Once you get the set of prescribed titles for your cohort, the first step is going through each one and analyzing the key terms.
1. Is replicability necessary in the production of knowledge? Discuss with reference to two areas of knowledge.
“Is replicability necessary…?” Make sure that your essay clearly answers this question. Your investigation of different AOKs and different specific examples throughout your answer may lead to multiple answers to the question which is perfectly fine. Your essay does not have to have one definitive answer to this question – in fact an essay that has only one definitive answer to this question may be simplistic and flawed.
“Replicability” – clearly replicability is a critical part of research in the sciences where getting consistent results is important. A lab experiment, for example, should be able to be run multiple times by multiple people and the results should be consistent. Replicability has an important role in other areas such as the arts. There are occasions where different artists need to produce a similar end result (e.g. musicians playing from sheet music). Replicability is not always necessary though, even in the sciences.
“Necessary” – in some AOKs and specific examples replicability may be more important than others. In some situations though it may not be important at all. With May 2023 prescribed title #1 it may be important to consider a variety of specific examples within an AOK that demonstrate different degrees of necessity.
“the production of knowledge” – this is a phrase that shows up quite often in TOK prescribed titles. Consider what is required to “produce” knowledge in an AOK. When looking at possible specific examples for this prescribed title make sure you can clearly identify where and how knowledge is being produced. It is also important to gauge how important replicability is in the production of knowledge.
May 2023 TOK Prescribed Titles #1 and #3 are the only two where students have freedom to choose any two areas of knowledge.