Article: https://www.nytimes.com/1999/04/18/opinion/war-and-analogy.html The New York Times opinion article “War and Analogy” discusses how different U.S leaders used different analogies to described the situation in Kosovo in the late 1990’s. The op-ed also notes that the politicians used the analogies to argue for a particular kind of response by the United Read more…
The 1938 letter from Disney shows its response to a woman’s inquiry about working in Disney’s creative department. The response is appalling sexist. The letter could be used for November 2020 TOK Essay Prescribed Title #2 as a way to “understand” Disney and / or sexism. We understand more about Read more…
Article: “Japan’s forgotten indigenous people” http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20200519-japans-forgotten-indigenous-people The article give an account of the mistreatment of the Ainu people of northern Japan. In this RLE the “ourselves” in November 2020 TOK Essay Prescribed Title #3 could be viewed as the perspective of the dominant non-Ainu Japanese population who were responsible for Read more…
There are many RLEs where different perspectives can lead to very different approaches to November 2020 TOK Essay Prescribed Title #6. When looking at a building, an artistic rendering of a building, or the building plans themselves, the “reliable knowledge” and “certainty” in November 2020 TOK Essay Prescribed Title #6 Read more…
There is considerable disagree about the value of pop art as well as the value of traditional methods of creating art vs. using digital media. Finding an RLE where there are two sides for November 2020 TOK Essay Prescribed Title #1 is just the start. The next steps must include Read more…
Torstein Lerhol, who suffers from spinal muscular atrophy, had a set of photos taken to highlight the cultural obsession with beauty. This article provides some additional information on Lerhol including his political aspirations: http://www.nordiclabourjournal.org/i-fokus/in-focus-2019/inclusion/article.2019-05-24.9441024030 The photos highlight the relationship between an individual’s point of view and art. In this RLE Read more…
Blueprints and similar types of diagrams have to follow certain professional conventions. These conventions must be followed in order for builders to follow the blueprint and make a structurally sound building. Blueprints can certainly provide reliable knowledge. They do not, however, contain all of the information necessary and the the Read more…
The editorial cartoon uses a number of stylistic features to create a powerful characterization of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. How much “certainty” does a cartoon have though? Does an editorial cartoon have more or less certainty than another type of cartoon? To what extent is the knowledge we Read more…
The Pulizter prize-winning photo depicts the execution of a Vietcong spy in Saigon during the Vietnam War. This article provides additional information on the photo: http://100photos.time.com/photos/eddie-adams-saigon-execution The photo played a huge role in U.S. politics at the time and was one of a few powerful photos that influenced public perception Read more…
The image above was taken with an electron microscope. The use of more sophisticated imaging technology has given us more realistic views of organisms and natural phenomena. In some cases we have more realistic views not because of sophisticated imaging technology but because of software that interprets data and produces Read more…