Subject Outline

The IB Diploma Language & Literature course is designed to help students develop a sophisticated understanding of literary and non-literary texts and to explore the distinctive intentions of writers from a variety of cultures and media. Students study in detail a variety of texts from different genres, cultures, and periods and the relationships between different works to strengthen literary analysis and promote a lifelong critical engagement with the written and spoken word. The course is offered at both Higher Level and Standard Level, and students are expected to develop writing and oral skills to an advanced level.

Units of Study in English:

Dream of a better world: Issues related to the colonisation of the rap industry with Akala.
Escaping Compton: Kendrick Lamar’s use of hip hop to share a perspective on the cyclic nature of poverty.
Death Row Redemption: An insight into Tookie Williams’ use of children’s books to take control of his own narrative while on death row.
Go Back to Where you Came From: The immigration narrative as captured by a documentary series.
Fighting the Culture Wars: A critical analysis of partisan news sources.
Not my Best Side: The role of advertising in reflecting and refracting social issues.
Challenging Western Perceptions: The role of comics in representations of the Iranian Islamic Revolution and the bombing of Hiroshima.
You Cannot Be Serious: The role of satire in communicating and critiquing global issues.
Power, Oppression, and Agency: An insight into textual perspectives about power, oppression and agency.

Units of Study in Dutch:

The Power of Politics: An awareness of the effect of framing in mass communication.
The Upper Class on the High Ground: An exploration of family drama and keeping up appearances through multiple perspectives.
The Grass is Never Greener: The immigration experience and the disillusionment of displacement.
Home is where the Heart is: A look into a woman’s moving personal journey in search of answers related to family mysteries.
Letting Go of the Past: A family’s ongoing struggle to leave the feudal past behind and its acceptance of the inevitable.
The Dynamics between Society and Literature: Overcoming poverty, addictions and neglect; a personal coming-of-age account.
Embracing the Human Dilemma: The philosophy of action as observed in the confession of an exiled French lawyer.
*Higher Level students will study a total of thirteen texts over the two year course, whileStandard Level students will study a total of nine texts over the two year course.

Assessment Overview

EXTERNAL

Paper 1: Timed written commentary of an unseen non-literary text – 35%

SL has a guided choice of one text and must write for 75 minutes
HL has a guided analysis of two texts and must write for 135 minutes

Paper 2: Timed comparative essay on the literature studied – 35% (25% for HL)

Choice of four general questions
Write for 105 minutes
Written Assignment (HL only): Extended essay of 1200-1500 words on either literary or non-literary texts studied – 20%

INTERNAL

Individual Oral: Timed spoken analysis on two of the texts studied in relation to a global issue of the student’s choice – 30% (20% for HL)

Must include one literary and one non-literary text
Consists of a 10 minute analysis following by 5 minutes of questioning
Internally assessed and externally moderated
Additionally, students will have to complete a Learner Portfolio that collects the student’s work and engagement with the coursework. It will not be formally assessed.

Skills Gained on the Course

• An appreciation of a wide range of literary and non-literary texts from different periods, in different styles, genres and contexts.
• An extended awareness of different cultures from the written texts and media texts.
• An ability to compare and contrast texts and analyse them in detail.
• Improved confidence and communication skills through the development of oral and written expression and critical thinking.

And beyond…

The Language and Literature course is an accepted preparation for the study of all language courses at university, especially marketing, journalism, and media studies.
The ability to analyse texts and communicate effectively is useful in any career.

Keys to Success

• Be a discerning and sophisticated reader of a wide range of texts.
• Be observant and show interest in current affairs.
• Have sensitivity to a variety of cultural contexts.
• Be willing to examine different perspectives.
• Organize notes and handouts.
• Annotate texts thoroughly.
• Plan written work carefully.
• Review work and learn from errors.
• Contribute to class discussion and present your ideas confidently.
• Keep up with reading assignments and deadlines.

DP Admission Criteria

Standard Level

Achievement at MYP level 4+ recommended for all assessed criteria.
Achievement of M for all the CC skills.

Higher Level

Achievement at MYP level 5+ for all assessed criteria.
Achievement of M for all the cross curricular skills and E for participation, focus and productivity recommended.

Subject Outline

The IB Diploma Literature course is designed to help students develop a sophisticated understanding of literary texts and to explore the distinctive intentions of writers from a variety of cultures. Students study in detail different genres and periods and the relationships between different works to strengthen literary analysis and promote a lifelong enjoyment of reading literature. It is a highly academic course at both Higher Level and Standard Level, and students are expected to develop writing and oral skills to a sophisticated level.

Units of Study*:

Part One: Finding and Defining Identity (Readers, Writers, & Texts): An exploration of people discovering and defining their identities around the world (e.g. gender, cultural, familial, etc.).
Part Two: Colonial Legacies (Time & Space): Literature from former colonies to help us contextualize and better understand ongoing global political and racial conflicts today.
Part Three: Writing About Trauma (Intertextuality): Essays, novels, and comics that all try to convey an understanding about truth and memory with regards to modern war and the trauma experienced by the soldiers and civilians caught in them.

*Higher Level students will study a total of thirteen texts over the two year course, while Standard Level students will study a total of nine texts over the two year course.

Assessment Overview

EXTERNAL

Paper 1: Timed written commentary of an unseen literary text(s) – 35%

SL has a guided choice of one text and must write for 75 minutes
HL has a guided analysis of two texts and must write for 135 minutes
Paper 2: Timed comparative essay on the literature studied – 35% (25% for HL)

Choice of four general questions
Write for 105 minutes
Written Assignment (HL only): Extended essay of 1200-1500 words on the literature studied – 20%

INTERNAL

Individual Oral: Timed spoken analysis on two of the texts studied in relation to a global issue of the student’s choice – 30% (20% for HL)

Must include one text in translation
Consists of a 10 minute analysis following by 5 minutes of questioning
Internally assessed and externally moderated
Additionally, students will have to complete a Learner Portfolio that collects the student’s work and engagement with the coursework. It will not be formally assessed.

Skills Gained on the Course

• An appreciation of a wide range of literature from different periods, in different styles, genres and contexts.
• An extended awareness of different cultures from the literature studied leading to a global perspective.
• An ability to compare and contrast texts and analyse them in detail.
• Improved confidence and communication skills through the development of oral and written expression.
• Critical thinking skills.

And beyond…

The Literature course is an excellent preparation for the study of Literature and many other arts‐, philosophy-, and law-based courses at university.
The ability to analyse texts and communicate effectively is useful in any career.

Keys to Success

• Be a discerning and sophisticated reader of a wide range of texts.
• Annotate texts thoroughly.
• Have sensitivity to a variety of cultural contexts.
• Be willing to examine different perspectives.
• Organize notes and handouts.
• Plan written work carefully.
• Review work and learn from errors.
• Contribute to class discussion and present your ideas confidently.
• Keep up with reading assignments and deadlines
• DP Admission Criteria

Standard Level

Achievement at MYP level 4+ recommended for all assessed criteria.
Achievement of M for all the CC skills.

Higher Level

Achievement at MYP level 5+ for all assessed criteria.
Achievement of M for all the cross curricular skills and E for participation, focus and productivity recommended.

Subject Outline

The subject outline and the assessment for the “Literature Course” are the same for all group 1 subjects.

ADDITIONAL POINTS – LANGUAGE A SUBJECT OTHER THAN ENGLISH & DUTCH

The IB allows students who cannot follow a group 1 course in English and/or Dutch to study literature in their own mother tongue language: e.g. Chinese, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Russian, Serbian, Spanish… This is called the School-Supported Self-Taught option (SSST). This literature course can only be followed at Standard Level.
The IB recommendation is that students who follow the self-taught option get guidance and feedback from a tutor, if possible. The school can provide parents with guidelines and with a list of recommended tutors.
All costs for tutoring will be paid by the parents, but the school can offer a 10% reduction in DP on the annual school fees if the parents opt to have a tutor for at least one lesson per week and the student is not able to study an English or Dutch language and literature course.
The school supports the students by facilitating the tutoring ( through providing a classroom and/or technical support if needed ), by organising a study hour every week and by liaising with the tutor. The school follows the students’ progress and ensures that all the IB assessment tasks are submitted.

Bilingual IB Diploma

A candidate may opt for a second group 1 subject instead of a group 2 subject. A bilingual diploma will be awarded to a successful candidate:
who has completed two languages selected from group 1 with the award of a grade 3 or higher in both.
who has completed one of the subjects from group 3 or group 4 in a language that is not the same as the candidate’s nominated group 1 language.