Knowledge and Inquiry (H2)

Knowledge and Inquiry (KI) is an elective H2 subject offered at Junior Colleges (JC) in Singapore. It delves into the nature of knowledge and its construction across various areas of knowledge (AOKs). The subject encourages students to critically evaluate what constitutes knowledge within different disciplines.

Curriculum

The KI curriculum explores epistemology, the study of knowledge. It examines how knowledge is constructed and validated in areas such as mathematics, science, social sciences, history, ethics, and aesthetics. The syllabus emphasizes learner-centeredness, negotiated learning, and spiral progression.

Key questions explored in the curriculum include:

• Why ask questions?
• What is knowledge?
• How is knowledge constructed?
• What makes knowledge valid?
• How is knowledge affected by society?
• How should knowledge be used?

Assessment

The assessment for KI (H2) comprises three papers.

• Paper 1: Essay (30% weighting, 3 hours)
• Section A: One essay question (out of two) on general theoretical aspects of the AOKs.
• Section B: One essay question (out of four) on specific applications of the AOKs.
• Paper 2: Critical Thinking (30% weighting, 2 hours)
• Section A: One compulsory question based on an unseen passage related to the nature and construction of knowledge.
• Section B: Two critical analysis questions (out of three) from different AOKs, evaluating presented arguments.
• Paper 3: Independent Study (40% weighting, 6 months)
• In-depth research paper (2500-3000 words) on a chosen topic related to the nature and construction of knowledge. Requires proposal submission and approval.

Detailed assessment objectives and band descriptors for each paper are available in the syllabus document.