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- human experience and behaviour
- the varieties of physical, economic and social environments that people inhabit
- the history of social and cultural institutions.
In addition, each subject is designed to foster in students the capacity to identify, to analyse critically and to evaluate theories, concepts and arguments relating to the nature and activities of individuals and societies.
History SL/HL
The study of history from an international perspective is increasingly important today. In the contemporary context, one of globalization and technological development, different cultures and societies are increasingly in contact and interdependent. Now, more than ever, there is a need for an understanding of the present as well as the past.
The aim of history in the Diploma Programme is to explain trends and developments, continuity and change through time and through individual events. The course is concerned with individuals and societies in the widest context: political, social, economic, religious, technological and cultural.
The process of historical inquiry, explanation and interpretation is a never-ending activity, for which historians develop values and conventions which themselves change over time. Students of history investigate a variety of sources, some of which may be of a contentious nature. As new generations seek to explain and analyse the past, they will face problems of determining the accuracy of what is claimed to be reliable historical knowledge and assessing conflicting interpretations of past events. The opportunities for opinions and interpretations which are culturally driven are many and they require sensitive but critical analysis.
Each generation rewrites its own history in the light of new evidence and of subsequent events and processes, and under the influence of its particular attitudes and prejudices. Students should become aware that historical accounts involve judgments based on qualitative evidence and that these judgments might be revised. By studying history they are taught to understand why the work of historians differs over time and in different parts of the world, and how it is impossible for historians not to be affected, to some extent, by political and economic conditions in their own country.
During the course, the student of history in the Diploma Programme is encouraged to reflect on the role of the historian. Does the historian record history, or create it? Can the historian be free of bias in the selection and interpretation of material? Could it be reasonably argued that the individual perception of a historian, despite possible bias, is necessary or even desirable in the interpretation and recording of history? Is the power of persuasion a characteristic of a good historian?
Geography SL
Geography is concerned with place. Understanding the nature and causes of areal differentiation on the global surface has been the geographer’s task since people first noticed differences between places.
Through geography we seek to understand these differences in patterns of human distribution, interrelationships between human society and the physical environment, people’s use of the Earth in time and space, and how these differences are related to people’s cultures and economies. These, and other related themes, express major concerns of our time and reflect the consequences of spatial decisions.
In geography’s pursuit of this understanding the questions “where?”, “why?” and “how?” are central. The first of these introduces the issues of location and spatial choice; the latter two signify that modern geography is not content merely to describe but seeks to explain. Beyond these questions, geographers also ask “what if?” as a means of seeking alternatives and giving the subject an applied dimension that can assist decision makers in planning and developing at a variety of geographical scales.
The concept of site—the physical characteristics of a place—is integral to understanding areal differentiation on the global surface. Like other social scientists, geographers focus on the patterns and interactions to be found on that surface, and not primarily on the natural processes that act on it from above or below. They recognize that interaction between humans and their environment has always been mutual, and that the growth of technology has increased the human capacity to modify the environment.
The view of geography presented in this syllabus is thematic in organization, human in focus and comprehensive in coverage. At its core are the interrelated themes of population, resources and development; the latter encompassing concepts derived from both economic and quality-of-life principles. Accompanying the core is a series of options in physical geography, each stressing issues of human management and response. A second series of options in human geography addresses the concept of the region and a sense of place, forms of settlement, and human production activities in agriculture, manufacturing and globalization. A third section provides an option demonstrating the importance of site in providing constraints on and opportunities for human activity and therefore affecting the landscape. Strongly skill-orientated, and highlighting the distinctive use of mapping and similar techniques by geographers, the option seeks to integrate the human and physical aspects of the subject through topographic maps, other maps and images.