Embedded Files
The IB has created the following documents to ensure that your booklist meets all the required criteria for the SSST course. Please make a copy of these forms, complete them with your tutor and submit to Ms. Zeiler for approval.
As a language A: literature SSST student you will have to read seven works. You will choose these from a list of authors that the IB has created, called the Prescribed reading list, which Ms. Zeiler can help you and your tutor access.
You should compile a list of literary works to be studied in the SSST course according to the following requirements:
Seven works overall, written by authors on the Prescribed reading list
Coverage of at least three literary forms (poetry, drama, fiction, non-fiction)
Coverage of at least three periods
Coverage of at least three countries
Coverage from two continents
A minimum of three works originally written in the language A being studied, by authors on the Prescribed Reading List
A minimum of two works translated into your language A, originally written in a different language than the language A being studied.
Coverage of all three Areas of Exploration
**All of the works on your booklist must be chosen from the Prescribed Reading List.**
What is considered a "work" for this course?
The Language A: literature guide defines a “work” as “one single major literary text, such as a novel, autobiography or biography; two or more shorter literary texts such as novellas; five to ten short stories; five to eight essays; ten to 15 letters; or a substantial section or the whole of a long poem (at least 600 lines) or 15 to 20 shorter poems”. When more than one text is studied as part of a “work”, they must be from the same author. It is important to remember this definition when choosing works to study. If you do not know much about authors in other languages, you should start by having a look at the six recommended authors in each language. Other issues to consider are whether it is easy it is to obtain a copy of the work written in any other language in translation. You are strongly advised to choose works that have been translated into the language A that you are studying.
Creating a balanced booklist
When deciding on a booklist, you should try to include works which balance gender, time, place and literary forms. You can use the search filters in the Prescribed reading list to find authors who have written in particular languages, literary forms, periods and places. These filters can help ensure that you have chosen works which meet the course requirements. Remember that some writers publish in more than one literary form, so it is important when choosing specific works by these authors that you fulfill the literary form requirement of the course. In discussions with your tutor, supervisor, other teachers, peers or family members, you can also consult them on ways you can make your booklist more varied in terms of different voices and perspectives.
Please remember to devote enough time to thinking about the booklist, the extent to which it addresses all the requirements of the course and the extent to which it offers opportunities to prepare for the assessment components.
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