IBDP ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS AND SOCIETIES

ESS is an interdisciplinary course that is offered at both standard level (SL) and higher level (HL). The course combines a mixture of methodologies, techniques and knowledge associated with the subject groups of individual and societies, and sciences. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of the course, students may study ESS in either subject group, or in both. If ESS is studied in both groups, students may study an additional subject from any other subject group, including those in the individuals and societies, and sciences subject groups.

Various disciplines from the sciences and social sciences come together in ESS. These include, but are not limited to, ecology, economics, chemistry, geography, design, psychology, physics, law, philosophy, anthropology and sociology. The particular knowledge, concepts, skills and approaches from these disciplines are combined to enable ESS to be studied from a unique and integrated perspective.

The course is firmly grounded in both the scientific exploration of environmental systems in terms of their structure and function, and in the exploration of cultural, economic, ethical, political and legal interactions of societies with environment and sustainability issues. Consequently, ESS requires its students to develop a diverse set of skills, knowledge and understandings.

The interdisciplinary nature of the course means students gain a holistic understanding from the various topics studied; they undertake research and investigations, and participate in philosophical, ethical and pragmatic discussions about the issues involved, from the local to the global level. 

ESS has conceptual connections with the individuals and societies courses in the Middle Years Programme (MYP) and the Diploma Programme (DP). The concepts in individuals and societies of scale, power, processes and possibilities are interwoven into the three key concepts of ESS: perspectives, systems and sustainability.