Island School Global Politics
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  • IBDP Global Politics
    • Pre-IB Course >
      • 1. What is global politics?
      • 2. How is the course assessed?
      • 3. How can we analyse global politics?
      • 4. What political issues do I care about?
      • 5-7. Case Study: What does COVID-19 reveal about global politics?
      • 8. How can I prepare for studying global politics?
    • Unit 1: Power, Sovereignty and International Relations >
      • 1. What is the nature of power? >
        • 1. What is power?
        • 2. How does realism define power?
        • 3. How does liberalism define power?
        • 4. How do critical theories define power?
        • 5. Assessment: Which theory best explains power?
      • 2. How has state power evolved? >
        • 1. How did the nation state emerge?
        • 2. What is sovereignty?
        • 3. How is state sovereignty challenged today?
        • 4. What is the 'social contract'?
        • 5. What gives state power its legitimacy?
        • 6. Assessment: What type of states are more legitimate?
      • 3. Can other groups influence the power of the state? >
        • 1. How much power do IGOs have over states?
        • 2. Are NGOs insignificant global actors?
        • 3. How effective are social movements?
        • 4. How do resistance movements operate?
        • 5. Are political parties legitimate actors?
        • 6. Do informal forums undermine democracy?
        • 7. Assessment: How effective are other groups?
      • 4. Can global interactions improve the world? >
        • 1. Does global governance work?
        • 2. What role do treaties play?
        • 3. Does collective security work?
        • 4. Do alliances reduce or increase tensions?
        • 5. Does economic cooperation lead to interdependence?
        • 6. Is informal cooperation more effective?
        • 7. What drives modern conflicts?
        • 8. Is terrorism a reaction to globalisation?
        • 9. Can domestic conflicts influence global politics?
        • 10: Assessment: Can global interactions improve the world?
      • Unit 1: Exam Questions
    • Unit 2: Human Rights >
      • 1. How have Human Rights evolved? >
        • 1. What are human rights?
        • 2. How significant is the UDHR?
        • 3. How have human rights developed?
        • 4. Assessment: Are human rights a Western construct?
      • 2. Who or what protects our Human Rights? >
        • 1. How do states enforce human rights?
        • 2. Is international monitoring effective?
        • 3. Who enforces humanitarian law?
        • 4. How can civil society help monitor human rights?
        • 5. Assessment: Who should be responsible for human rights?
      • 3. How do Human Rights operate in practice? >
        • 1. Who makes claims on human rights?
        • 2. How are human rights contested locally?
        • 3. How are human rights contested nationally?
        • 4. How are human rights contested globally?
        • 5. Assessment: Does current human rights practice ensure equality?
      • 4. Why are Human Rights so contested? >
        • 1. Are collective rights more important?
        • 2. Are human rights universal?
        • 3. Are human rights too politicised?
        • 4. Assessment: How should we view human rights?
      • Unit 2: Exam Questions
    • Unit 3: Development >
      • 1. Why is development contested?
      • 2. How can development be helped or hindered?
      • 3. Can globalisation help increase development?
      • 4. Can development be made more sustainable?
    • Unit 4: Peace and Conflict >
      • 1. Is the use of violence ever justified? >
        • 1. What is peace, conflict and violence?
        • 2. What forms can conflict take?
        • 3. Is it right to ever go to war?
        • 4. Assessment: On what grounds can violence be justified?
      • 2. What causes conflicts to develop?
      • 3. How do conflicts evolve over time?
      • 4. Can peace be achieved by managing conflicts?
      • Unit 4: Exam Questions
    • HL Extension: Global Political Challenges >
      • Topic 1: Environment
      • Topic 2: Poverty
      • Topic 3: Health
      • Topic 4: Identity
      • Topic 5: Borders
      • Topic 6: Security
    • EA: Engagement Activity
    • EE: Extended Essay in Global Politics
    • News Blog
    • Research Links
  • More

1. What is global politics?

Activity 1 - Why study global politics?


Activity Tasks
  1. Think/Pair/Share - Why did you choose to study global politics? Make a list of reasons, discuss with a partner, then share with the class!
  2. Examine - According to the IB, there are four key reasons for studying global politics. Examine each reason and try to explain it to your partner in your own words:
    1. to understand key political concepts and contemporary political issues in a range of contexts
    2. to develop an understanding of the local, national, international and global dimensions of political activity
    3. to understand, appreciate and critically engage with a variety of perspectives and approaches in global politics
    4. to appreciate the complex and interconnected nature of many political issues, and develop the capacity to interpret competing and contestable claims regarding those issues
  3. Explore - One of the best reasons for studying global politics is that if you want to change the world, then you need to understand how it works. Studying global politics can teach you that. But are there other reasons? Explore this webpage, this more serious page, and some of the videos on this page. What are the best and worst reasons for studying global politics?

Activity 2 - How is the course structured?


Activity Tasks
  1. Create - Create a new Google Drive folder for ‘Global Politics’. Start organising all your notes and collecting all your work and resources in this folder.
  2. Examine - Explore the details of the global politics course on Slides 6 of the Lesson Presentation and download a copy of the course glossary. Save it to your Google Drive folder. 
  3. Discuss - In your opinion, how similar or different is the global politics course to other subjects you may have studied?
  4. Review - Examine, take notes, and review the information from Slides 7-11 of the Lesson Presentation, and try to answer these questions:
    1. How is the SL course different to the HL course?
    2. How is Paper 1 different to Paper 2?
    3. What extra work do HL students have to do?
    4. Do either SL and/or HL students have to do the coursework?
    5. Of the three textbooks, which is the core book? which is best for revision? which is for further reading?
    6. What is the support website for this course?
    7. Which page can be used for additional research links?
    8. What is the best way to gain more knowledge of global politics?

Activity 3 - What are political issues?


Activity Tasks
  1. Read - Examine this article that discuss and defines political issues, and try to answer the following questions:
    1. What do we mean by the term ‘politics’?
    2. What is ‘the state’?
    3. What is the goal of the state and what role does politics play in that?
    4. What has caused our understanding of ‘political issues’ to change?
    5. What other political actors now operate in the world alongside ‘the state’?
    6. In what ways are political issues a part of our daily lives?
    7. At what levels of analysis do political issues operate?
  2. Discuss - In your own words, define what a political issue is and share with a partner. Can you think of any examples of political issues currently going on: globally? in Asia? in China? in Hong Kong? - Then watch the videos - how do the issues compare?
  3. Locate - Now spend 20 minutes walking around school. Your aim is to identify as many political issues as possible. Take a picture of each political issue you find and share it on this class Padlet.

Activity 4 - What are key concepts?


Activity Tasks
  1. Prepare - For this activity you will need to refer to your glossary documents to explore the definitions of the sixteen key concepts of the global politics course.
  2. Identify - You will now be shown a series of images. Each one will represent one of the 16 Key Concepts of the course. Using your Glossary, try to guess what the concept is and be prepared to explain why you think that!

Further Reading


obligatory reading
  1. Kirsch, M. (2017). Oxford IB Diploma Programme: Global Politics Course Companion, pp. 1-12
recommended reading
  1. Why We Do - After All - Care about Politics. The Book of Life. (2020). Retrieved 25 May 2020, from https://www.theschooloflife.com/thebookoflife/why-we-do-after-all-care-about-politics/
supplementary reading
  1. Heywood, A. (2011), Global Politics, pp. 1-21

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next lesson - how is the course assessed?

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Research Links
  • Home
  • Explorations
  • MUN
    • ISMUN Blog
  • IBDP Global Politics
    • Pre-IB Course >
      • 1. What is global politics?
      • 2. How is the course assessed?
      • 3. How can we analyse global politics?
      • 4. What political issues do I care about?
      • 5-7. Case Study: What does COVID-19 reveal about global politics?
      • 8. How can I prepare for studying global politics?
    • Unit 1: Power, Sovereignty and International Relations >
      • 1. What is the nature of power? >
        • 1. What is power?
        • 2. How does realism define power?
        • 3. How does liberalism define power?
        • 4. How do critical theories define power?
        • 5. Assessment: Which theory best explains power?
      • 2. How has state power evolved? >
        • 1. How did the nation state emerge?
        • 2. What is sovereignty?
        • 3. How is state sovereignty challenged today?
        • 4. What is the 'social contract'?
        • 5. What gives state power its legitimacy?
        • 6. Assessment: What type of states are more legitimate?
      • 3. Can other groups influence the power of the state? >
        • 1. How much power do IGOs have over states?
        • 2. Are NGOs insignificant global actors?
        • 3. How effective are social movements?
        • 4. How do resistance movements operate?
        • 5. Are political parties legitimate actors?
        • 6. Do informal forums undermine democracy?
        • 7. Assessment: How effective are other groups?
      • 4. Can global interactions improve the world? >
        • 1. Does global governance work?
        • 2. What role do treaties play?
        • 3. Does collective security work?
        • 4. Do alliances reduce or increase tensions?
        • 5. Does economic cooperation lead to interdependence?
        • 6. Is informal cooperation more effective?
        • 7. What drives modern conflicts?
        • 8. Is terrorism a reaction to globalisation?
        • 9. Can domestic conflicts influence global politics?
        • 10: Assessment: Can global interactions improve the world?
      • Unit 1: Exam Questions
    • Unit 2: Human Rights >
      • 1. How have Human Rights evolved? >
        • 1. What are human rights?
        • 2. How significant is the UDHR?
        • 3. How have human rights developed?
        • 4. Assessment: Are human rights a Western construct?
      • 2. Who or what protects our Human Rights? >
        • 1. How do states enforce human rights?
        • 2. Is international monitoring effective?
        • 3. Who enforces humanitarian law?
        • 4. How can civil society help monitor human rights?
        • 5. Assessment: Who should be responsible for human rights?
      • 3. How do Human Rights operate in practice? >
        • 1. Who makes claims on human rights?
        • 2. How are human rights contested locally?
        • 3. How are human rights contested nationally?
        • 4. How are human rights contested globally?
        • 5. Assessment: Does current human rights practice ensure equality?
      • 4. Why are Human Rights so contested? >
        • 1. Are collective rights more important?
        • 2. Are human rights universal?
        • 3. Are human rights too politicised?
        • 4. Assessment: How should we view human rights?
      • Unit 2: Exam Questions
    • Unit 3: Development >
      • 1. Why is development contested?
      • 2. How can development be helped or hindered?
      • 3. Can globalisation help increase development?
      • 4. Can development be made more sustainable?
    • Unit 4: Peace and Conflict >
      • 1. Is the use of violence ever justified? >
        • 1. What is peace, conflict and violence?
        • 2. What forms can conflict take?
        • 3. Is it right to ever go to war?
        • 4. Assessment: On what grounds can violence be justified?
      • 2. What causes conflicts to develop?
      • 3. How do conflicts evolve over time?
      • 4. Can peace be achieved by managing conflicts?
      • Unit 4: Exam Questions
    • HL Extension: Global Political Challenges >
      • Topic 1: Environment
      • Topic 2: Poverty
      • Topic 3: Health
      • Topic 4: Identity
      • Topic 5: Borders
      • Topic 6: Security
    • EA: Engagement Activity
    • EE: Extended Essay in Global Politics
    • News Blog
    • Research Links
  • More