Social Science International Baccalaureate (IB)
2766 IB Business Organization
Offered at two levels, Business and Organization is designed to explore how and why individuals form organizations and the types, problems, and life cycles of organizations; provide a broad knowledge of the variety of organizations that exist, including profit and nonprofit organizations; examine and apply the principles of organization and the techniques widely practiced in the ongoing process of decision making in organizations; develop an understanding of the interdependence of organizations and its effect on problem solving; and examine the role of individuals and groups within organizations. The course is organized around three themes: people, resources, and challenges. Students at both levels explore these themes by relating the effects of decision making, communication, and change to each theme.
2760 IB Economics
Offered at two levels, Economics is designed to develop within the student the following skills: disciplined economic reasoning skills; an ability to apply tools of economic analysis to situations and data and to explain the findings clearly; an understanding of how individuals and societies organize themselves in the pursuit of economic objectives; an ability to evaluate economic theories, concepts, situations, and data in a way that is rational and unprejudiced; and international perspectives that feature a tolerance and understanding of the diversity of economic realities in which individual and societies function. The course syllabus has four compulsory parts: resource allocation (i.e., microeconomics); national income analysis (i.e., macroeconomics); international trade; and economic growth and development.
2761 IB Geography
Offered at two levels, Geography is designed to: promote a global perspective and international understanding through geographical education; encourage an appreciation of the role that geography can play in the analysis of contemporary issues; develop an appreciation and concern for the diversity of the natural environment and an understanding of human and physical processes; promote a respect for different cultures through an understanding of their development and their interrelationships; develop an appreciation and understanding of the spatial patterns of physical and human features in the environment; and understand and apply the tools and techniques of geography. The course syllabus includes five central themes: population dynamics; economic growth and development; human responses to natural hazards; agriculture and world food supply; and urban environments.
2762 IB History
Offered at two levels, History is designed to promote the acquisition and understanding of historical knowledge in breadth and in depth and across different cultures; an appreciation and understanding of history as a discipline, including the nature and diversity of its sources, methods, and interpretations; international awareness and understanding by promoting the achievement of empathy with, and understanding of, people living in diverse places and at different times; a better understanding of the present through an understanding of the past; an appreciation of the historical dimension of the human condition; an ability to use and communicate historical knowledge and understanding; and a lasting interest in history. The syllabus requires students to study a selection of six topics in twentieth-century world history: causes, practices, and effects of war; nationalist and independence movements, decolonization and challenges facing new states; the rise and rule of single-party states; the establishment and work of international organizations; the Cold War; and the state and its relationship with religion and with minorities.
2767 IB History of the Islamic World
Offered at two levels, History of the Islamic World is designed to provide students with the means of acquiring openness and a deep understanding of various aspects of the Islamic world and of its contribution to world civilization. Approached from a historical perspective, the course includes political, social, economic, intellectual, and other facets of the Islamic world. Students at both levels study at least three historical topics relating to the origins of Islam and its developments through 1600 AD. History of the Islamic World higher level students undertake a more in-depth study of the prescribed topics by studying a selection of related optional topics: the Fatimids 909-1171 AD; the Ottomans 1400-1566 AD; the Mughals of India; warfare in the medieval Islamic world; Muslim rule in Spain 711-1492 AD; the Islamic city 650-1600 AD; the intellectual legacy of Islam; and Islamic art and architecture.
2764 IB Philosophy
Offered at two levels, Philosophy is designed to enable students to use philosophical language clearly, consistently, and appropriately; identify and formulate problems philosophically; examine concepts and questions philosophically; relate specific texts and authors to the examination of concepts and problems; and construct philosophical arguments. The course is organized around five optional themes and 12 prescribed texts. The texts are divided into two lists: authors up to and including Kant; and post-Kantian philosophy. Students at both levels also undertake individual course work on a philosophical theme, tradition, or text.
2763 IB Psychology
Offered at two levels, Psychology is designed to give students a broad understanding of psychology and of its different theoretical approaches. At both levels, the course guides students through the study of human behavior by examining key topics from four distinct perspectives: behavioral, cognitive, humanistic/phenomenological, and psychodynamic. The course seeks to introduce students to diverse methods of psychological inquiry and promote ethical practices and responsibilities in psychological inquiry. To meet this aim, students at both levels study research design, methods, statistics, and ethical issues in psychological research and application. All students must also undertake one or more research studies.
2765 IB Social Anthropology
Offered at two levels, Social Anthropology is designed to introduce students to the universal principles of social and cultural life and to characteristics of specific societies and cultures. The course has six required areas of study: ways of understanding society and culture; the nature of ethnography; anthropological models of society; a society's own models and concepts; methodology, methods, and techniques used in field research; and an introduction to developments in anthropological theory. Students at both levels also study a selection of the optional topics in production, distribution, and consumption; authority and the exercise of power; the organization of social relations; power, status, and wealth; gender as an organizing concept; ideologies and cosmologies; the processes of social and cultural transformation; identity and difference; and others.
