General overview of the course

School supported self-taught Language A Literature is an independent study course for students who want to pursue the study of literature in a language other than English or Amharic. This course can only be taken at the SL level and over the two years of the program. Taking this course will enable students to fulfill their language acquisition requirement as well as qualify them for a bilingual diploma. This is at once an exciting opportunity for a student to deepen their understanding of their first and best language and also a challenging independent study.

School Supported Self-Taught Language A is a course focused exclusively on literary texts, adopting a variety of approaches to textual criticism. Students explore the nature of literature, the aesthetic function of literary language and textuality, and the relationship between literature and the world. To accomplish this students are required to study 9 works chosen from the IB prescribed reading list.

How the course works at ICS

When a student takes SSST Literature there are three people involved in the course. The first person is the student who must be able to work independently to read and understand works of literature their first and best language. Then there is the ICS-based SSST supervisor who monitors the work of the student and assists in developing the skills and conceptual understanding necessary to analyze literature. Finally, there is the a tutor in the student's first and best language who helps with developing the first and best language and also the understanding of the literary texts. At ICS the SSST course is included as part of the student's daily schedule so they will have defined time within the school day to work. Every effort is made to schedule that time at a good time for the ICS-based SSST supervisor to be able to regularly meet with the student. Depending on the location of the first and best language tutor, the student may meet with them during the school day or outside of school hours.

Special considerations for SSST courses

As this course involves working independently, and also working with people outside of ICS, there are things to consider prior to taking the course. Please see the below Family Agreement for School Supported Self-Taught (SSST) Language A.

If you would like help in finding an organization to conduct the external assessment please reach out to the DP Office and we can share a list of companies we have worked with in the past.