TOK Candidates 2017: Reading Assignment
Part 1:
1. Read Lewis Carroll’s, Adventures of Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Although Carroll does not specifically address the Ways of knowing (WOK’s) as such, you can find examples of them throughout his book.
2. Write a 2-3 page (double spaced) paper, identify an example of each WOK and relate it to one of the Areas of Knowledge (AOK’s). Also provide a brief discussion of the book and your own thoughts about the story now that you have taken a semester of TOK.
3. Up load your essay to Turn-It In by Friday, September 23th, 2016.
Part 2:
1. Choose one of the following titles (I suggest spending some time in the Barnes & Noble or on Amazon.com to browse the titles before you buy.)
2. Read the book, the entire book, front to back.
3. As you read, think about how the story is challenging notions of reality, either for the characters within the story or for you, the reader.
4. Write a one page* synopsis of the book AND a one page* personal response to the ideas presented therein. *-word processed, 12 pt. Calibri font, double-spaced, 1” margins
5. Have the two separate pages ready to present, hand in, by Monday, September 26th, 2016.
The List:
· The Mask of Apollo, Mary Renault. If you like historical fiction, this is the best book on the list. It examines the roles of philosophy and drama in ancient Greece.
· Ishmael, Daniel Quinn. A view of human history as told by a gorilla, great stuff for the environmentalist among us.
· Surely you must be joking Mr. Feynman, Richard Feynman. Stories about Feynman’s science, politics, and personal history. Surprisingly funny and accessible.
· The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, Mark Haddon. A mystery featuring an autistic detective.
· Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert Pirsig. A dark tale of travelling across the nation on a motorcycle, discussing the history of philosophy as they go.
· Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad. Dark allegory describes the narrator’s journey up the Congo River. Masterly blend of adventure, character development, psychological penetration.
· The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature, Steven Pinker. Analyzes how our words relate to thoughts and to the world around us and reveals what this tells us about ourselves.
· How the Mind Works, Steven Pinker. Explains what the mind is, how it evolved, and how it allows us to see, think, feel, laugh, interact, enjoy the arts, and ponder the mysteries of life.
· Tuesdays with Morrie, Mitch Albom. An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson.
· The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien. A set of connected short pieces that tell the stories of the men of the Alpha Company before, during, and after the Vietnam War. These stories deal with the surreal and ambiguous nature of this war, the inadequacy of plain facts in communicating certain essential truths, and the alienation of the Vietnam War vet.
· The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams. Seconds before the Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised edition of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy who, for the last fifteen years, has been posing as an out-of-work actor.
· Freakonomics, Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. What do teachers and sumo wrestlers have in common? Why do crack dealers live with their mothers? The answers to these questions raise interesting knowledge issues with regard to statistics and interpretation.
5-01-2016