TOK Welcome Letter and Summer Assignment YR 1-revised

Theory of Knowledge Course-TOK Mrs Surian 2014-2015 WELCOME TO THE IB DIPLOMA PROGRAMME AND TO THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE!!!!! Congratulations on embarking on a year journey toward the IB Diploma at Hauppauge High School I am excited to be a part of this journey as your Theory of Knowledge instructor The IB Diploma Programme TOK course is organized to generate thoughtful and purposeful questioning that leads to deeper understanding of the interpretative nature of knowledge It transcends and links academic subject areas (those of the IB Circle,) thus demonstrating interdisciplinary application of knowledge What makes TOK unique is that YOU are at the centre as a “knower.” We will examine how you think, and why you think That being said, we must always remember that knowledge is a human construct, and thus can be shaped, enriched and deepened TOK will meet every other day during your junior and senior year This will allow you to digest concepts and topics of discussion more comprehensively Success in TOK is calculated using both internal and external assessments The internal assessment is in the form of an in-class presentation whereby you will identify and discuss a real-life knowledge issue/question, during your junior year The external assessment is in the form of a TOK Essay to be electronically submitted during your senior year As one of the core requirements of the IB Diploma Programme students must demonstrate success in TOK in order to earn the diploma Upon your arrival to class in September, please bring the following: A inch binder A 3-hole hole punch A writing implement, preferably a blue or black pen A flash drive for projects/presentations (any size is fine) An open mind that is respectful of others **Your first assignment follows this letter It will count as your first class formal assessment (test) grade We will be discussing what you have written during class Feel free to contact me at suriand@hauppauge.k12.ny.us I look forward to meeting you in September Enjoy your venture into the world of IB!!!!! Fondly, Mrs Surian Name _ Theory of Knowledge- YR Mrs Surian IB Diploma First Assignment Theory of Knowledge YR As we venture into the realm of “thinking how we think,” take some time this Summer to expand your mind  The assignment is due on September 12  The written assignment will count as an in-class assignment (test) grade for Quarter  Be prepared to discuss your experience(s) in a Socratic seminar setting (class discussion circle.) ASSIGNMENT: Choose one of the following activities and be prepared to respond to this experience in a TYPED RESPONSE      See a documentary See a foreign film Read a nonfiction piece of literature (List of suggested titles is provided below.) Visit a museum Attend a cultural event—lecture, musical performance, political event, folk festival, etc React to your experience by doing the following three tasks: Generate and record three thoughtful questions stimulated by your experience Try to come up with questions relating to how the experience expanded your awareness (For example, if you visit a museum on modern art, you could ask: How did this experience expand my understanding of what art is? Or if you see a documentary global warming: How did this film expand my awareness of “green solutions” to current environmental issues?) continued Examine the IB Circle (Located below.) Which area(s) of the circle you feel corresponds to your experience(s)? Discuss your reasoning Note: Very often you will find that an activity pertains to more than one area of the IB circle If the diagram is confusing to you, not be alarmed One of the first things we in TOK is to clarify the circle and discuss how its parts play an integral role in your learning as an IB student Respond to #1 & #2 in a 500-word typed reflection (250 each section) -double spaced, 12 point font (Optional)-If you can, bring in something tangible from your experience (brochure, ticket stub, photograph etc.) If you read a nonfiction book, print a copy of the front cover or if you are able, bring the book itself Have fun and enjoy your experience(s) THE IB CIRCLE *LIST OF SUGGESTED NONFICTION TITLES (you may use books that are not included on this list as well.) Game On: The All-American Race to Make Champions of Our Children by Tom Farrey Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods by Jeffrey M Smith The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: and Other Clinical Tales by Oliver Sacks Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science by Atul Gawande The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization by Thomas Friedman The World is Flat: A Brief History of the 21st Century by Thomas Friedman Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell Creating Mental Illness by Allan V Horwitz The Conscience of a Liberal by Paul Krugman The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time by Jeffrey Sachs Vaccine: The Controversial Story of Medicine’s Greatest Lifesaver by Arthur Allen Hot, Flat and Crowded: Why we Need a Green Revolution and How it Can Renew America by Thomas Friedman Savage Inequalities by Jonathan Kozol Movie Wars: How Hollywood and the Media Limit What Movies We Can See by Jonathan Rosenbaum The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan All Things Shining: Reading the Western Classics to Find Meaning a Secular Age by Hubert Dreyfus and Sean Dorrance Kelly Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community by Robert Putnam Damned Nations: Greed, Guns, Armies, and Aid by Samantha Nutt The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don't Trust Anyone Under 30) by Mark Bauerlein Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua The Moral Intelligence of Children: How to Raise a Moral Child by Robert Coles The Case Against Perfection by Michael Sandel Body of Work: Meditations on Mortality from the Human Anatomy Lab by Christine Montross Readicide: How Schools Are Killing Reading and What You Can Do About It by Kelly Gallagher Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World by Michael Lewis Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James Loewen Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods by Jeffrey M Smith American Wasteland: How America Throws Away Nearly Half of Its Food and What We Can Do About It by Jonathan Bloom How to Be Black by Baratunde Thurston Generation Me by Jean Twenge Virtually You: The Dangerous Powers of the E-Personality by Elias Aboujaoude Code of the Streets: Decency, Violence, and the Moral Life of the Inner City by Elijah Anderson The Over-Scheduled Child: Avoiding the Hyper-Parenting Trap by Alvin Rosenfeld Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain Real Boys: Rescuing Our Sons From the Myths of Boyhood by William Pollack The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell All Things Shining: Reading the Western Classics to Find Meaning in a Secular Age by Hubert Dreyfus and Sean Dorrance Kelly The Social Animal: the Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement by David Brooks Punished by Rewards by Alfie Kohn How Doctors Think by Jerome Groopman The Anatomy of Hope by Jerome Groopman Evil: Inside Human Violence and Cruelty by Roy F Baumeister and Aaron Beck About A Mountain by John D’Agata Whistling Vivaldi: And Other Clues to How Stereotypes Affect Us by Claude Steele Delusions of Gender: How our Minds, Society and Neurosexism Create Difference by Cordelia Fine Unsportsmanlike Conduct: Exploiting College Athletes by Walter Byers and Charles Hammar In the Flesh: The Cultural Politics of Body Modification by Veronica Pitts Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls by Simmons In the Name of Identity: Violence and the Need to Belong by Amin Maalouf The Net Delusion: The Dark Side of Internet Freedom by Evgeny Morozov Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach Banker to the Poor: Micro-Lending and the Battle Against World Poverty by Muhammah Yunis This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession by Daniel J Levitin In Defense of Food: an Eater’s Manifesto by Michael Pollan ... Knowledge- YR Mrs Surian IB Diploma First Assignment Theory of Knowledge YR As we venture into the realm of “thinking how we think,” take some time this Summer to expand your mind  The assignment. .. His Wife for a Hat: and Other Clinical Tales by Oliver Sacks Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science by Atul Gawande The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization... art, you could ask: How did this experience expand my understanding of what art is? Or if you see a documentary global warming: How did this film expand my awareness of “green solutions” to current