Areas of Exploration
The SSST course is structured around three areas of exploration: Readers, writers and texts; Time and space; and Intertextuality. This section describes what these areas mean and include six questions for each area that are meant to help you understand how to approach the course.
Throughout the SSST course you will be reading a number of selected texts. However, the focus is not merely reading them but rather analyzing them, thinking critically and considering broader questions of the area of exploration. It could be helpful to consider using some of these as prompts to develop in your learner portfolio.
Throughout the SSST course you will be reading a number of selected texts. However, the focus is not merely reading them but rather analyzing them, thinking critically and considering broader questions of the area of exploration. It could be helpful to consider using some of these as prompts to develop in your learner portfolio.
Readers, Writers and Texts
Through this area of exploration you will look at the ways in which texts are produced, read, interpreted, responded to and performed, and reflect on the role of literature. You will focus on the words on the page, their literal meaning, the type of literary text being read, the plot, character, setting, word choice and stylistic features.
Readers, Writers and Texts : Links to CAS
In the DP, you are expected to use what you have learned and apply it to your creativity, activity, service (CAS) experiences and projects. There are many ways that the study of literature, knowledge of language A and development of reading, writing, speaking and listening skills can be used in the context of CAS.
Through reading about characters or situations you are developing a better understanding of yourself and others. In addition, while reading about other people, places and situations, you are developing the capacity for empathy, which will help you respond to the needs of people in meaningful ways. As you analyse, interpret and reflect on what you are reading, your skills as a critical thinker are growing and this will help you plan and execute CAS projects.
Another aim of the course is to think about and comment upon global issues in your textual analysis. You will be looking at issues on a global scale and may be able to see these reflected locally. You could consider different courses of action to manifest your raised awareness in the form of CAS experiences and projects. In turn, embarking on a CAS experience or project focused on global issues arising from the texts can enrich your literary studies as you will have experienced correlated situations in real life. The combined effect of this interaction is an appreciation that the texts that you write or read are not created or experienced in a vacuum but are relevant to your life and the community in which you live.
Here are some suggestions to help you start thinking about CAS in relation to the language A course:
Development of first or best language
The language of your study as an SSST student may be a minority language in your school. How many speakers of your language are in your school or community? Think about ways in which you can help these fellow speakers. Do you want to gather these people together for activities that you can lead? Is there a need to translate publications into your language A to help these speakers? Perhaps you can think about those who do not speak your language A. Is there a need to teach or promote your language? If you are dealing with language you will probably be dealing with creativity and if you are helping people you are dealing with service.
Literature
Think about the works that you have chosen to read. What have you learned about literature through the study of these works? How could you use this in a CAS project? Do you want to promote the reading of these works? Are these works, which were written in your language A, available in the library for other speakers of your language to access or are these texts available in other languages in the library at your school? Do you feel it would be important to have these works or others by the same author highlighted at your school to create an awareness of the literature of your language A? Are there speakers of your language outside of the school who would benefit from gaining access to the literature of your language A? Can you transform the text into a public performance? Would you want to use this performance to raise awareness of a global issue? Is there any instance of injustice in the text that makes you want to form an advocacy group to take action?
When dealing with literature in these ways, you could also be dealing with creativity and service.
Through reading about characters or situations you are developing a better understanding of yourself and others. In addition, while reading about other people, places and situations, you are developing the capacity for empathy, which will help you respond to the needs of people in meaningful ways. As you analyse, interpret and reflect on what you are reading, your skills as a critical thinker are growing and this will help you plan and execute CAS projects.
Another aim of the course is to think about and comment upon global issues in your textual analysis. You will be looking at issues on a global scale and may be able to see these reflected locally. You could consider different courses of action to manifest your raised awareness in the form of CAS experiences and projects. In turn, embarking on a CAS experience or project focused on global issues arising from the texts can enrich your literary studies as you will have experienced correlated situations in real life. The combined effect of this interaction is an appreciation that the texts that you write or read are not created or experienced in a vacuum but are relevant to your life and the community in which you live.
Here are some suggestions to help you start thinking about CAS in relation to the language A course:
Development of first or best language
The language of your study as an SSST student may be a minority language in your school. How many speakers of your language are in your school or community? Think about ways in which you can help these fellow speakers. Do you want to gather these people together for activities that you can lead? Is there a need to translate publications into your language A to help these speakers? Perhaps you can think about those who do not speak your language A. Is there a need to teach or promote your language? If you are dealing with language you will probably be dealing with creativity and if you are helping people you are dealing with service.
Literature
Think about the works that you have chosen to read. What have you learned about literature through the study of these works? How could you use this in a CAS project? Do you want to promote the reading of these works? Are these works, which were written in your language A, available in the library for other speakers of your language to access or are these texts available in other languages in the library at your school? Do you feel it would be important to have these works or others by the same author highlighted at your school to create an awareness of the literature of your language A? Are there speakers of your language outside of the school who would benefit from gaining access to the literature of your language A? Can you transform the text into a public performance? Would you want to use this performance to raise awareness of a global issue? Is there any instance of injustice in the text that makes you want to form an advocacy group to take action?
When dealing with literature in these ways, you could also be dealing with creativity and service.
Readers, Writers and Texts : Links to TOK
The following questions could be used to reflect on the connections between this area of exploration and TOK:
- What do we learn about through literature? What role does literature fulfil? What is its purpose?
- What different kinds of knowledge does the reader gain through literature?
- Can the meaning of a literary text ever be free from ambiguity? Can there ever be one true meaning of a literary text?
- What is the relationship between the writer and the reader and how does it impact the reader’s understanding of the literary text?
- Are some interpretations of a literary text better than others?
- How does the experience differ when reading in the original language compared to reading in translation?
- Does every literary text have an ideal reader? What are the challenges this presents for us as readers in our interaction with and understanding of the text?
- How does the medium through which a literary text is presented impact how you experience it?
- What constitutes or makes good evidence in literature?
- Is the notion of literary form a restrictive one? How far do literary form conventions help, hinder or limit the production and reception of literature?
Time and Space
All literary texts are written by authors who are real people living in the real world. Though this may seem obvious, it is important to remember that texts are affected by a wide variety of contexts such as the life of the author, the times in which they lived, historical conditions reflected in the text and many other real- world factors. In this area of the course you will study texts that allow you to consider how history, culture, geography and many other external factors are all important to fully understand a literary text.
Time and Space: Links to CAS
See Area of exploration "Reader, Writers and Texts"
Time and Space: Links to TOK
The following questions could be used to reflect upon the connections between this area of exploration and TOK:
- To what extent is knowledge of the context of a literary text important for its understanding and interpretation?
- To what extent can a reader understand the meaning of a literary text from a very different time and/or place?
- What knowledge can audiences from different times and places gain from reading a literary text? Is the knowledge gained about a culture from reading a literary text about it always valid?
- Can it ever be said that a literary text is no longer relevant for a person or a community? On which basis can a statement like that be supported?
- How valid is it to apply a current critical lens to a literary text from the past?
- To what extent can literary texts be considered historical documents?
- How can a reader assess the quality of a translation? Are some translations better than others? How does the quality of the translation depend on the temporal and spatial context of the translator?
- What issues arise when an author represents a culture that they are not a part of or a perspective different from their own?
- What knowledge about a culture can be gained by reading a literary text?
- Can a literary text be immoral or dangerous in the effect it has on its audience? Is the censorship of a text ever valid or justified?
Intertextuality: Connecting Texts
The area of exploration focuses on the connections between and among diverse literary texts, traditions, creators and ideas. You will explore further aspects of meaning, literary form, approach and chronological development. This section focuses on the comparative study of literary texts to gain a deeper understanding of unique characteristics of individual texts and interesting connections between different texts.
Connections between literary texts can be established in a variety of ways, such as through the study of a group of texts from the same literary form—for example, fiction, the sonnet, a tragedy; an exploration of a topic or concept as represented across literary texts—for example, power, heroism, gender; or an investigation into one of the seven concepts in studies in language and literature, such as representation or perspective.
Connections between literary texts can be established in a variety of ways, such as through the study of a group of texts from the same literary form—for example, fiction, the sonnet, a tragedy; an exploration of a topic or concept as represented across literary texts—for example, power, heroism, gender; or an investigation into one of the seven concepts in studies in language and literature, such as representation or perspective.
INTERTEXTUALITY: LINKS TO CAS
See "Area of exploration "Reader, Writers and Texts"
INTERTEXTUALITY: LINKS TO TOK
Intertextuality: Links to TOK
The following questions could be used to reflect on the connections between this area of exploration and TOK:
The following questions could be used to reflect on the connections between this area of exploration and TOK:
- Is it possible for a literary text to create new knowledge?
- How does one make judgements about the literary merit of a literary text? Are some texts more “literary” than others?
- How are literary texts categorized? Does categorizing literary texts impact on what is known about them?
- Does knowledge of literary form conventions aid or hinder the readers’ understanding of a literary text?
- What knowledge and understanding can be gained by comparing a literary text in its original language and its translation, or two translations of one same text?
- Can reading an adaptation, an interpretation or a transformation of a literary text help to gain a better understanding of the original text?
- How do others’ reactions to a literary text influence how it is understood?
- What new knowledge can be gained by reading multiple literary texts by the same author?
- How important is the understanding of an intertextual allusion to the understanding of a literary text?
- What knowledge can be gained by reading two literary texts on a same topic or theme?
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