Exhibition prompts

The exhibition prompts are a set of 35 high-level knowledge questions. Students must select one of the following exhibition prompts on which to base their exhibition, and all three objects must be linked to the same prompt.

The chosen exhibition prompt must be used exactly as given; it must not be altered in any way.

• If the exhibition prompt has been modified but it is still clear which prompt the student is referring to, the TOK exhibition should be marked as using the original prompt. Any lack of relevance in the student’s response arising from this modification will be reflected in the score awarded.

• If it is clear that the TOK Exhibition is not based on one of the exhibition prompts listed, the TOK exhibition should be awarded a score of zero, in accordance with the TOK Exhibition assessment instrument.

Students are required to create an exhibition of three objects that connect to one of the following IA prompts.

• What counts as knowledge?

• Are some types of knowledge more useful than others?

• What features of knowledge have an impact on its reliability?

• On what grounds might we doubt a claim?

• What counts as good evidence for a claim?

• How does the way that we organize or classify knowledge affect what we know?

• What are the implications of having, or not having, knowledge?

• To what extent is certainty attainable?

• Are some types of knowledge less open to interpretation than others?

• What challenges are raised by the dissemination and/or communication of knowledge?

• Can new knowledge change established values or beliefs?

• Is bias inevitable in the production of knowledge?

• How can we know that current knowledge is an improvement upon past knowledge?

• Does some knowledge belong only to particular communities of knowers?

• What constraints are there on the pursuit of knowledge?

• Should some knowledge not be sought on ethical grounds?

• Why do we seek knowledge?

• Are some things unknowable?

• What counts as a good justification for a claim?

• What is the relationship between personal experience and knowledge?

• What is the relationship between knowledge and culture?

• What role do experts play in influencing our consumption or acquisition of knowledge?

• How important are material tools in the production or acquisition of knowledge?

• How might the context in which knowledge is presented influence whether it is accepted or rejected?

• How can we distinguish between knowledge, belief and opinion?

• Does our knowledge depend on our interactions with other knowers?

• Does all knowledge impose ethical obligations on those who know it?

• To what extent is objectivity possible in the production or acquisition of knowledge?

• Who owns knowledge?

• What role does imagination play in producing knowledge about the world?

• How can we judge when evidence is adequate?

• What makes a good explanation?

• How is current knowledge shaped by its historical development?

• In what ways do our values affect our acquisition of knowledge?

• In what ways do values affect the production of knowledge?

Linking your discussion of the prompt to ToK key concepts

The following 12 concepts have particular prominence within, and thread throughout, the TOK course: evidence, certainty, truth, interpretation, power, justification, explanation, objectivity, perspective, culture, values and responsibility.

Linking your discussion of the prompt to the core and optional themes

Core theme: Knowledge and the knower

How we make sense of, and navigate, the world around us?

·      Face challenges, overcome obstacles and solve problems

How we reflect on what shapes our perspective as a knower?

·      How do we consider both the power and the limitations of the tools that we have at their disposal as knowers and thinkers? This includes becoming more aware of our own biases and assumptions.

·      What does it really mean to be open-minded? Including understanding the importance of caring about how knowledge is used and controlled.

Where do our values come from?

·      Are our morals given or acquired?

·      How do communities of knowers influence ethical decision-making?

How do different communities of knowers to which we belong create, share and act on knowledge?

·      This includes reflection on how our interactions with others and with the material world shape our knowledge.

How do we distinguish between claims that are contestable and claims that are not?

·      This includes careful and critical consideration of knowledge claims and a recognition that many situations require us to make decisions without possessing absolute certainty.

Optional Theme – Knowledge and Technology

For many, advances in technology have provided easy access to massive amounts of data and information, and have facilitated unprecedented levels of global interaction. However, they have also raised important questions about how we engage with, and understand, information; about our understanding of the world; and about our understanding of ourselves.

What is the impact of technology on knowledge and us as knowers?

·      Includes ways that technology can be seen to shape knowledge creation, knowledge sharing and exchange, and even the nature of knowledge itself.

How does technology help and hinder our pursuit of knowledge?

·      Includes how technology can help us create and share knowledge and remove previous barriers to knowledge.

·      Downsides, including ‘Echo Chambers’.

What are the ethical and power issues relating to emerging technologies?

·      Personal data collection

·      Use of AI to make moral and ethical decisions e.g. driverless cars

What is the impact of historical technological developments on knowledge and knowing?

·      Includes the impact of technological developments such as advances in navigational instruments and map-making, or developments in air travel, and how these have had an impact on the transmission of knowledge and have allowed us to gain greater knowledge of different places and cultures.

Optional Theme – Knowledge and Politics

Knowledge itself has an intrinsically political dimension, as questions about how knowledge is constructed, used and disseminated are infused with issues relating to power and politics. Political issues and decisions also affect our daily lives in many different ways.

Where do our political views and values come from, and how do these inform and influence other areas of our lives?

·      Includes considering the role and origin of our own political beliefs and positions

What are the “politics of knowledge”?

·      Includes issues around knowledge, power and oppression. This could, for example, include discussion of the concept of “epistemic injustice” and situations where someone’s knowledge or expertise may be dismissed because they are a member of a particular social group.

·      It could also include exploration of examples relating to the control of knowledge; for example, cases where political leaders and groups have attempted to eradicate specific bodies of knowledge, “rewrite” history or persecute educated elites.

·      Includes the impact of social media on political discussion, or the challenges of reducing complex political issues into media- friendly “sound bites”.

·      Includes the role of persuasion, manipulation, misinformation and propaganda. Examples where facts and knowledge have been systematically distorted for political gain, or where political actors have denied or subverted knowledge. It could also lead to a discussion of the differences between political rhetoric and propaganda, as well as interesting reflections on the role of think tanks, pressure groups, political activists, funded research and fact checkers.