IB | Global Politics (SL) (HL) – Leighton Park

Block 3: Global Politics

Head of Department: Richard Duckett

[email protected]

IB Global Politics can be studied at Higher Level and at Standard Level.
Global Politics looks at contemporary issues facing the world and how core concepts such as power, sovereignty, and legitimacy are discussed and acted upon by actors on the international stage.  These actors include institutions such as the UN and NATO as well as individual countries.

Course Description

The course aims to equip students to:

• explore and evaluate power in contemporary Global Politics
• examine how state and non-state actors operate and interact within political systems
• investigate and analyse contemporary political issues and challenges from multiple perspectives
• develop a lifelong commitment to active global citizenship through collaboration and agency

Will this course suit me?

Global Politics is a course for students who want to understand more about how the world they live in works, what makes it change, or what prevents it from changing. The course draws on a variety of disciplinary traditions in the study of politics and international relations, and more broadly in the social sciences and humanities. Students build their knowledge and understanding by critically engaging with contemporary political issues and challenges that interest them. The scope of Global Politics extends over a wide range of topics and areas of study, many of which will find links with other subjects in the individuals and societies group. Students develop their understanding of political concepts and their knowledge of specific content by exploring and researching real-world case studies and examples. Developing an understanding of power is critical for analysing how political systems work and how they change. Global Politics students encounter the complexity and nuances of power from the beginning of the course. They build their understanding of how power works across multiple and interconnected dimensions, affecting the everyday lives of people around the world.

Skills gained on this course

Developing students’ awareness of multiple partial perspectives and approaches—including their own—is at the heart of the Global Politics course. The course encourages dialogue, discussion and debate. Nurturing students’ capacity to listen to themselves and others is important:

• to understand divergent opinions
• to interpret competing and contestable claims
• to appreciate that political beliefs and positions can be deeply held by individuals, and that these are contextual.

By engaging in respectful and attentive dialogue, discussion and debate, it is hoped that students will progress towards forming their own viewpoints, these being both well-informed and provisional. They will be better equipped to understand the obstacles to and opportunities for political progress in the real world. They should also be better prepared to build relationships with others and to resolve conflicts they may encounter in a peaceful way.

Assessment

Engagement Project:

This focuses on an analysis of power and agency.  At HL, students do additional research to propose a solution.  There will be some kind of engagement with the project beyond the classroom, for example meeting a local councillor or attending a court hearing.

• Paper 1 is a source-based exam that examines the core topics of understanding power and global politics.
• Paper 2 is an essay paper based on content from the thematic studies of Rights & Justice, Development & Sustainability, Peace & Conflict.
• Paper 3 (HL only) is a stimulus-based exam that focuses on global political challenges on topics such as Security, Health, Poverty and Environment.