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.

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.

What is the HL Extension?

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:

Individual & Group Perspectives - Students also learn to explore differing views on political concepts and issues:

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%

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%

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.