Extended Essays: 4000 Words of Punk Rock, Porn and Art Therapy
Every year, full International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma candidates lament the arrival of their looming Extended Essay (EE) deadline. With an upper limit of 4000 words, the Extended Essay is a significant part of the 150 volunteer hours, many internal assessments, and minimum 6 IB tests and studying that is standard for full IB diploma candidates. While some dread it, other students choose to make it an interesting experience, turning the 4000 word monster into an instrument of creativity.
“I’ve been a punk fan all my life and playing guitar for ten years,” said Austin Morales, senior. “(My EE topic is) just something relatable.” Morales chose to focus on the effect of the Vietnam War on the rise of the musical era of punk rock, under the IB approved topic of history.
“I think it’s a good idea to be able to research something on your own, (and) 4000 words does seem like a lot and it’s a very tedious process, (but) I think it’s sort of the creative aspect of IB I guess that one could enjoy,” said Morales.
The essay writing process involved about 22 hours over the summer, two hours a week, in addition to the hours completed throughout his junior year. Despite this intensive process, Morales feels fortunate for having chosen a topic interesting to him, and believes his experience relative to that of others was more enjoyable.
“I had a pretty good time putting this together,” Morales said.
Kristen Ho, senior, agrees that the paper is not as daunting as it initially seems.
“The purpose of the EE is to see that you can apply what you learned in class to what you’re interested in, and also to teach you to write this kind of research paper … It sounds like a lot, but if you actually manage your time it isn’t that bad,” Ho said. “I didn’t manage my time.”
For her 4,000 word essay, Ho chose to write about “if pornography is inherently harmful to women, and if so is there a legal precedent limiting access to it, or limiting types of pornography,” under the EE topic of World Studies: Politics and Human Rights. She was inspired by feminist debate on the subject, but despite her initial interest in the subject, she found that “I just didn’t realize how sad it is writing a giant research paper on sad things.” However, Ho still found that “you kind of apply what you learn and it helps you further your skills.”
While some found interest in the history of punk rock and the harm of pornography, Jessica Kahng, senior, chose to write of the effects of art therapy on anorexia nervosa. The EE was initially stressful when she began writing it, but as her research furthered and her paper lengthened in word count, Kahng found that she got more out of it.
“I chose something I liked and intrigued me, so I was able to research it and have an actual interest in what I was researching,” Kahng said.
The EE writing process isn’t always pleasant, but students have found that researching for and writing the EE can be rewarding, and even beneficial.
“It really gives you perspective and forces you to look into a subject and really thoroughly research it in a way you wouldn’t expect when going into it,” Kahng said.
