Presentation Controversial topics.

[m-shanghai]

Hey guys!

I am about to do my TOK final presentation ( )and I was thinking do it based on a self-experience.

Just as background: I come from Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. In here we speak a minority language called Catalan and we want to be independent from the rest of Spain. Some centuries we were a country, who shared nothing with Spain except the Iberian Peninsula.

So, my KI would be: "To what extent can a shared feeling unite two 'occupied countries'?"

The second 'occupied country' would be North Ireland which a have a great relation with Catalan-independentist population.

The problem is that I am taking IB in to the BISS (British International School Shanghai) where, obviously, most of the teachers are from UK.

Do you think is a good idea to do this topic? Or should I changed it?

(My other options would be: 'To what extent does religion interfere in our sense of perception?' or 'To what extended does a fanfic based on a book/film belong to the first author?')

Thanks for helping!

PD: The idea of this KI came to me after see this photo:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Paisos_catalans_belfast.jpg?uselang=es

Edited September 6, 2012 by m1994

[GirlwiththeBlueBox]

To be honest, I think it sounds like a brilliant topic. The IB examiners probably won't care whether or not it concerns the independence of Northern Ireland.

[Arrowhead]

I think the topic is quite brilliant and so long as you're not malicious about it (which I don't think you intend to be), then it shouldn't ruffle any feathers, even if you have someone teaching you that championed the Good Friday Declaration. So don't worry about it too much.

I will say though that your religion topic is overdoen to death at this point, so I'd drop it. As far as your fanfic one is concerned, is it inspired from the overwhelming success of 50 Shades of Grey? Just curious.

[m-shanghai]

Half_Blood_Princess19:I I'm glad you think so! And I really hope that they won't care.

Positron: Ture... I always have problems with that word. XP Already changed.

Arrowhead: No... I'm definitely not being malicious, but, as my TOK teachers always says, is better if you have any relation with the topic you have chosen.

Now about the fanfics, no, it hasn't any relation to the success of "50 Shades of Grey", is just that I'm a fanfic writer (not of based-books stories, I write about some asian-singers, but this in not the point) and sometimes I heard that we are only copying the original ideas when in fact most of us the only thing we do is to take the characters and some aspects of the original plot.

And thanks to all three to answer so quickly!

[Arrowhead]

Now about the fanfics, no, it hasn't any relation to the success of "50 Shades of Grey", is just that I'm a fanfic writer (not of based-books stories, I write about some asian-singers, but this in not the point) and sometimes I heard that we are only copying the original ideas when in fact most of us the only thing we do is to take the characters and some aspects of the original plot.

I totally get what you mean! I used to write HP Fanfiction back in the day. Now most of my stories are off FFN, but I always despised the insinuation that we used to copy the plot with minor tweaks. A lot of fanfiction is comprised of excellent standalone pieces of fiction.

[m-shanghai]

OMG!

Really you do? I only write in Spanish, but I have read some in English and I have to say that they are amazing! I'm glad to know someone who can understand this point, not many people do.

[carpediem]

Haha, back to the topic.

It's fine if you do controversial topics - the majority of my IB cohort chose to do something that was, to an extent, controversial and because of the controversy it made it interesting to them and could be a reason why there is a knowledge issue in the first place. As long as you don't make sweeping generalisations (incorporate several POVs in your presentation, never assume common knowledge etc.), you'll be fine.