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DP1 Students: IA Engagements!
Where is your connection to course content?
Where is your connection to course content?
The primary way that you can ensure that your IA report connects to Global Politics course content is to link it to one of the course's "Learning Outcomes." Basically, each of the four units has four unique learning outcomes; these are the general areas that the unit covers. You can find these below.
Unit 1: PSIR
The nature of power
The operation of state power in global politics
Function and impact of international organizations and non-state actors in global politics
Nature and extent of interactions in global politics
Unit 2: Human Rights
Nature and evolution of human rights
Codification, protection, and monitoring of human rights
Practice of human rights
Debates surrounding human rights and their application; differing interpretations of justice, liberty, and equality
Unit 3: Development
Contested meanings of development
Factors that may promote or inhibit development
Pathways towards development
Debates surrounding development: challenges of globalization, inequality, and sustainability
Unit 4: Peace & Conflict
Contested meanings of peace, conflict, and violence
Causes and parties to conflict
Evolution of conflict
Conflict resolution and post-conflict transformation
This is what provides you with links to the course content: theories, key concepts, etc. It is possible, at times, that your IA might link to more than one of these learning outcomes (e.g., an IA on "taboo" topics and whether they can be taught in schools can be examined through the lens of "Causes and Parties to Conflict," as there is likely some form of conflict between students and education organizations promoting the topic on one side, and government bodies and other organizations that hope to keep the topic out of schools on the other side.)
Being able to establish these links is a critical component of the Analysis (Crit. C) and Synthesis (Crit. D) aspects of the course.
Keep in mind where a little secondary research can fill in the gaps!
What should my "tone" be?
What should my "tone" be?
IB cautions students against falling into one of two extremes.
Too much focus on activity
Too much focus on activity
These reports tend to be overly narrative and lack analytical depth -- they may do well on Crit. A and B but will suffer greatly in C and D. If you feel like your report is becoming too informal or more like a journal, ALERT ALERT ALERT.
Too much focus on analysis
Too much focus on analysis
While the issue may be analyzed, it may lack a focus on the activity itself and the student's own learning. Basically, if you feel like your IA report is becoming an Extended Essay, ALERT ALERT ALERT.
The best approach is a blend of those two things. Keep the following in mind: you should seek to "demonstrate how the activities you conducted helped you build an analytical understanding of your issue." This understanding is supplemented by additional research you conducted.
The TOK Dimension?
The TOK Dimension?
Whoooooooooo, everybody's favorite! But srsly u guys, TOK can help u so much here no cap. Knowledge and Politics is one of the optional themes in TOK (why it is "optional" I will never truly understand -- there is so much good stuff in there.)
Questions about Power and values (e.g., "How are school curricula shaped by the values of those in power?"), the way an issue can be viewed from different perspectives (perhaps with different actors providing those perspectives)
WORK IN PROGRESS, WILL BE EXPANDED
A Simple Structure for the Engagement Activity Report.pdfPage updated
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