Political Issues

1. What is politics?

2. How is politics different than global politics?

3. Why are we studying global politics and not international relations (only)?

To understand what is meant by the term "political issue" and to identify examples of political issues.

• What do you think qualifies as a "political issue"?

• Think back on the worldview reflection we completed . Why do you think the issues you chose would qualify as a political issue? If you don't think they would qualify as a political issue, how might you look at them so they would be political issues?

1. Read the IB's definition of "Political Issues" and try to explain, in your own words what a political issue is. Do the issues you identified fall under the IB's definition of a political issue? 

2. Identifying political issues will play a key part in our course as well as both of the internal assessments. Your IAs require you to identify a political issue and complete extensive research regarding that political issue so it is important that you are able to understand what is meant by the term.

3. With reference to this article "The Immigrant Problem" what political issues can you identify?

Identifying Political Issues Activity: 

You were asked to bring two global politics issues to this lesson, in what ways would your two issues be defined as global political issues by the IB? 

Consider particularly the following about political issues: 

• Note that a political issue (or PI) is a question. 

• This question "deals with how power is distributed and how it operates" within society. 

• PIs are also questions about "how people think about, and engage in, [power] matters...that affect their lives [or the lives of others in our community or in other parts of the world]." 

• Finally, political issues affect how, and the extent to which, people participate in creating and/or resisting change.

Present the political issues you identified during our walk and explain why/how they meet the definition of a political issue.

Complete the Globalization Reading by Richard Haass