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

IBDP Global Politics

What is Global Politics?


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. ​

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.
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  • 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.

What is the 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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What is the HL Extension?


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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.

How do you learn in Global Politics?


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

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?


  • International Mindedness - Developing international mindedness and an awareness of multiple perspectives is at the heart of this course. It encourages critical thinking, listening, dialogue and debate, and it nurtures the capacity to interpret competing and contestable claims.
​
  • Exposure to Political Issues - Students experience the way political issues are connected across different levels of global politics. Global issues have local ramifications, and local issues are often a part of a wider societal phenomenon.
  • Relevant and Engaging - Students get to learn about and understand issues they care about. The regular movement between big ideas of global politics embodied in the key concepts, on the one hand, and the real world examples and case studies that exemplify these concepts, on the other, makes the course relevant and engaging.
​
  • Contemporary Issues - The course gives teachers and students great freedom to focus on the contemporary political issues that are most relevant in their locale.

How are you assessed?


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.
Paper 1
1h15m
25 marks
30%
Paper 2
1h45m
50 marks
45%
Engagement Activity
20 hrs / 2,000 words
20 marks
25%
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Paper 1 Exam
1h15m
25 marks
20%
Paper 2 Exam
2h45m
75 marks
40%
Engagement Activity
20 hrs / 2,000 words
20 marks
20%
HL Oral Presentations
2 x 10m
20 marks
20%
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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.

Y7-9 MYP

Y7 Humanities
Y8 Humanities
Y9 Explorations

Y10-11 IGCSE

IGCSE Global Perspectives
Global Politics & Debate
MUN

Y12-13 IBDP

Pre-IB Course
HL Extension
​EA Coursework
EE GP
News Blog
​
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