IB TOK class: Let’s pause for breath and consider our shared humanity
Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
This article picked by a teacher with suggested questions is part of the Financial Times free schools access programme. Details/registration here.
Read all our IB ToK picks here.
Specification:
Teacher themes Visual arts, philosophy, the societal purpose of art and its effect on people
IB DP TOK themes & AOKs The arts, Human sciences, Knowledge & the knower
Relevant BQ Values
Key terms and ideas Emotional respite, Cultural differences vs. shared humanity, Fellow human beings, Dualistic thinking, Common ground
Investigating Issues Art and ethics
Exhibition prompt Prompt 34 (Values); possible object — a work of art that encourages a feeling of shared humanity
Click to read the article below and answer the questions:
Let’s pause for breath and consider our shared humanity
What is the purpose of art? Write down some of the reasons why we express ourselves via paintings, music, film and so on.
From the article: How did an experience in Berlin make Enuma Okoro reflect on a question that has ‘interested her almost obsessively’?
What characterises American artist Jenny Holzer’s work, and how does it make us reflect on our similarities with others?
How does the work of Dali and Dadi explore the finding of common ground with others?
To wrap up: How can art give us “a sense of our shared humanity”, and is this its most important purpose?
Michael Dunn, theoryofknowledge.net
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