HL extension: global political challenges
The HL extension gives students the opportunity to explore important global political challenges through a case studies approach. HL students must study two of the following six topics.
There is no additional prescribed content for the HL extension. For each of the two topics chosen students must undertake a detailed case study, culminating in a 10-minute video recorded oral presentation. These case studies provide an opportunity for students to conduct an in-depth analysis of complex political issues in real-life situations. The approach also familiarizes students with the case study as an important method of gaining knowledge in the social sciences and allows them to practice skills considered important for students of the politics subject area, such as research and presentation skills. More information on the assessment of the oral presentation is given in the “Internal assessment” section of this guide.
There are three components to the HL extension work: researching the case studies, preparing to present them and actually presenting them. While students’ research may start from broad ideas related to the selected global political challenges, students should gradually narrow down their focus on particular case studies and political issues that can be effectively explored in the course of 10-minute presentations. 10 minutes per case study is a short time, and it is the quality of the preceding research and presentation preparation that determines how well this time is utilized.