GLOBAL POLITICS - STANDARD LEVEL

GLOBAL POLITICS - STANDARD LEVEL

Aims: The Diploma Programme global politics course aims to engage students with key political concepts and contemporary political issues in a variety of contexts and through a variety of approaches. The world around us has evolved in unimaginable ways and academic scholarship provides us with the tools to grapple with the myriad of ways in which politics are part of our everyday lives. Consequently, the central unifying theme of the Diploma Programme global politics course is “people, power and politics” and the course aims to provide an understanding of how these themes interact over a variety of political issues. Furthermore, the course will deal with these issues at global, international, regional, national, local and community level. Through teaching and learning in the subject, students develop a holistic and nuanced understanding of global politics and acquire the skills needed to analyse, evaluate and act on political issues they encounter inside and outside of the classroom.

Course Description:

The course is designed to be conceptual and active, so that you will learn the key ideas behind global politics, and then use this to engage with political issues of today. It couldn't be more relevant! There are two written external exams. The first is a stimulus-based paper based on one of the four core units. This will be made up of four short answer questions (30%).

The second paper requires two essays to be written – each on a different core unit (45%). There is one internal assessment. The engagement activity is a chance to choose your own topic and actively get engaged with a political issue. It can be on any political issue that is relevant and you are interested in. It culminates in a 2000 word written report (25%).

The topics that will be covered are: Core Units

1. The foundational unit: Power, sovereignty and international relations 2. Human Rights Unit 3. Developmental Unit 4. Peace and Conflict Unit

And...

5. Engagement Activity

Requirements: Above all, you need to have an interest in the world around you and what makes it tick. You should be the sort of person who see stories in the news and wonders what has brought it about and how it could be dealt with for the best outcome. You want to know how to ascertain how to differentiate between fake news and what the real pressing issues are. You want to know what the unavoidable structures are that dictate the relationships around us –whether at our community or right up to global level. You should want to explore some issues of your own choosing, but in a professional and effective way.

Career Path:

International relations and politics is experiencing a growth in interest and as a result a growth in related careers. It has traditionally lent itself well to careers directly involving politics such as elected representatives, political advisors, civil servants, members of international organizations, diplomatic service, foreign affairs, working with pressure groups and voluntary NGOs, media, journalism, human rights activism, international relations, education and research.