TOK essay
TOK Essay on History (Pompeii Activity)
Dear students
Please choose one of the past TOK prescribed titles in order to analyse the Pompeii Activity dealing with:
AOK: History, Natural Sciences
WOK: Reason, Sense Perception, Language, Emotion
Concepts: Certainty, Evidence, Explanation, Interpretation, Technology
Knowledge Questions: Bias, selection, absolute claims, conflicting interpretations
1. Using history and at least one other area of knowledge, examine the claim that it is possible to attain knowledge despite problems of bias and selection. (May 2012)
2. Can we know when to trust our emotions in the pursuit of knowledge? Consider history and one other area of knowledge. (May 2013)
3. Discuss the roles of language and reason in history (May 2011)
4. What similarities and differences are there between historical and scientific explanations? (May 2010)
5. “History is always on the move, slowly eroding today’s orthodoxy and making space for yesterday’s heresy.” Discuss the extent to which this claim applies to history and at least one other area of knowledge. (May 2008)
6. “Knowledge is nothing more than the systematic organisation of facts.” Discuss this statement in relation to two areas of knowledge. (May 2014)
You will write a 1600 TOK word essay from one of the above questions. You will need to write an introduction that will act as your road map for your essay. This will give you guidance in the actual writing of your work so that you will not wander off into many different directions and be off track. Make sure that you write in your introduction which AOK, WOK and concepts you will use, as well as your Knowledge Claim.
Once you have written your introduction and have begun the body of your essay, make sure that you come up with Knowledge Questions relating to your claim. You will also have to come up with Counter Claims to your argument as well.
Please do NOT add any new information or claims/counter claims in your conclusion.
Dear students
Please choose one of the past TOK prescribed titles in order to analyse the Pompeii Activity dealing with:
AOK: History, Natural Sciences
WOK: Reason, Sense Perception, Language, Emotion
Concepts: Certainty, Evidence, Explanation, Interpretation, Technology
Knowledge Questions: Bias, selection, absolute claims, conflicting interpretations
1. Using history and at least one other area of knowledge, examine the claim that it is possible to attain knowledge despite problems of bias and selection. (May 2012)
2. Can we know when to trust our emotions in the pursuit of knowledge? Consider history and one other area of knowledge. (May 2013)
3. Discuss the roles of language and reason in history (May 2011)
4. What similarities and differences are there between historical and scientific explanations? (May 2010)
5. “History is always on the move, slowly eroding today’s orthodoxy and making space for yesterday’s heresy.” Discuss the extent to which this claim applies to history and at least one other area of knowledge. (May 2008)
6. “Knowledge is nothing more than the systematic organisation of facts.” Discuss this statement in relation to two areas of knowledge. (May 2014)
You will write a 1600 TOK word essay from one of the above questions. You will need to write an introduction that will act as your road map for your essay. This will give you guidance in the actual writing of your work so that you will not wander off into many different directions and be off track. Make sure that you write in your introduction which AOK, WOK and concepts you will use, as well as your Knowledge Claim.
Once you have written your introduction and have begun the body of your essay, make sure that you come up with Knowledge Questions relating to your claim. You will also have to come up with Counter Claims to your argument as well.
Please do NOT add any new information or claims/counter claims in your conclusion.