Island School Global Politics
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      • 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
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2. What is sovereignty?

Activity 1 - What is sovereignty?


Activity Tasks
  1. Identify - Review the definitions of ‘state’ and ‘sovereignty’ on Slides 2-5 of the Lesson Presentation and make a note of the four key features of a state sovereignty from the Montevideo Convention.
  2. Research - Using this worksheet, examine the four indicators of state sovereignty. Then either pick a country of your choice or one from this list. Research how your country performs in terms of its sovereignty in each of the four indicators. Is its sovereignty challenged or unchallenged in these areas?

Activity 2 - How is sovereignty debated?


Activity Tasks
  1. Construct - Using Slides 5-8 of the Lesson Presentation, make a simple table showing how realism and liberalism views the concept of sovereignty. 
  2. Debate - In pairs, discuss the following two questions:
    1. “Which is the more ‘dangerous’ theoretical position on sovereignty - Realism or Liberalism?”
    2. “Which theoretical position on state sovereignty would: a.) China; and b) European Union, take on state sovereignty?”

Activity 3 - The sources of sovereignty


Activity Tasks
  1. Examine - Examine and make notes on the four sources of sovereignty on Slides 7-9 of the Lesson Presentation.
  2. Research - Examine the table on this worksheet showing the four core sources of state sovereignty. Either pick a dispute of your choice or choose one from the following list. Research that dispute and make notes on how the four sources of sovereignty may or may not be part of the dispute. Choose between:
    1. Kosovo; Crimea/Ukraine; South China Sea; Kashmir (India and Pakistan); Israel and Palestinian Territories; or the Falkland Islands.
  3. Present - Using your research, make a short 2-3 minute presentation on how the four sources of sovereignty are disputed in your case study. 

Further Reading


OBLIGATORY READING
  1. Murphy, R. & Gleek, C. (2016). Pearson Baccalaureate: Global Politics, pp. 12-16
RECOMMENDED READING
  1. Heywood, A. (2011). Global Politics, pp. 112-118
SUPPLEMENTARY READING
  1. Jacob Stokes, T. (2019). Does China Really Respect Sovereignty?. Retrieved 15 September 2019, from www.thediplomat.com

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  • 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