For the past six weeks, we have been focusing on an Interdisciplinary Unit,

revolving around the interpretation and understanding of peace and conflict. An

Interdisciplinary Unit is an MYP4 unit, which is designed for you to use all the
knowledge and understanding that you have obtained in different subjects in
your present and past years. A knowledge, which has developed and become
more and more defined over time. It is a very challenging project, for which you
have to put all your effort in, and for which you have to view from a unique
interdisciplinary perspective. This years Interdisciplinary Unit revolved around
the subjects English, Individuals and Societies (I&S) and the Arts, in my case,
Visual Arts. We were each required to select a conflict, either resolved or
unresolved, which we had to first suggest to our teachers, and see if they
agreed with our decision. For this conflict, we had to do a large range of tasks,
different in every one of the subjects. The main purpose of the peace and
conflict Interdisciplinary unit is to learn about how peace and conflict affects
social media, each individual and the whole world. Peace and conflict studies is
a social science field, in which violent and non-violent behaviors and the
structural mechanisms regarding an area of conflict are analyzed and observed.
These conflicts are closely studied in an attempt to understand the processes
which lead to a more desirable reality. As this is the first time MYP4 is
contributing to the upcoming Peace and Conflict Conference in January, the
school thought it to be a great idea to organize this Interdisciplinary Unit, in
order to present exhibitions of the very topic to the attenders of the conference,
exhibitions of our chosen conflicts, writing tasks, analysis, art pieces, and such,
all with the theme: peace and conflict.
A synthesis is a distribution or combination of factors or elements, so as
to form a whole, such as ideas, styles, themes, and so on. A synthesis essay is
a written work that has a unique perspective about a key idea, theme, or topic,
and then backs it up with a combination of numerous sources. This essay is
designed as a way to synthesize and link all of the themes, topics and subjects
discussed during these six weeks of the Interdisciplinary Unit. The following four
questions are thoroughly answered in this synthesis essay: What, based on what
you have learned so far, are some of the key elements that have been used to
express peace and conflict in the Arts, English and I&S? To what extent can a
work of art help instigate change in society? Mention something (a theme,
image, etc.), that you have discussed in one of your English, Arts and I&S
classes, but which made more sense in another class. How does the experience
of learning about peace and conflict in one subject help improve your learning
of peace and conflict the other subjects? My essay is written in a certain
structure: an introduction, stating what the Interdisciplinary Unit is, what the
essay is about and naming the purpose of this special unit; four paragraphs,
each containing a certain topic and answering one of the questions; and a
conclusion, giving a quick review of the essay and my personal experience in
this terms Interdisciplinary Unit.

Weve learned many new things in the subjects English, I&S and Visual
Arts during our Interdisciplinary Unit, revolving around the theme, peace and
conflict. There are a few important elements, key elements, which were
powerfully used to express this topic, such as art pieces, based on a certain
conflict, or surrounding the main idea of peace, sources, dating back to an era of
conflict, or written in the years after that, and even novels, which describe
situations so beautifully well, that they leave you hanging off an emotional cliff
above an abyss of never-ending chaos.
In the subject English, weve learned about how conflict can be exposed
and expressed through written text, as we read the novel Night by Elie Wiesel,
who was a Jew survivor of the Holocaust. This book helped us realize how the
Jews felt at that time of terror and racism, and also how we can get to know
different points of view in general, for example from two countries at war with
each other, which can be of great use when researching the conflict and its
causes. At the same time, in the subjects I&S, where we looked at sources and
their hidden meaning, as well as what the author was trying to express with it,
and Visual Arts, where we observed paintings, such as the world-famous
Guernica by Pablo Picasso and thought about the symbolism, colors used and
facial expressions, to learn about communicating our ideas on a mind map and
sketching them, as well as reading the painters thoughts and what he/she
used as a way to express them.
Another thing we did was mostly analyzing, in all three subjects
mentioned before. In English, we looked and annotated on poems and other
texts, using these bullet points to later write an analysis. Our summative task in
this subject consisted of finding a text, related or about our chosen conflict for
the Interdisciplinary Unit, and give a 10-minute long presentation, including an
analysis of the mood/tone, structure, literary devices and other such stylistic
features. In I&S we first learned about the OPVL method of analyzing sources,
which stands for Origin, Purpose, Value and Limitation, for which we had to
research about the conflict of the Holocaust, and find primary, but also
secondary sources. Later on, we had a look at the conflict in South-Africa about
Apartheid as a class case study, which was an example for our own chosen
conflict for the IDU, for which we have to have a large range of sources with an
OPVL caption on each. Last but not least, in Virtual Arts, we learned about
analyzing artworks, using a guide we got at the beginning of the year from Ms.
Niki, which explains thoroughly what topics we need to search for in an art
piece, for example we analyzed the Guernica by Pablo Picasso. We were also
encouraged and taught to use mixed media for our own artworks, and
experimented with mixed media for the beginning of term. At the end of that
first unit, our task was to design an art piece, about the topic conflict, for which
we had to use mixed media and different tones of grey, including black and
white to express a sad, hopeless, angry and deadly mood. Our main goal, and
most important key thing we learned in visual art was how to shock an audience
with your art piece and make it as striking and impacting as possible, in order to
get them to change their opinions about a conflict or other. Due to the Peace
and Conflict Conference coming up in January, and also to our Interdisciplinary
Unit, we started working on either two small boards, one involving peace and

the other conflict, or one big board, where peace and conflict are both to be
seen. I chose the second method, as my plan included peace and conflict mixing
into each other and connecting, using abstract art, which is part of the base we
learned this unit.
Lastly, another pattern we observed in these subjects was how greatly
conflict affects literature, visual art and politics, as well as how any conflict can
be expressed through words, pictures or even symbols.

Art is a form of personal expression, which confirms who we are and who we
can be. It is the creativity of mind, a very unique quality of humankind, which
brings us humans all together. Art uses visual shapes, colors, facial expressions,
symbols, lines and so on, to create meaning, as well as writing, which are small,
but meaningful shapes, that are designed to codify meaning. These all require
imagination, as all disciplines need creativity of mind. Humans have always
constructed images, art, for many reasons, some of which are, decoration of
somewhere or something, communication of ideas, thoughts or emotions to
those around us, expression of feelings and reflections, as well as protest
against things that go against your beliefs, to raise awareness for something,
and to tell a story. Before humans even invented the written speech, they
communicated with themselves through imagery: symbols, drawings, etc.,
mostly to tell stories about the past or current situation. Art has an extremely
powerful impact on all of us, every human being; no education is necessary to
understand this particular gift, for it is a gift given to all humans, as Auguste
Rodin said in 1911, Art is the most sublime mission of man since it is the
exertion of the mind trying to understand the world and to make the world
understood.. The Guernica by Pablo Picasso is a beautiful example of
communication through imagery. It was his personal understanding and opinion
of the bombing of the city Guernica in Spain. His sadness, clouded thoughts and
angry emotions led him to create one of the most famous works of art in relation
to peace and conflict the world has ever seen, which inspired many, including
myself, and had a very powerful effect on each individual viewer.
Art is a part of social life, therefore changing itself, promotes a visible change
in society. It contributes to both a positive or negative change in society,
depending on the message contained in the art piece by the artist, because it
shows its viewers, for example what kind of things happen in the world, things
they may or may not be aware of, these things can be either horrible or
wonderful, and also helps viewers, which have had the same experience relate
to it and lets them know that they arent alone. Another way it changes society
is by helping viewers understand the situation many others were in, with:
images, words, symbolism, facial expressions, chosen colors and so on. All of
that can have a big impact on improving the situation, as even small things like
art, can lead to bigger and more important things like, for example, a revolution.
One example of art, which has moved not only children, but also adults, whole
families, is Walt Disney. This has inspired many dreams and wishes, and a thirst
to do the right thing.

Pieces of art can also be viewed in blog entries, speeches, letters,

photographs, cartoons, drawings, maps, and so on. In history for example,
speeches dating back to the Civil Rights Movement can be of great help to fully
understand past conflicts, and of course are proof that it really occurred. Martin
Luthers speech I Have a Dream for instance, had a profound impact on the
whole world, and after it was delivered, the civil rights supporters dream of
equality received sympathy from many nations around the world. The situation
of the black community only improved after that, more freedom, more equality,
more hope; until King was murdered, which sent the whole nation into an uproar.
These sources, maybe a photograph of, for example, the March on Washington
in the US in 1963, or a map of the Korean War, inform us about what is
happening around us, communicate opinions and feelings to us, and even
inspire us to stand up for what we believe in and have more faith in ourselves.
They also warn us, try to tear us down and even sometimes, despair us beyond
imaginable. All in all, they are individual, unique works of art, with a message for
humankind.
Art pieces arent just visual images, they are pieces of work, which you have
been inspired to create, that many have put their creativity and imagination
into. These can vary from paintings to novels, from novels to music, from music
to theater plays, from theater plays to dance choreographies, and so on; art is
the gift of communication. Writers, artists, singers, composers, actors/actresses,
dancers, these are creators of art, gatekeepers of the place where our wildest
fantasies, our deepest thoughts and feelings, our most terrifying fears, our
truest wishes and dreams, and our past experiences run free. Artistic
productions often carry messages, messages varying from fear, sadness,
happiness, hope, excitement, advertisement, etc., or sometimes many
emotional depths in one composition. Elie Wiesels novel Night for example,
carries the message of utmost fear and of a horrible conflict of the past. The
purpose for having written a book was to raise awareness of what really
happened, as he survived through the terrifying era of the Holocaust, and made
it through many concentration camps and other deathly traps that the devil
threw at him, but most of all, he wants to make sure that history never repeats
itself, that that moment of the past stays buried forever and beyond, that those
horrible crimes never take place again, that the humanity of a whole nation is
never again ripped away by evil. In Wiesels Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance
Speech, delivered in Oslo on December 10 th, 1986, he writes, And now the boy
is running to me. Tell me, he asks, what have you done with my future, what
have you done with your life? And I tell him that I have tried. That I have tried
to keep memory alive, that I have tried to fight those who would forget. Because
if we forget, we are guilty, we are accomplices., here he mentions that those
who forget the millions of innocent people that died under that reign of cruelty,
are equally guilty as to those who murdered them, for it is a crime to simply toss
aside such gruesome deaths and not care, let alone deaths that occurred
because of being a certain race. It would be a colossal insult to the memory of
those who passed away, and it would be an insult to humanity.

On my voyage of learning about peace and conflict, I noticed that some

topics, themes, situations or images were more understandable in one subject,
but which we first discussed in another subject. This happens, because our mind
needs to enhance all senses in order to fully comprehend the discussed topic,
for example in a fairytale book, if you read the text first, without looking at the
pictures, you will, of course, have a clear understanding of the story, but after
observing the illustrations, the fairy tale becomes even more clarified, as you
know how each character, setting and object looks like, and therefore you have
a more detailed version of the story. There were a few things, which, like the
example I mentioned, made more sense in one class than another.
One subject field in the subject I&S, which made more sense and fits more
to the discussion topics in the subjects Visual Arts and English, was the sources,
primary or secondary. The pictorial sources, which can be images, photographs
or drawings, are more related to the themes and topics discussed in the subject
Visual Arts, and written sources, such as nonfiction books about a certain
conflict, speeches, war poems, vignettes, autobiographies, and so on, are better
debated in the subject English. In my opinion these were clearer and fit into the
category in the subjects English and Visual Arts, because similar topics and
texts/images were studied closer there, as well as because in I&S we were
rather more given the facts of the situation and the reason of the source and
analyzed these with the OPVL method, than investigating the secret message
behind the source and how the author/artist expressed himself/herself, using
words/colors/symbols/mood. In English, the sources containing extracts from
novels or blogs, poems, diary entries, songs, etc. were clearer, as they were
very similar to the novel Night by Elie Wiesel, which we read and analyzed
thoroughly in English class. Sources, for example a painting, drawing, sketch,
photograph, sculpture, etc. became much clearer in Visual Arts, where we
discussed how to bring a painting to life, how to hide your message in an art
piece, how to set a specific mood or theme to your artwork, how to create an art
work feeding off of your ideas, and such topics. Therefore, discussing that type
of sources in Art opened up our mind to creativity and we could now see things
we hadnt in the subject I&S.
The interview of Oprah and Elie Wiesel in Auschwitz, years after Wiesels
survival of the death camp, we viewed in the English lesson really struck me in
the heart and it will never fully leave my memory. In my opinion, this interview
gave me a clearer understanding of the conflict we discussed in the subject I&S,
as I could then truly and completely comprehend what the Jewish people had to
face in those dark times. After watching that video, I observed the conflict
through a whole different side, through the eyes of Elie Wiesel, and could feel
the beginning of his emotions of fear, hate, despair and sadness creeping down
my back, sinking into my skin.
Another topic I understood better in Visual Arts than in I&S, was imagining
the situation, the devastation, hopelessness, sadness, While reading texts
about conflicts in I&S and researching certain situations, it was challenging to
fully imagine how badly the situation was, for human beings dont fully process
what theyre told until they see it with their own eyes. For that reason, when
printing research pictures and inspiration about my chosen conflict in the
subject Visual Arts, I could administer the situation, view it through the eyes of

the camera or artist, which then led me to assimilate a conflicts force and
power over the world.
The last, but not least, example of a topic, theme or image, discussed in a
subject, but which made more sense and impacted us more in a different
subject, is a task we were ordered to do for the subject Visual Arts, but which
was clearer in the subject I&S. The assignment was to print research photos
related to your chosen conflict for the Interdisciplinary Unit. Alas, when I started
printing photos of the events of the Civil Rights Movement, without fully
realizing what they stood for, what message they carried, what they wanted to
communicate to me; as I started researching my conflict in I&S, I realized the
desperation of the black community to gain their civil rights, and the images I
printed in Art impacted me more, and I looked at them closer and in more detail
than ever before. There is more to a conflict than meets the eye, you just have
to be willing to research it and find out.

When two classes are connected to each other in any way, an association
relation is established. An association relation is an organized group of people
who share the same interest, job, etc. and a connection or relationship
between things or people. It can be a topic shared in different classes for
example, such as this terms Interdisciplinary Unit, or any other share of
interests between two organizations or beings. The experience of learning about
peace and conflict in one subject, for example, can greatly improve your
learning of the same topic in another subject or even multiple subjects, as even
though they may talk about different topics, they have the same end goal in
mind. The subjects English, I&S and Visual Arts complement each other, with the
end goal of wholly understanding peace and conflict and finalizing everything for
the Peace and Conflict Conference in January. They form part of a system, where
no content is independent, but everything is related and connected to
everything.
In the subject Visual Arts, I have learned to communicate my ideas visually
through imagery, as well as to express myself through the colors I choose, what
symbolism I use, what facial expressions I design, what mood I want to show,
and so on, which is all based on what I learned in the subject I&S, as that was
learning about the conflict itself. We were required to then use creativity and
imagine having been in those terrifying situations. A good artist can project
his/her emotions, thoughts and mood on their art piece, is motivated and
inspired by events that occur in reality, for example by information he/she
obtains when watching the news. This means that every good artist, from Pablo
Picasso, Claude Monet, Rembrandt van Rijn, to Michelangelo Buonarroti,
Leonardo Da Vinci and Vincent Van Gogh had to have a base, on which their art
piece was based on. The base contained in my art pieces is peace and conflict,
and, to be more precise, the Civil Rights Movement, the Holocaust and
Apartheid in South Africa, which I all learned about in the subject I&S. These
conflicts influenced my art piece, as they showed me a side to conflict I had
never really paid close attention to, or observed in detail before. A side of mixed
emotions, such as losing hope, standing up for your beliefs, not giving up,

protecting your loved ones, fighting for your freedom, and so on. As our art
piece had to consist of both peace and conflict, I planned to connect them at a
certain point, as we had previously done in a mind map, as well as in English
class. This point had to stand out, to give the clear message that there is no
peace without conflict, and no conflict without peace; I used an old chain to
connect one side of my piece to the other, peace and conflict, to show that
relationship, and to prove that they are bound to each other. My peace half
consisted of an elderly black woman in thick, brown robes, who was chained to
conflict, so to speak, with the old chain I already mentioned. However, I didnt
know how to fully express my feelings for the Civil Rights Movement conflict
side, therefore I left a dark grey, very structured, side, with black marks, to
symbolize that the silence contained in that space speaks for itself; the black
marks stand for the evil in the terror and the reason I used grey tones was to
show the despair, suffering, discrimination and sadness of a whole race of
people.
In the subject English, I have learned to express myself through words and
have also read Elie Wiesels memoir Night, which is about the authors survival
and personal experience during his childhood, at the time of the Holocaust, in
which he had to endure many concentration camps, a lot of suffering, racism
and discrimination. This is, similar to Visual Arts, based on a conflict, which we
studied in the subject I&S, the Holocaust. Therefore, the experience of learning
about this specific conflict in I&S helped greatly improve my understanding of
conflict in general, especially the Holocaust, in the subject English.
All in all, the experience of learning about peace and conflict in the subject
I&S helped improve my learning of peace and conflict in the subjects English
and Visual Arts, as we learned about conflict itself (in I&S), and then focused on
specific and known conflicts, which then, after we knew the facts, helped us
understand the setting much better, as we humans put ourselves in others
shoes, so to speak, in order to fully grasp a situation. After an understanding of
the term conflict had settled into our minds, we could also comprehend peace,
because being the complete opposite of conflict, it was a warm and hopeful
feeling inside of us.

In conclusion, nearing the end of this terms Interdisciplinary Unit, I can

say that my understanding of peace and conflict has greatly expanded and
grown. Peace is the freedom from war, violence and conflict in general, a
situation in which people live and work together in harmony, without any
disagreements whatsoever. Conflict is a struggle and active disagreement
between two or more forces with opposing opinions or principles, which creates
a tension that has to be resolved, in order to obtain peace. This unit has helped
me understand that conflict can be caused very easily, for example by a
misunderstanding between two individuals or even two countries, and also that
peace has to be fought for, because in order for peace to succeed over conflict,

both individuals, communities, nations, etc. have to be willing to stop the

conflict and come to an agreement, for even if one side, so to speak, wins,
conflict will still reign in that area.
This unit has taught me how to approach a
conflict and deal with it, in order to find a resolution that will lead to peace and
unity. I have learned how the cruelty of some can greatly affect others, even
organizations, communities and whole nations. And that the best choice for all in
this world is to live happily in good will and concord.
This Interdisciplinary Unit was, in my opinion, a good way to learn about
peace and conflict, as choosing a conflict, researching it , reflecting on it and
imagining having taken part in it, leads to a better comprehension of the main
idea of conflict, and the peace that is fought for. At the beginning, I struggled to
keep up with the pace my teachers intended us to work in, but as the weeks
passed, I grew accustomed to it and with a lot of hard work, managed to finish
the tasks, which we needed to complete, for this unit.
All in all, I have learned a tremendously big deal, and am eager to and
hope to obtain more knowledge in the near future.