TOK II (Class of 2022)

Aims & Objectives make connections between a critical approach to the construction of knowledge, the academic disciplines and the wider world develop an awareness of how individuals and communities construct knowledge and how this is critically examined examine how academic disciplines/areas of knowledge generate and shape knowledge Key Questions What is the role of judgement in art? How do we justify our opinions about art? What makes art good? Start with these clips.  The first comes from Terry Zwigoff's  Art School Confidential , based on the short comic by Daniel Clowes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kcg1K_d5MkQ The second is from Zwigoff's earlier film,  Ghost World  (2001), based on the Clowes' comic series turned graphic novel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wf6DpIKgtJ0 Now return to your "Art Starter" activity and look at the list of works of art that you generated.  For each work (or for all of them together), list some qualities (of the work, it...

  Key Questions: Can art be judged by its adherence to objective, logical systems? How does a mathematical understanding augment our artistic sensibilities? What are we to make of the maths of beauty? Agenda: First, please enjoy Brewer's unmusical investigation of some of the ways that music is mathematical. For Reference: https://www.spaceandmotion.com/mathematical-physics/mathematics-music-waves-vibrating-space.htm https://plus.maths.org/content/magical-mathematics-music http://www.simplifyingtheory.com/mathematics-and-music/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSo6WlGk5jw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3H621_EdOM Then, Remember this video (Golden Spiral facial adjustment Video): What happens when you run interpretive algorithms on works of art?  Scientists find evidence of mathematical structures in classic books Van Gogh and Fluid Dynamics And what happens when you run them backwards: Computers can now paint like Van Gogh and Picasso An AI Wrote this Movie Kulitta can write ...

 First, we'll talk through Bourdieu's "Sociological Theory of Art Perception". What does Bourdieu have to say about the act of appreciating art? What does Bourdieu have to say about art's relationship to education and social class? How would we go about testing Bourdieu's theory? Then, we can look at the survey. Finally, let's just think for a few minutes about the uses of art. Is art a worthwhile endeavor, and if so, why? What is art really  for ? Here, philosopher Alain de Botton ( Homepage ,  wikipedia ,  Twitter ) takes on the difficult question.

 CAS Day

Central Knowledge Questions Does new knowledge in the arts always build on what is already known? Can art change the way we interpret the world? Can some knowledge in the arts only be gained through experience? How does the medium used change the way that knowledge is produced, shared or understood? Key Concepts: Medium Affordances & Constraints Erasure Let's watch this TEDTalk by artist and author, Austin Kleon. Now consider the implications of his claims on what we understand to be true about the arts, and about creativity and originality more generally. Finally, let's make our own Newspaper Blackout Poems. Topics for discussion: How do the limitations of the words in the article force you to be creative in ways that a "blank page" does not? What limitations does this exercise suggest for ALL forms of art?  How is this related to Picasso's declaration that "art is theft?" Is originality and creativity by necessity really just a form of remixing and...

Your Extended Essay is DUE by midnight TONIGHT.  Please use your time TODAY to work toward meeting that deadline.

   Agenda: Patterns and Practices Opening Inquiry (see above) A Thought and a Thanks Writing at the end... Reminders and Plans: Sign up for OI & T&T Extended Essay Final deadline Monday, 1/10 We will spend Monday doing final checklist and polish TOK Essay We will begin developing these over the next few weeks The first step here is to choose a Title - we will do freewrites on each multiple titles before you decide. CAS: Reflection Due Sunday EE Worktime