TOK Lesson Plan 14 – Knowledge and Politics

The lesson plan is powerful for TOK journey through Knowledge and Politics — it’s reflective, provocative, and built for real-life relevance. Students don’t just learn about political knowledge — they learn how they construct, question, and share it. It’s perfect for both highly engaged and hesitant learners.

Table of content

WEEK 13 — Foundations: Power, Knowledge & Ideology  

Class 1: Introduction to Knowledge and Politics  

Focus: What is political knowledge?

• Define key terms: knowledge, opinion, political belief

• Discuss how politics impacts what we claim to know

• Activity: Think-Pair-Share – “What’s one belief I have about politics? Is it knowledge?”

• Vocabulary introduction: ideology, censorship, propaganda

• Exit ticket: Students write 2 sentences each: one expressing a belief and one expressing knowledge

• TED Talk 1 (13 mins)

• TED Talk 2 (15 mins)

Class 2: Foucault’s Power/Knowledge  

Focus: Power structures and knowledge creation

• Intro to Foucault: “Knowledge is power; power produces knowledge”

• Class Diagram: Political power structures in school, community, world

• TED Clip (5 min): What is Power? – Michel Foucault

• Activity: Students write a “Foucault-style” explanation of how power affects knowledge at school

• Pair and Share

Class 3: Knowledge in Economic Decisions  

Focus: Who decides what counts as valid economic knowledge?

• Watch TED Talk (15 min): Why we need to rethink capitalism – Paul Tudor Jones II

• Prompt: “What knowledge justifies economic systems?”

• Class Debate: Capitalism vs. Socialism – What knowledge backs each?

• Homework: Reflective Journal – “How do my political beliefs influence what I consider valid knowledge?”

WEEK 14 — Censorship, Media & Manipulation  

Class 4: Understanding Censorship & Media Bias  

Focus: How information is filtered

• Hook: Show contrasting headlines from the same news event (BBC vs. Fox)

• Introduce Chomsky’s Propaganda Model (simplified)

• Group Discussion: Why do different outlets tell different truths?

• Vocabulary deep dive: censorship, spin, framing

Class 5: Media Simulation  

Focus: Roleplay political editorial decision-making

• Role Assignments: Each group is a different regime (free democracy, authoritarian state, corporate-owned outlet)

• Simulation: Choose which headlines get published

• Debrief: “What did we learn about control of knowledge?”

Class 6: Personal Data as Political Power  

Focus: Surveillance and ownership of knowledge

Watch Clip (3 mins): The Great Hack trailer

• Prompt: “How is your data knowledge about you? Who owns it?”

• Pair Activity: Students list 3 ways data about them can be used politically

• Homework: Journal Entry – “Have I ever ignored a truth because it didn’t align with my beliefs?”

WEEK 15 — Ideologies, Knowledge Claims & Contested Truths  

Class 7: Political Ideologies and Knowledge Claims  

Focus: How ideology shapes truth

• Intro: Difference between knowledge and ideology

• Comparative Chart: Capitalism vs. Socialism knowledge claims

• Group Activity: Choose a political system and defend its truth using 3 knowledge justifications

• Share and reflect

Class 8: Object Analysis – Political Narratives  

Focus: Applying the knowledge framework to real objects

• Students bring in a political item: poster, article, slogan, photo

• Use Knowledge Framework:

• • Scope: What knowledge is this presenting?

  • Perspectives: Whose voice is heard?

  • Methods: What tools support this claim?

  • Ethics: What responsibilities come with this knowledge?

  • Small Group Gallery Walk

Class 9: Knowledge Exhibition Practice  

Focus: Synthesizing learning for exhibition

• Prompt: “To what extent is knowledge shaped by ideology?”

• In groups of 3:

• • Choose a political object (real or proposed)

  • Link to prompt with written justification

  • Present to class gallery-style

• TED Clip: The danger of a single story – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (10 mins)

• Homework: Final Reflective Entry – “What ethical responsibilities do I have in consuming and sharing political knowledge?

‌Week 13: Foundations of Power, Knowledge, & Ideology

Class 1: Introduction to Knowledge and Politics  

‌‌Welcome to our exploration of Knowledge and Politics, a fascinating optional theme in Theory of Knowledge. Throughout this presentation, we’ll examine how political beliefs shape what we accept as knowledge and how knowledge influences political discourse.‌This journey will take us through key concepts like ideology, censorship, and propaganda while challenging us to reflect on how our own cultural backgrounds influence our understanding of political knowledge. We’ll also explore cross-curricular connections with Global Politics, Language and Literature, and History.‌By the end, you’ll be equipped with tools to distinguish between knowledge, opinion, and political belief—essential skills for navigating today’s complex information landscape.

Theme: Knowledge and Politics (Optional TOK Theme)
Lesson Duration: 45 minutes
Students: IBDP Year 1 students
Teacher Readiness Level: Beginner-friendly, no prior political theory experience needed
Student Level: Beginner/Intermediate TOK thinker

fig: A journey into how political knowledge is created, controlled, and contested in society.

 Learning Objectives   

By the end of this class, students will be able to:

• Distinguish between knowledge, opinion, and political belief

• Identify and explain foundational political TOK vocabulary: ideology, censorship, propaganda

• Reflect on how politics shapes what is accepted or rejected as knowledge

• Apply critical thinking through collaborative and personal reflection tasks

Class Focus: What is Political Knowledge?  

Introduction (10 mins)

Start by asking students:

“How do we know what we know about politics?”
“Is everything we hear about politics just opinion?”

Use this warm-up to briefly define and contrast:

• 📑 Knowledge – Justified, true belief with evidence

• 🗨️ Opinion – A personal view or attitude, not necessarily based on evidence

• 🏳️ Political Belief – A mix of values, assumptions, and perspectives about governance, rights, or justice

Mini anchor example:

“Climate change is real” – Is this a belief, opinion, or knowledge? Why?

Let students debate for a few minutes in pairs.

Key Political Vocabulary

Introduction (10 mins) 

‌Understanding the language of political knowledge helps us analyze how information is created, shared, and sometimes manipulated. These foundational terms provide a framework for examining the relationship between knowledge and politics.‌Each concept represents a different way that political knowledge is shaped or controlled. By recognizing these patterns, we become more critical consumers of political information and better equipped to evaluate claims about political “truths.”

Create a short explainer board/chart:

Term	Definition	Real-World Example
Ideology	A set of beliefs or values that guide political actions	Democracy, Marxism
Censorship	The suppression of information or ideas by authority	Banning books, blocking websites
Propaganda	Biased or misleading information used to promote a viewpoint	War posters, fake news
‌Hegemony	‌Dominance of one group over others in culture, politics, or ideas	‌Western media dominance in global news
‌Epistemic Injustice	‌When someone is unfairly treated as a knower based on identity	‌Ignoring indigenous knowledge in policy

Teacher Tip: Keep definitions short and clear. Reinforce with a visual or headline.

Activity: Think–Pair–Share (15 mins)  

Prompt: “What’s one belief I have about politics? Is it knowledge?”

Steps:

1. Think (2 mins): Each student writes one belief they hold about politics.

2. Pair (4 mins): Partners up and explain why they believe it.

3. Share (8 mins): Volunteers share theirs on the board or through Mentimeter.

Teacher Guidance:

Encourage students to ask each other:

• What evidence supports this?

• Where did this belief come from?

• Would someone from another country agree?

Exit Ticket: Belief vs. Knowledge (10 mins)  

Each student writes:

• One sentence that expresses a political belief they hold

• One sentence that expresses something they consider political knowledge

Sample Student Output:

• Belief: “I believe democracy is the fairest form of government.”

• Knowledge: “In 2022, India conducted the largest democratic election in history.”

You can collect these as physical tickets or Google Form entries.

Homework / Journal Prompt  

Reflect on this: “How does my cultural background influence what I accept as political knowledge?”
Write 100–150 words in your TOK journal. Students can illustrate with a memory, debate, or news story from their own country.

TOK Political Vocabulary Toolkit for Teachers  

Theme: Knowledge and Politics
Class: Week 13 – Class 1
Purpose: Help teachers introduce key TOK political terms clearly and confidently and encourage students to create their own political news or social media examples using the vocabulary.

 Term 1: Ideology   

• Definition: A set of beliefs and values that shape how a person or group sees the world and makes decisions

• In TOK terms: Ideology shapes what is accepted as knowledge in politics

• Example: Capitalism, Socialism, Nationalism, Feminism

• Discussion prompt: Can two people with different ideologies see the same event as completely different?

Term 2: Censorship   

• Definition: When authorities control or block information from being shared

• In TOK terms: Censorship affects access to and construction of knowledge

• Example: Banning books, internet restrictions in authoritarian regimes

• Discussion prompt: Is censorship ever justified? Can it protect knowledge?

 Term 3: Propaganda   

• Definition: Information that is biased or misleading, used to influence people’s opinions

• In TOK terms: Propaganda shapes and distorts what is accepted as political knowledge

• Example: Wartime posters, political campaign ads that only show one side

• Discussion prompt: How can we tell the difference between information and propaganda?

 Term 4: Hegemony   

• Definition: Dominance of one group over others, especially in culture, politics, or ideas

• In TOK terms: Hegemony influences which knowledge is mainstream or silenced

• Example: Western media dominance in global news narratives

• Discussion prompt: Whose voices are missing in global political conversations?

 Term 5: Epistemic Injustice   

• Definition: When someone is unfairly treated as a knower, or not taken seriously because of who they are

• In TOK terms: Political knowledge can be accepted or dismissed based on identity

• Example: Ignoring indigenous knowledge in climate policy discussions

• Discussion prompt: Who is heard and who is ignored when political decisions are made?

  Knowledge Questions to Anchor the Class  

 1. What counts as political knowledge?   

Political knowledge refers to information or understanding about political systems, power structures, policies, ideologies, civic processes, and actors that is justified and backed by evidence rather than merely held as opinion or belief. It includes facts (e.g., how laws are made), theories (e.g., liberalism or socialism), and interpretations of political behavior (e.g., voting trends or protest movements).

However, what counts as political knowledge is often contested — shaped by ideology, media narratives, and institutional power. For example, state-published statistics might be considered official knowledge, yet NGOs or whistleblowers might challenge their validity with alternative data. The context in which knowledge is produced and who controls it greatly influences what is accepted as valid.

Ultimately, political knowledge is not just about what we know but how we justify it — through reliable sources, logical coherence, and awareness of bias or manipulation.

2. How can we differentiate knowledge from belief in public discourse?   

In public discourse, knowledge is distinguished from belief by the presence of justification, critical scrutiny, and evidence. Beliefs are personal convictions or assumptions that may not be supported by facts, whereas knowledge requires support from credible sources, logical reasoning, and often a degree of consensus within informed communities.

For example:

• Belief: “My country is the best in the world.” — ‌This is a subjective claim based on personal values and national identity. It lacks specific criteria for evaluation and comparative evidence.

• Knowledge: “According to the UN Human Development Index, my country ranks in the top five globally for education and healthcare.” — ‌This claim references a specific source, uses measurable criteria, and provides comparative context that can be verified.

The challenge in political contexts is that beliefs are often presented as knowledge — especially through emotionally charged rhetoric or propaganda. Tools like fact-checking, diverse sourcing, and recognizing logical fallacies help us separate unexamined beliefs from substantiated knowledge.

Also, epistemic humility plays a role: acknowledging the provisional nature of what we “know” allows for open-minded discourse rather than ideological entrenchment.

 3. Who decides what political knowledge is valid or censored?   

What counts as valid political knowledge — and what gets censored — is often decided by those who hold power over knowledge production and dissemination: governments, media conglomerates, educational institutions, and increasingly, tech platforms.

In democratic societies, this decision-making is ideally distributed: peer-reviewed research, independent journalism, open data access, and legal frameworks (e.g., freedom of information laws) contribute to a pluralistic system of validation.

In contrast, in authoritarian regimes or ideologically biased contexts, political knowledge is controlled top-down. Governments may suppress dissenting voices, manipulate facts, or enforce narratives through state-run media. Even in democracies, commercial media ownership and algorithmic biases on social media can shape what political knowledge reaches the public — and what doesn’t.

Censorship often reflects ideological priorities. For instance, banning books, restricting protest footage, or deplatforming political activists may serve to maintain a dominant narrative or protect the status quo.

Thus, while knowledge should be validated through reason and evidence, in practice, its legitimacy is deeply tied to structures of power, access, and control.

Cross-Curricular Connections: Knowledge and Politics   

‌1. Global Polictics — Ideology and Knowledge Construction

Connection Focus: Understanding ideologies like liberalism, conservatism, anarchism

‌Ideologies act as cognitive lenses through which we interpret political information. A liberal may interpret social welfare data as a sign of progressive success, while a conservative may see the same data as evidence of economic dependency. These interpretations aren’t just different opinions—they reflect how ideology shapes what we accept as valid knowledge.

In Global Politics, students explore how political ideologies shape governance, policy-making, civil liberties, and international relations. In TOK, we go a level deeper — we ask how ideologies shape what counts as knowledge in politics.

• TOK Insight: Ideologies act as cognitive lenses. A liberal may interpret social welfare data as a sign of progressive success, while a conservative may see the same data as evidence of economic dependency.

• Real-Life Example: Climate policy debates – one side may frame climate change as scientifically proven fact demanding regulation, while another may question the legitimacy of the data based on economic ideology.

• TOK Question: To what extent does our political ideology affect how we assess the credibility of knowledge?

In Global Politics, students study systems. In TOK, they question the epistemology behind those systems — how do we know a system works or fails?

2. Language and Literature   

Connection Focus: How Language Manipulates Political Narratives

Language doesn’t just describe political realities — it creates them. Through selective vocabulary, metaphor, tone, and repetition, language becomes a powerful tool to shape what is believed, accepted, and acted upon politically.

• TOK Insight: Political knowledge is rarely neutral. The language used in political speeches, manifestos, media headlines, or social media hashtags frames events and influences public knowledge.

• Real-Life Example:

• • Word Choice: “Freedom fighters” vs. “terrorists”

  • ‌Euphemism:  “Enhanced interrogation” vs. “torture”

  • ‌Framing: ‌“Tax relief” vs. “tax cuts”

  • ‌Narrative: ‌“Economic opportunity” vs. “wealth inequality”

    These aren’t just word choices — they determine moral perception and legal justification.

    Literary Link: Orwell’s 1984 — the concept of Newspeak — is a fictional but chilling reflection of how language can constrict thought and knowledge.

In Language and Literature, students analyze how texts construct meaning. In TOK, they question how that meaning constructs what counts as political knowledge.

 3. History  ‌and Political Truth

Connection Focus: Whose version of the past becomes political truth?

In History, students study evidence and narratives of the past. In TOK, they explore how and why certain versions of history are legitimized over others, especially in service of political ideologies.

• TOK Insight: Historical knowledge is often selectively curated to support national identity, justify war, or suppress dissent.

• Real-Life Example:

• • The partition of India is told differently in Indian, Pakistani, and British textbooks.

  • The Holocaust is a historical fact, yet denial still exists in politically motivated spaces.

‌These differences aren’t just academic—they shape national identities, international relations, and domestic politics.

Concepts: Hegemony, collective memory, historical revisionism

⇒ Competing Narratives: ‌Historical events are interpreted differently across national boundaries, with each version supporting different political agendas.

⇒ ‌Selective Memory: ‌Nations choose which aspects of history to commemorate and which to downplay, creating curated versions of the past.

⇒‌ Evolving Interpretations: ‌As political contexts change, historical narratives are revised, revealing the contingent nature of historical “truth.”

‌Here are two carefully selected TED Talks for Week 13 – Class 1: Introduction to Knowledge and Politics, each offering a unique lens on how political knowledge is constructed, manipulated, or questioned. These are ideal for sparking student reflection on the difference between belief and knowledge in political contexts.

TED Talk 1:

‌Title: The Political Power of Being a Good Neighbor Speaker: Michael Tubbs (Former Mayor of Stockton, California)

‌‌Duration: 13 mins

Tubbs challenges dominant political narratives about poverty, race, and responsibility by drawing on his personal experience as a Black mayor. He asks the audience to reconsider what they believe about government, leadership, and community. It encourages students to question: Is what I believe about politics shaped by evidence, or by the stories I’ve inherited?

‌Suggested classroom question: “Does political knowledge require personal experience or just facts?”

‌TED Talk 2:

‌Title: The Most Powerful Yet Forgotten Part of Democracy Speaker: Eric Liu

 

Duration: 15 mins
Liu explores civic power and how people come to believe they have—or lack—political influence. His talk lays the groundwork for understanding that what we “know” politically is often a product of education, exposure, and belief systems passed down by institutions.

‌

 

Suggested classroom question: “How do civic systems teach us what counts as political truth?”

In History, students assess sources. In TOK, they interrogate how the choice of sources itself reflects power, ideology, and political agendas.