Social Studies

INTEGRATED SOCIAL STUDIES 9 & 10

Integrated Social Studies 9 and 10 (ISS9 and ISS10) are the foundational social studies courses in the Upper School curriculum. This is a concept based program, designed using contemporary pedagogical paradigms.  The Integrated Social Studies program carries with it a focus on inquiry based learning, 21st Century Skills (including communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity) and taxonomic thinking scaffolding. The student is placed at the center of the exploration.

The grade 9 and 10 Social Studies program encourages students to respect and understand the world around them and equips them with the necessary investigative skills to inquire into multiple disciplines such as political science, economics, human geography, sociology and history. It encourages dynamic learners to consider local and global concepts such as identity, power, sustainability and technology.  Building transfer skills which transcend the boxed classroom model is tantamount.  This is something which both explicitly and implicitly invites an interdisciplinary lens and creates connections with multiple disciplines across the Upper School spectrum.  

Students will learn to collect, describe, analyze and evaluate data from the lens of a social scientist and learn how to interpret increasingly complex information, including original source material. The course aims to foster and nourish critical thinkers who will carry with them the foundations to be agents of change within their communities and societies.

Credits: 1 credit per year

Length of Course: 2 years

Grade level: Grade 9 & 10

Requirements: None

IB HISTORY SL OR HL (1 AND 2)

IB History is a contemporary history course focusing on the 20th Century.  It is a topics-based course focusing on war and conflict resolution as well as the Cold War.  Many of the same topics will be covered as the SL course but HL will go into more detail concerning European affairs.  It will cover the years 1871 to 1991.  One of the topics covered will be a source-based diplomatic analysis of the "Move to Global War" with two case studies, one of Japanese expansionism and the other of the development and reaction to Fascism and National Socialism.  Another major topic will be the Cold War, viewed from an international perspective, looking at crises all over the world such as the Berlin Crisis, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.  We will also look at a series of conflicts such as both World Wars, the Spanish Civil War, the Chinese Civil War, and the Second Indochina War (Vietnam War).   There is also an Historical Investigation on a topic chosen by the student during the first year. 

Standard Level

Completes Internal Historical Investigation and External Paper 1 and 2

High Level 

As part of the HL extensions, will also examine: European diplomacy from 1871 – 1918; an analysis of Germany, Italy, and Spain during the interwar years; an evaluation of the successes and failures of European diplomacy from 1919 - 1945, looking at the the development of the League of Nations, Nazi and Fascist foreign policies, appeasement, the development of the “Grand Alliance” during the Second World War, and the origins of the Cold War in Europe. 

Completes Internal Historical Investigation and External Paper 1, 2 and 3

Credits:1 per year

Length of course: 2 years

Grade level: Grade 11 and 12

Prerequisites: none

IB BUSINESS MANAGEMENT SL OR HL (YR 1 AND 2)

The IB Business Management is a rewarding course that allows you to take an inside looking into the real business world. Business management studies business functions, management processes and decision-making in contemporary contexts of strategic uncertainty. It examines how business decisions are influenced by internal and external factors. The course also explores how individuals and groups interact within an organization, how they may be successfully managed and how they can ethically optimize the use of resources sustainably. The business management course utilizes three major focuses to create the rigorous program: Content (tool, theories, techniques from within the syllabus), Case Studies and the overarching Concepts (change, creativity, sustainability and ethics), students will develop the relevant skills to ensure each focus connect with one another. Students are required to sit for the SL and HL examination in May of the second year and complete an Internal Assessment for SL and HL. The course topics are divided between the 2 years, each topic includes some content only required for HL students. 

Standard Level

The content topics include: Business organization and environment; Human resources; Accounts and finance; Marketing; and Operations management. In addition students will be required to utilise a Business Tool Kit composed of decision making tools. 

Completes a Paper 1, Paper 2 and Internal Assessment 

High Level

The content topics include: Business organization and environment; Human resources; Accounts and finance; Marketing; and Operations management. In addition students will be required to utilise a Business Tool Kit composed of decision making tools. This is similar to SL however all HL topics will have additional subunits and/ or be covered in greater depth.

Completes a Paper 1, Paper 2, Paper 3 and Internal Assessment 

Credits: 1 per year

Length of course: 2 years

Grade levels: Grades 11 and 12

Prerequisite: none 

IB ECONOMICS SL OR  HL (YR 1 AND 2) 

Economics is the study of choice that allows students to develop an understanding of the complexities and interdependence of economic activities in a rapidly changing world.

At the heart of economic theory is the problem of scarcity. While the world’s population has unlimited needs and wants, there are limited resources to satisfy these needs and wants. As a result of this scarcity, choices have to be made. IB Economics uses economic theories to examine the ways in which these choices are made at the level of producers and consumers in individual markets (microeconomics), at the level of the government and the national economy (macroeconomics) and at an international level where countries are becoming increasingly interdependent (the global economy).

The choices made by economic agents (consumers, producers and governments) generate outcomes that impact the relative well-being of individuals and societies. As a social science, economics examines these choices using models and theories. 

As economic growth and increased efficiency become prominent goals, challenges arise in terms of fair access to resources, goods and services. When exploring these significant global issues, sustainability and equity become key concepts for students to understand and analyze.  Government intervention appears throughout the course and students are expected to critically evaluate the balance between the market forces of the private sector and intervention by governments.

Given the rapidly changing world, economic activity and its outcomes are constantly in flux. Students are encouraged to research current real-world issues.. Through their own inquiry, students are able to appreciate both the values and limitations of economic models in explaining real-world economic behavior and outcomes.

By focusing on six real-world issues through the nine key concepts (scarcity, choice, efficiency, equity, economic well-being, sustainability, change, interdependence and intervention), students develop the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes that will encourage them to act responsibly as global citizens.

Standard Level

Standard Level course contains all aspects of the HL course, sans some selected applications from parts of the syllabus as well as the Paper 3 assessment (basic math applications). 

High Level

The course contains all of the above.  For the internal assessment, candidates are required to produce a portfolio of three commentaries based on published extracts from the news media using the key concepts as a lens. There are three external assessments examinations for higher level students, focusing on evaluation, data response and basic math applications respectively. 

Credit: 2 (1 per year)

Length of Course: 2 years

Grade Levels: 11 and 12

Textbook: Kognity IB Economics

Prerequisites: none 

IB Digital Societies SL OR HL (YR 1 and 2) 

In DS students will study and evaluate the impact of Information Technology (IT) on individuals and society. The class explores the advantages and disadvantages of the access and use of digitized information at the local and global levels. DS enables students to evaluate social and ethical considerations arising from the widespread use of IT by individuals, families, communities, organizations, and societies at the local and global level. Students develop an understanding of the capabilities of current and emerging IT systems and evaluate their impact on a range of stakeholders. By applying their knowledge of existing IT systems, students consider real-time scenarios and make informed judgments about the effects of IT developments on the participants. Students develop their knowledge of IT systems and practical IT skills to justify IT solutions for a specified client or end-user. No particular background or prior knowledge of DS is necessary for students to undertake this course; however, a familiarity with IT terminology, concepts, and tools would be an advantage. As this course is completely digital, students are highly encouraged to bring their own laptops to class.

Standard Level

Completes a Paper 1, Paper 2 and Internal Assessment 

High Level 

HL extension: challenges and interventions 

• 5.1 Global well-being 

• 5.2 Governance and human rights 

• 5.3 Sustainable development 

Completes a Paper 1, Paper 2, Paper 3 and Internal Assessment 

Credits: 1 per year

Length of course: 2 years

Grade levels: Grades 11 and 12

Prerequisite: none 

IB GLOBAL POLITICS HL (YR 1 AND 2) 

The DP HL global politics course explores fundamental political concepts such as power, equality, sustainability and peace in a range of contexts. It allows students to develop an understanding of the local, national, international and global dimensions of political activity and processes, as well as to explore political issues affecting their own lives. The course helps students to understand abstract political concepts by grounding them in real-world examples and case studies. It also invites comparison between such examples and case studies to ensure a wider and transnational perspective.

The study of global politics enables students to critically engage with different and new perspectives and approaches to politics in order to comprehend the challenges of the changing world and become aware of their role in it as active global citizens.

These four common core compulsory units under the central unifying theme of “people, power and politics” will require students to undertake a comprehensive engagement activity.

Standard Level

Completes Internal Engagement activity, and External Paper 1 and 2

High Level

HL Extension:  Political issues in two of the following six global political challenges are researched and presented through a case study approach.

1. Environment

2. Poverty

3. Health

4. Identity

5. Borders

6.Security

Completes Internal Engagement activity and HL extension: global political challenges;  and External Paper 1 and 2

Credits:1 per year

Length of course: 2 years

Grade level: Grade 11 and 12

Prerequisites: none

INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY

Credits: 1

Grade levels: Grades 9 through 12

Textbook: Benokraitis (2019). SOC6: Introduction to Sociology. Cengage Learning Inc. ISBN: 978-1-337-40516-4

Prerequisites: None

The Introduction to Sociology is a project-based class whose curriculum is divided into two main semesters, as described below.: 

Semester 1 - Sociology I: Identity. Culture. Examining Our Social World. Socialization.

Sociology sees identity through the lens of role-behavior. This notion will be explored as a way for the students to dig into who they are before they can delve into their role in society. We will learn about social roles through personal experience, exploring the way in which social life is organized, what social norms and expectations are, and why they vary across cultures. Cultural variation and cultural similarities will be highlighted, with a strong focus on the three principal sociological perspectives on Society: Functionalism, Conflict Theory, and Interactionism. 

In the “Examining your social world” chapter, students will engage in collecting data and research, highlighting the limits and virtues of data collection, the scientific method, and research analysis in a social science vis a vis a natural science - all with the purpose of finding a correlation between two variable of society and exploring a research question of their choosing (eg How do parenting styles impact on political inclinations?). 

Lastly, We will explore the socialization process through the study of Primary and Secondary socialization agents, the three principal theories on how we become socialized (Looking-glass, Role-taking and Impression Management)including the notion of resocialization and the impact of the media on social life. 

Semester 2 - Sociology II: Socialization. Social Interaction. Groups, Organizations and Institutions. Social Movements

Status and Role will be key concepts in understanding how society is structured and how we interact with each other, with a look into three principal social interaction theories: Dramaturgical Analysis, Social Exchange, and Ethnomethodology. Nonverbal communication and Online Interaction will round off this concept chapter. 

Students will consistently be encouraged to develop a Sociological Imagination, enabling them to make links between the goings-on of everyday life and the concepts they study in class. The class is highly interactive, and students are encouraged to step outside of their comfort zones, take risks, and participate actively in class.

Organizing Society. Deviance and Social Control. Social Change and Movements. Groups form the kernel of societal organization, which in turn inform our formal organizations. We will explore the different social institutions – family, religion, education, government and politics, economy, health/environment. Deviance and Social control will be viewed from the aforementioned three sociological perspectives. In addition, we will look at collective behavior and how social change occurs, as well as learn methods to establish plans of action for any social issue within the scope of the areas they've learned. The final project of the year is the creation of a Social Movement of students’ choice.  

The class is highly interactive, and students are encouraged to step outside of their comfort zones, take risks, and participate actively in class.