What's in a map?
While living in Bucharest a few years ago, I arranged to meet my friend in Dianei 4, one of our favourite bars. She was on the metro, arriving at Piata Universitate. She wanted to know how to get there from the Metro.
I said, "When you come out the metro station, head east".
To which she replied, "How the hell am I supposed to know which way is east?"
I was perplexed. She was angry.
Who was right? Why the confusion? How else should I have explained it?
I said, "When you come out the metro station, head east".
To which she replied, "How the hell am I supposed to know which way is east?"
I was perplexed. She was angry.
Who was right? Why the confusion? How else should I have explained it?
Students of group 3 subjects study individuals and societies. This means that they explore the interactions between humans and their environment in time and place. As a result, these subjects are often known collectively as the "human sciences" or "social sciences."
As with other subject areas, there is a variety of ways of gaining knowledge in group 3 subjects. For example, archival evidence, data collection, experimentation, observation, inductive and deductive reasoning can all be used to help explain patterns of behaviour and lead to knowledge claims. Students in group 3 subjects are required to evaluate these knowledge claims by exploring knowledge issues such as validity, reliability, credibility, certainty, and individual as well as cultural perspectives.
The relationship between group 3 subjects and TOK is of crucial importance and fundamental to the Diploma Program. Having followed a course study in group 3, students should be able to reflect critically on the various ways of knowing and methods used in human sciences, and in doing so, become "inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people" (IBO mission statement).
As with other subject areas, there is a variety of ways of gaining knowledge in group 3 subjects. For example, archival evidence, data collection, experimentation, observation, inductive and deductive reasoning can all be used to help explain patterns of behaviour and lead to knowledge claims. Students in group 3 subjects are required to evaluate these knowledge claims by exploring knowledge issues such as validity, reliability, credibility, certainty, and individual as well as cultural perspectives.
The relationship between group 3 subjects and TOK is of crucial importance and fundamental to the Diploma Program. Having followed a course study in group 3, students should be able to reflect critically on the various ways of knowing and methods used in human sciences, and in doing so, become "inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people" (IBO mission statement).
Some of the TOK questions that can be asked in Individuals and Societies include:
What role does language play in geography?
Are the findings of the natural sciences as reliable as those of the human sciences? What is the meaning of a 'scientific law' in each area?
Are there human qualities or behaviours that will remain beyond the scope of the human sciences?
To what extent...
...can empathy, intuition, and feeling be legitimate ways of knowing in the human sciences?
...can information in human sciences be quantified?
...can global warming or climate change be viewed as the truth?
...are models simply our way of imposing a 'meaningful' pattern on reality.
What role does language play in geography?
Are the findings of the natural sciences as reliable as those of the human sciences? What is the meaning of a 'scientific law' in each area?
Are there human qualities or behaviours that will remain beyond the scope of the human sciences?
To what extent...
...can empathy, intuition, and feeling be legitimate ways of knowing in the human sciences?
...can information in human sciences be quantified?
...can global warming or climate change be viewed as the truth?
...are models simply our way of imposing a 'meaningful' pattern on reality.
Is it a good representation of London? Is it accurate? Would you prefer google maps? Is google maps accurate? What do we mean by accurate?
A past TOK essay question: “A map is only useful if it simplifies things.” To what extent does this apply to knowledge?
And here is a map off of google that shows the Mercator projection against "true" country size.
So why the difference in the maps? Does it matter? Who were Mercator and Peters? Where were they from? When did they live? What were they trying to achieve with their projections? If we know this, does this help us understand what we know?
Try this from Oxfam. Merge the projections yourself before attempting the plenary questions.
ACTIVITY - Make your own map
You and your partner have 15 minutes to draw a map of the world and locate and annotate the following features onto your map:
•5 Political Items (Cities, Countries, etc.)
•5 Geographic Features (Mountains, Rivers, Oceans)
•5 Inventions
•5 Cultural Items (Art, Music, Religion)
•5 Historical Items (People, Events, etc.)
•5 Arrows Showing Movement across Space (such as the Mongols invading Europe or Smallpox coming to the Americas)
•Something that we are not meant to know about
You and your partner have 15 minutes to draw a map of the world and locate and annotate the following features onto your map:
•5 Political Items (Cities, Countries, etc.)
•5 Geographic Features (Mountains, Rivers, Oceans)
•5 Inventions
•5 Cultural Items (Art, Music, Religion)
•5 Historical Items (People, Events, etc.)
•5 Arrows Showing Movement across Space (such as the Mongols invading Europe or Smallpox coming to the Americas)
•Something that we are not meant to know about
Lets get TOK
Bring all the maps to the front so that they can be compared.
How accurate is the information presented?
What differences can we see? Why might this be?
Is there a north south bias in the information shown?
What projection, if any, is mostly used?
Is Africa well or poorly represented?
What cultural differences stand out?
Does anybody know the way to San Jose?
Bring all the maps to the front so that they can be compared.
How accurate is the information presented?
What differences can we see? Why might this be?
Is there a north south bias in the information shown?
What projection, if any, is mostly used?
Is Africa well or poorly represented?
What cultural differences stand out?
Does anybody know the way to San Jose?