Conspiracy Theories - using emotion and reason to search for the truth....

Hi everyone - some great essays coming in on Igatpuri through a TOK lens. Well done students! Congrats to Anmol who read his essay in several different classes to inspire his classmates. Great work too by Saket who presented a very interesting ppt on the Bhopal tragedy and gave us a lead into 'Ethics' and how it links to emotion and reason. Just a reminder that students must read the chapters on "Reason" and "Emotion" in detail at home, using the class quiz notes to identify key points and technical language to provide a basic literacy in the subject. However, students are encouraged to read beyond the text book and watch documentaries subject to other academic demands on their time. You can search 'Conspiracy Files BBC' on the BBC website and on YouTube to find excellent topics with knowledge claims and counter-claims. There was a great buzz in class this week when we discussed how "Ethics" will open up our first Area of Knowledge, as we dig deeper with our first two WOKs. Students are encouraged to investigate the 'Stanley Milgram Experiment' on the web and I am looking for two volunteers to make a short presentation on this topic on Wednesday 12th October. Although Ethics is the key area here, it also falls under the category of Human Sciences, psychology, human behaviour and students are encouraged to question Milgram's motives for the original experiment. Print a copy of the IB Learner Profile and keep it in your work space at home. Read books, try Amartya Sen's "The Argumentative Indian" and find other great books reviewed on "The Guardian" website. This is one of the best UK newspapers and should be visited weekly or at least fortnightly. http://www.guardianbookshop.co.uk/ Two favourite books of mine penned by 'Guardian' journalist Jon Ronson are "Them: Adventures with Extremists" and "The men who stare at goats". Serious stuff but also very funny in an ironic sort of way. Here is the author's website. www.jonronson.com