Extended Essay IBO Subject Areas

1. Extended EssayIBO Subject Areas Mr. James TOK

2. EE Subject Areas • Key Ideas • Consider subject areas that interest you. • Consider selecting IB subject areas in which you have taken (or are taking) a course. • TOK cannot be used as a subject area.

3. EE Subject Areas, Continued

4. Biology • …essay should incorporate biological theory and emphasize the science that deals with living organisms and life processes. • Sample Research Questions • “The effect of detergent toxicity on soil bacteria” is better than “Detergents in the environment.” • “A study of the effect of differing pH levels on the growth of Phaseolusvulgaris” is better than “The effect of acidity on plant growth.”

5. Business and Management • …essay should apply business theory, tools, and techniques to produce a coherent and structured analytical essay. • Sample Research Questions • “What motivates employees? Can Herzberg’s motivation theory help explain improvement in productivity at XYZ Ltd.?” is better than “Have motivational techniques benefited XYZ Ltd.?” • “Why has the practice of publishing environmental audits been adopted more widely in Country X than in Country Y?” is better than “Why do firms publish environmental audits?”

6. Dance • …essay should strive provide a coherent verbal analysis and interpretation of one or more dances. • Sample Research Questions • “The role or ritual in Afro-Caribbean dance in selected works of Katherine Dunham.” is better than “Ritual in Afro-Caribbean dance.” • “The influence of Gregory Hines on the reemergence of rhythm tap dance in the United States as a theatrical dance form” is better than “Tap dance in the United States.”

7. History • …essay should focus on the human past, be worthy of study, and lend itself to systematic investigation. Essays that focus on the last 10 years are not acceptable. • Sample Research Questions • “Causes of the collapse of Mayan civilization” is better than “The Mayan civilization” • “Varying interpretations of the Salem witch trials” is better than “Witch trials in North America

8. Music • …essay should strive for a coherent verbal analysis and interpretation of one or more pieces of music. • Sample Research Questions • “The influence of jazz in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess” is better than “Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess.” • “A study of the effect of differing pH levels on the growth of Phaseolusvulgaris” is better than “The effect of acidity on plant growth.”

9. Seniors Research Question Samples • Art: • What is the role of dance, in particular Hip-Hop, in defining urban cultural youth movement? • What role does creativity’s acceptance play in Art’s influence on society and culture • Has the message changed or just the messenger? How Rap and Hip-Hop has impacted the world of music and the culture of a generation.

10. Senior Research Questions • History • The right to choose: Abortion Rights and Women’s Liberation • To what extent has the media and propaganda and the objectification of woman affected the mixed views of women’s roles in the 20th century • Civil Disobedience: Ghandi and King’s views and beliefs on changing society with non-violence

11. Do Now: