What is Global Politics?
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Global politics is an exciting new addition to the individuals and societies subject group of the Diploma Programme (DP).
The course explores fundamental political concepts, such as power, equality, sustainability and peace, in a range of contexts and through a variety of approaches. It allows students to develop an understanding of the local, national, international and global dimensions of political activity, as well as allowing them the opportunity to explore political issues affecting their own lives. |
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What do you learn?
Core Units - All standard level and higher level students complete a common core entitled “people, power and politics”. This consists of four core units which will be assessed by two exam papers:
- Unit 1: Power, Sovereignty, and International Relations - Nature of power, operation of state power in global politics, function and impact of international organisations and non-state actors in global politics.
- Unit 2: Human Rights - Nature and evolution of human rights; Codification, protection and monitoring of human rights; Debates surrounding development, challenges of globalisation, inequality and sustainability.
- Unit 3: Development - Contested meanings of development; Factors that may promote or inhibit development; Pathways towards development; Debates surrounding development, challenges of globalisation, inequality and sustainability.
- Unit 4: Peace and Conflict - Contested meanings of peace, conflict and violence; causes and parties to conflict; Evolution of conflict; Conflict resolution and post-conflict transformation.
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Engagement Activity:
Students undertake an engagement activity, such as interviewing policymakers on a development theme, participating in a simulation game or organizing an awareness-raising campaign on human rights. Students should choose to investigate a local manifestation of a global issue. What ever the engagement, the focus is on experiential learning. Students should plan and carry out activities which they are generally interest in and which lead to them learning about political issues from direct experience. In their assessed 2,000 word written report, they examine a political issue they learned about through the activity, their study of global politics and further reading. |
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HL Extension:
Global Political Challenges Higher level students also examine two contemporary global political challenges through self-selected case studies. Two challenges must be studied from the six options below. Students will submit for external assessment a video-recorded oral presentation where they discuss a political issue embedded in each of their case studies. |
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How do you learn?
Key Concepts - All units are focused on exploring and developing understanding of sixteen key concepts:
Power |
Sovereignty |
Legitimacy |
Interdependence |
Human Rights |
Justice |
Liberty |
Equality |
Development |
Globalisation |
Inequality |
Sustainability |
Peace |
Conflict |
Violence |
Non-violence |
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Levels of Analysis - Key political concepts and issues are examined at various levels of analysis:
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Individual & Group Perspectives - Students also learn to explore differing views on political concepts and issues:
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What do you experience?
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How are you assessed?
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Standard Level (SL)
Paper 1 - This exam is a stimulus (source)-based paper on a topic from one of the four core units. There will be four compulsory short-answer questions. Paper 2 - This exam is an extended response paper on the four core units. Students must write two essays from a choice of eight, each selected from a different core unit. Engagement Activity - A written report (2,000 word max) on a political issue explored through engagement and research. |
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Higher Level (HL)
Paper 1 - This exam is a stimulus (source)-based paper on a topic from one of the four core units. There will be four compulsory short-answer questions. Paper 2 - This exam is an extended response paper on the four core units. Students must write three essays from a choice of eight, each selected from a different core unit. Engagement Activity - A written report (2,000 word max) on a political issue explored through engagement and research. HL Extension: Global Political Challenges - Two video recorded oral presentations (10 minutes max each) of two case studies chosen from two different HL extension topics. |