IB TOK class - Simon Schama: art versus the tyrants

This article picked by a teacher with suggested questions is part of the Financial Times free schools access programme. Details/registration here.

Specification:

Teacher themes Arts subjects, language & literature, history, global politics, and anyone exploring how the arts have the power to change society. 

IB DP TOK themes & AOKs The arts, History, Politics, Human sciences

Relevant BQ Values

Key terms and ideas  Culture wars, Soft power, Battle between lies and truth, Visionary imagination

Investigating Issues Art & ethics

Exhibition prompt  IAP-11 (beliefs)

Click to read the article below and answer the questions:

Simon Schama: art versus the tyrants

• How can the arts can help to drive change in society. Can you give any examples of how the arts have successfully mobilised support for a cause? 

• From the article, choose an example of works of art and literature. Get students to choose one. What did you choose? What issue was it associated with, and how did its ‘visionary imagination’ make an impact on the way people understood the issue? Swap your responses with other students to learn about the other examples in the article

• Do you agree that “a poem, a novel, a painting or a song” has more power to bring about change than “databanks or algorithms”?

• Can the arts help resolve the battle “between truth and lies”?

Michael Dunn, theoryofknowledge.net