This spring, Yew Chung International School of Beijing (YCIS) was formally announced as one of twelve schools worldwide to pilot the initial global politics course for the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP). This is an honor for YCIS not only because they were selected from 80 schools that applied, but also because the school will be instrumental in shaping and developing a new IB course that will be integrated into every IB curriculum starting in September 2015.
The global politics course is an addition to the Group 3 section of the IBDP, which is for students 16-19 years old. The global politics curriculum will focus on four key units: power, sovereignty, and international relations; human rights; development; and peace and conflict. This new course is important because “it allows students to develop an understanding of local, national, international, and global dimensions of the political activities that affect us all,” says YCIS global politics teacher Gareth Evans. Evans also says that through real world examples and practical fieldwork, “we take the study beyond the purely theoretical and into something directly meaningful.”
One of YCIS Beijing’s main missions is to shape its students into global citizens, and according to YCIS IB Coordinator Chris Warren, the course will be “an invaluable tool in inspiring awareness and insight into the events, decisions, and systems that shape the world we live in.” The Global Politics course is already underway at YCIS Beijing.
Photo courtesy of flickr user United Nations Photo
