 weeks AOK: The Arts Detailed essay plan on

arts question

What is art?

Responding to art

WOKs and art

Methodology

Perspectives

Development of the discipline and art criticism

3 weeks Presentations

Real-life situations

Structure

Examples

Delivery

Planning and resources

Group presentation on

topic of choice

Level: DP2

Duration of

the unit

(weeks)

Unit title - Covered topics in that unit Assessment

component

4 weeks AOK: Ethics

Scope

Ethics and morality

Ethical instinct

Theoretical perspectives

Methodology

Historical development

Work on final presentations

Presentation progress

check

4 weeks AOK: Religion

Knowledge claims and justifications

Exploring world religions

WOKs

Presentation progress

check

Religious perspectives

Historical development

Work on final presentations

1 week Presentations Final presentation

12 weeks Essay writing

Revision of specific topics

Avoiding plagiarism

Research methods

Assessing example essays

Topic specific vocabulary

Collaborative responses to past questions

Introductions, developments and conclusions

Knowledge questions, claims and counterclaims

Class time devoted to work on essays

Essay on prescribed

title for external

assessment