Theatre and TOK
'The theory of knowledge (TOK) course engages students in reflection on the nature of knowledge and on how we know what we claim to know. The course identifies eight ways of knowing: reason, emotion, language, sense perception, intuition, imagination, faith and memory.
Students of the arts subjects study the various artistic ways through which knowledge, skills and attitudes from different cultural traditions are developed and transmitted. These subjects allow students to investigate and reflect on the complexities of the human condition.
Students of the arts subjects analyse artistic knowledge from various perspectives, and they acquire this knowledge through experiential means as well as more traditional academic methods. The nature of the arts is such that an exploration of the areas of knowledge in general, and knowledge of the different art forms specifically, can combine to help us understand ourselves, our patterns of behaviour and our relationship to each other and our wider environment.
The arts subjects complement TOK ethos by revealing interdisciplinary connections and allowing students to explore the strengths and limitations of individual and cultural perspectives. Studying the arts requires students to reflect on and question their own bases of knowledge.
Questions related to TOK activities that a theatre student might consider include the following:
DP Theatre Guide p.8
'The theory of knowledge (TOK) course engages students in reflection on the nature of knowledge and on how we know what we claim to know. The course identifies eight ways of knowing: reason, emotion, language, sense perception, intuition, imagination, faith and memory.
Students of the arts subjects study the various artistic ways through which knowledge, skills and attitudes from different cultural traditions are developed and transmitted. These subjects allow students to investigate and reflect on the complexities of the human condition.
Students of the arts subjects analyse artistic knowledge from various perspectives, and they acquire this knowledge through experiential means as well as more traditional academic methods. The nature of the arts is such that an exploration of the areas of knowledge in general, and knowledge of the different art forms specifically, can combine to help us understand ourselves, our patterns of behaviour and our relationship to each other and our wider environment.
The arts subjects complement TOK ethos by revealing interdisciplinary connections and allowing students to explore the strengths and limitations of individual and cultural perspectives. Studying the arts requires students to reflect on and question their own bases of knowledge.
Questions related to TOK activities that a theatre student might consider include the following:
- What moral responsibilities do theatre-makers have?
- “Art is a lie that brings us nearer to the truth” (Pablo Picasso). Evaluate this claim in relation to theatre.
- Are ways of knowing employed in radically different ways in the arts as opposed to other areas of knowledge?
- To what extent is imagination a fundamental requirement for participation in theatre?
- What do the different subjects that make up the arts have in common?
- How can the subjective viewpoint of an individual contribute to knowledge in the arts?
- How do artistic judgments differ from other types of judgment such as moral judgments?
- Why might we be more concerned with process rather than product in the search for knowledge?
- What is the social function of theatre?
DP Theatre Guide p.8