DP1 Students: IA Engagements!

INTERNAL ASSESSMENT

...What is the GloPo IA/EA?

You'll see this task described as the "Engagement Activity" -- that is the form that the internal assessment takes in the Global Politics course. Whether we talk about the IA or the EA, we're talking about the same thing.

The Political Engagement Activity sees students learn about a political issue that is meaningful to them primarily through engagement, or participation, in activities related to that issue. This engagement is supplemented by secondary research from academic and journalistic sources and then synthesized into a final 2000-word report. This is easily the hardest part of the Global Politics course, but also potentially the most enjoyable. It's weird like that.

The main focus of your report will be the things you took away from your engagements: volunteer experiences, interviews, internships, Q&A sessions, setting up your own event, etc. are all possible quality engagements that you can carry out. A good report will connect your learning to the key concepts of the course and the wider context of global politics (the effectiveness of political actors, the ways that issue play out on multiple levels of global politics, etc.)

There is a cycle of research, engagement, research, and potentially re-engagement.

IB recommends that schools spend 20 hours on the EA (including class time) but reports from schools imply that it often takes more time. That time includes research, engagement, and the writing of the report.

Below, you can find pertinent information on how we'll get started with our Engagement Activities...

Choosing an Issue

To start, it's worth re-visiting how IB describes a "political issue." They say...

“In the global politics course, a political issue is any question that deals with how power is distributed and how it operates within social organization, and how people think about, and engage in, their communities and the wider world on matters that affect their lives. Political issues are researched in social science departments and think tanks; they populate the agendas of politicians and policy-makers; they occupy the minds of executives of global corporations and local social entrepreneurs; they affect how people participate in and resist change; they are discussed in media and over coffee; they inspire oratory and art; they are deeply rooted in history and culture. Political issues are part of our daily lives.”

This sounds pretty... wide open, right? To some extent, yes, you are free to pick from among a WIDE range of political issues. However, you should keep in mind that we need to pick an issue that we can actually engage with. That likely means something a bit "closer to home," like a local issue in Taichung or a national issue that gets a lot of attention throughout Taiwan.

What have past MDID students selected? (Click to expand)

We've had a range of topics selected for our IAs in the past...

Controversies over gender-neutral bathrooms
The legitimacy of the death penalty in Taiwan
Euthanasia and assisted suicide
The balance between local economic development and habitat protection for endangered species
The effectiveness of student organizations as advocates for change
Taiwan's 2022 referendum on lowering the voting age
Debates over nuclear power in Taiwan

What you should consider

Pick a political issue that you actually have an interest in -- your personal engagement IS a part of the score, and it will come through in the final report.
You do want to consider issues that you have a fair chance of engaging with -- anything involving the central government is a pipe dream, as you're not going to get an interview or be able to engage in a deeper way.
Local (city, community) or regional (county) issues are great choices, but again consider the likelihood of engagement
International political issues are still options, but they make engagement difficult
Consider issues that are likely to have some kind of events or that would allow you to get involved in some way, so that ideally your engagements are not just interviews. (IB's low bar for engagements = two interviews.)
Do you have an existing relationship with any organization that might be considered political, in some way? This could be a connection you've made through a club, a CAS project, a past volunteer activity or internship, etc. Many of our successful IA's have built upon something that students had already done.

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