Course Content 

Examine a diverse range of texts, from classic prose, poetry, and drama to contemporary non-literary media. Explore how communication works across different formats, investigating the very nature of language and how it shapes identity, culture, and society. The course takes an interdisciplinary approach, drawing on literary theory, sociolinguistics, media studies, and critical discourse analysis. You will also learn how to seamlessly integrate secondary research and critical perspectives into your own academic discussions.

Core Objectives 

• Critically analyse a wide variety of literary and non-literary texts.
• Identify and evaluate the specific techniques writers and creators use to construct meaning and address global issues.
• Apply interdisciplinary frameworks—including sociolinguistics and media studies—to deepen your textual analysis.
• Master advanced writing skills, crafting precise, compelling, and high-level responses for examinations and beyond.

Course structure

Core Concepts & Areas of Exploration

• Foundations of Meaning: Analysis of communication strategies, literary devices, and authorial methods used to construct meaning across diverse contexts.
• Global Issues: Exploration of global issues and their development across a wide range of literary and non-literary texts.
• Cultural Perspectives: Examination of how various texts and media reflect, shape, and challenge cultural identities, perspectives, and individual beliefs.
• Intertextuality: Exploration of connections across texts through literary, stylistic, rhetorical, visual, and performative craft.

Textual Analysis (Literary & Non-Literary)

• Language and Form Analysis in Literary Texts: Deconstruction of language, form, and structure in set literary texts to evaluate authorial choices and thematic depth.
• Language and Form Analysis in Non-Literary Texts: Evaluation of formal, stylistic, and visual choices in mass media, advertising, and promotional texts.
• Language and Form Analysis in ‘Unseen’ Texts: Critical examination of a diverse range of unseen literary and non-literary texts to decode language, form, and structural effects.

IB Assessments & Theory of Knowledge (TOK)

• Comparative Essays (Paper 2): Side-by-side comparative analysis of studied literary works.
• Individual Oral (IO): Synthesis of extracts from a literary and a non-literary text to explore the presentation of a specific global issue.
• Theory of Knowledge (TOK): Integration of TOK concepts to critically evaluate how knowledge is constructed, communicated, and interpreted within texts and media.