Sunday, October 30, 2011
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Area of Knowledge - Future topic -Aesthetics - is there a universal standard of beauty?
There is more to ToK than politics, current affairs and the darker side of human behaviour.
One of the Areas of Knowledge is Aesthetics, which will include topics on the nature of beauty. It will also offer a chance to discuss issues like fashion and advertising, models and role models and the controversies related to excessively thin models and the ethics of these industries. We will ask the question is beauty a universal value or is it a construct, dependent on cultural values and inculcated by society. Meanwhile,enjoy this video!
January 2012 TOK SPECIAL TOPIC George Orwell 1984
In his novel, "1984' Orwell imagined a society controlled by BIG BROTHER. He wrote the book in 1948 in part as a reaction to dictators like Stalin and Hitler. The novel is required reading for all Grade X1 students and will form part of our ToK study of language as a way of knowing.
I invite students to read the book and then volunteer to present their views at a special Saturday class. The book encourages us to reflect on the nature of absolute belief, be it political or religious, love, hate, blind obedience versus ethical questioning and critical thinking. It stands with Machiavelli's "The Prince" as an important book about power and control of others. Orwell was well aware of the power of propaganda in Hitler's Germany and Stalin's Russia. Another theme is the use of torture to break the spirit of the individual 'resister' and force conformity. Many of these issues have been discussed by academics during the war on terror and some have claimed that even democratic societies have become 'totalitarian' in some respects since 911. This is not a pleasant book to read but it remains one of the most important books of the twentieth century. William Golding wrote his famous "Lord of the Flies" in the aftermath of WW2 also. It also examined leadership, power, morality, individuals and groups in a different way. Both books are highly recommended to all as explorations of the human condition in extremis. Our focus will be on Orwell's "1984", in particular the invention of a new language by the state media and the distortion of all language in that society.
I invite students to read the book and then volunteer to present their views at a special Saturday class. The book encourages us to reflect on the nature of absolute belief, be it political or religious, love, hate, blind obedience versus ethical questioning and critical thinking. It stands with Machiavelli's "The Prince" as an important book about power and control of others. Orwell was well aware of the power of propaganda in Hitler's Germany and Stalin's Russia. Another theme is the use of torture to break the spirit of the individual 'resister' and force conformity. Many of these issues have been discussed by academics during the war on terror and some have claimed that even democratic societies have become 'totalitarian' in some respects since 911. This is not a pleasant book to read but it remains one of the most important books of the twentieth century. William Golding wrote his famous "Lord of the Flies" in the aftermath of WW2 also. It also examined leadership, power, morality, individuals and groups in a different way. Both books are highly recommended to all as explorations of the human condition in extremis. Our focus will be on Orwell's "1984", in particular the invention of a new language by the state media and the distortion of all language in that society.
The Lives of Others trailer
I have not seen this film yet but it may be a useful film to compare with Orwell's "1984".
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Lorenzo's Oil Trailer-true stroy and uplifting film
When their young son is diagnosed with a rare incurable disease, his parents refuse to listen to the medical establishment and research a cure themselves. They meet with resistance but also find help and support from a few doctors and chemists. A sub-plot is the crisis of faith suffered by the mother who stops attending her church, blaming God for her family's suffering.
The film reminds us of that famous TOK question: "Why do bad things happen to good people?" I must stress that though it's not a comedy, it's not depressing either. It's a tale of the triumph of the human spirit, intelligence and critical thinking and is graced by excellent acting.
Areas of Knowledge: Medicine, Ethics, Ways of Knowing: Emotion, Reason, Sense Perception and Language.
The film reminds us of that famous TOK question: "Why do bad things happen to good people?" I must stress that though it's not a comedy, it's not depressing either. It's a tale of the triumph of the human spirit, intelligence and critical thinking and is graced by excellent acting.
Areas of Knowledge: Medicine, Ethics, Ways of Knowing: Emotion, Reason, Sense Perception and Language.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Monday, October 10, 2011
Hotel Taj President -TOK Public Speaking Forum March 25th 2012
Plans are underway for an inter-school ToK Forum at the Vivanta Taj President.
It will be hosted by BD Somani in March 2012.
Ask me for details in class. A small number of top student speakers will be selected to represent our school in front of an audience of students, parents and teachers. There will also be a guest VIP speaker.
I will survey the class to get your views on whether it's better to hold it on a weekend or an evening after school. Please ask me about this in English or TOK class and I will explain our options.
It will be hosted by BD Somani in March 2012.
Ask me for details in class. A small number of top student speakers will be selected to represent our school in front of an audience of students, parents and teachers. There will also be a guest VIP speaker.
I will survey the class to get your views on whether it's better to hold it on a weekend or an evening after school. Please ask me about this in English or TOK class and I will explain our options.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Corporate ethics and whistleblowers?
The beauty of ToK is that there are so many interesting areas for us to explore. On this blog, I will point you in several directions, you do not have to read or study in depth everything that is here, but you should at least make a brief note of the topic in your notebook.
If do look into the topic, feel free to post a comment or question here or raise it during our weekly review of the blog in school.
This article from "Time Magazine" is recommended for ToK students. In the aftermath of the attacks on New York (911), Coleen Rowley, herself an FBI agent, exposed inefficiencies in the intelligence community. Her story is an important for students searching for the truth about the failures of intelligence in 2001. There are stories here of two women blowing the whistle on corporate malpractice in WorldCom and Enron. "In a year when our trust in American institutions was tested, Sherron Watkins of Enron, Coleen Rowley of the FBI and Cynthia Cooper of WorldCom found the strength to stand for what's right."
Just google 'Time Magazine Person of the Year 2002' and you can read the article.
Grade X1 ToK students visit Grade X11 Mock Art Exhibition
Monday, October 3, 2011
Wednesday October 12th Emotion/Reason/Ethics
Hello Knowers and Enquirers - on Wednesday we enjoyed a visit to the Grade X11 Mock Art Exhibition.
Ms Zeba gave a most interesting talk on the links between ToK and Art and held our group spellbound with her challenging observations on the topic and the work of the Grade X11 students.
In class this week, we will continue with emotion and reason and we will start to probe the issue of Ethics, so put your thinking caps on and consider if there is a link between academic honesty and honesty within the worlds of business and politics.
We have touched on this with Saket's presentation on the Bhopal tragedy and if this area of ethics interests you, then consider a documentary on Enron - "The Smartest Guys in the Room". This is available on youtube but it's quite long but worth the effort as there is material there that is quite informative and shocking.
The alternative is to research the career of Jeffrey Skilling and Kenneth Lay on the internet.
Both men were arrested when Enron collapsed and charged with fraud.
Enron was the third largest corporate collapse in the history of America in 2002. It left thousands of employees jobless and they later discovered that the company shares they purchased for their pensions were worthless.
http://www.youtube.com/user/GandhiandKing
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A special welcome to our incoming IB Grade X1 class, who are already working with teachers on our Pre- IB Introductory Course. ALL STU...
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Each Grade 11 Student will post 100-150 words as Personal Reflection inspired by their visit to the Art Exhibition. Our Central Knowledge ...
