Critical Perspectives

Unit Three: Identity-based Belief Systems (religion, ethics)

This unit links to ethical systems and religion as factors that may influence perspectives. Students learn how belief systems are formed and apply ideas such as paradigms, ethical relativism and absolutism to contemporary controversial issues. The famous Trolley Car dilemma is utilised to develop ethical reasoning and explore utilitarianism, altruism, self-interest and Kohlberg’s moral reasoning. The role that religion plays in developing ethical beliefs is addressed through several case studies. Students, working in groups, present to the class different perspectives on controversial issues by analysing and applying belief systems to chosen stakeholders. Students then choose a recent event that involves conflict and opposing viewpoints and apply what they have learned about belief systems to analyse the situation in a research essay. A final discussion revolves around different perspectives on punishment with a focus on capital punishment in several countries. Students engage in the final discussion through an courtroom simulation.

Course AO rubric

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English Literature and Language

Unit 2: When Words Aren't Enough – Exploring Creative Representation

When are words not enough to tell stories? Technology has given writers new and creative ways to visually share, narrate, and communicate ideas about our human experiences. In this unit, students will be introduced to the ways in which graphic artists and writers creatively use images, from the photorealistic to the abstract, to explore socially potent issues in text types such as newspaper articles, magazine articles, and graphic novels. Focusing on the graphic novel Persepolis by Marjane Sartrapi, students will also develop an appreciation for the critical role a reader's mind and experiences play when inferring meaning from image based narratives and understanding of the interplay between written and visual language.

Students will engage with IB-aligned conceptual questions, including: How important is cultural or historical context to the production and reception of a text? To what extent do texts offer insight into another culture? How does language represent social distinctions and identities? They will explore concepts including creative representation, culture, identity, and perspective, and micro-concepts like iconography, panel size and panel distribution, speech bubbles, panel arrangement, colour and contrast, lines and shapes, symbols and images, and closure.

The outcome of this unit will be a presentation to the class that has a group and individual component. As a group, students will present on their contextual issue and each individual will present an extract from Persepolis, discussing the role research has played in developing their understanding and interpretation of the text.

Course AO rubric

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