(This page is for making connections between texts studied and global issues explored in preparation for the IO and the HL Essay. Create a header and leave it blank for now until we start making connections).
Internal Oral Instructions
Prompt Examine the ways in which the global issue of your choice is presented through the content and form of two texts you have studied.
Why and how? The goal is to encourage students to make meaningful connections between the texts they are studying and the world around them. It also allows students to develop their self-management and research skills. The work and text selected must have a clear connection with the global issue. The individual oral should be a well-supported argument about the ways in which both represent and explore the global issue. Students must select two extracts, one from the text and one from the work, that clearly show significant moments when this global issue is being focused on. Fields of Inquiry Students may look to one or more of the following fields of inquiry for guidance on how to decide on a global issue to focus their orals on. These topics are not exhaustive and are intended as helpful starting points for students to generate ideas and derive a more specific global issue on which to base their individual oral. It should also be noted that there is the potential for significant overlap between the areas.
Culture, identity and community Students might focus on the way in which texts explore aspects of family, class, race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender and sexuality, and the way these impact on individuals and societies. They might also focus on issues concerning migration, colonialism and nationalism.
Beliefs, values and education Students might focus on the way in which texts explore the beliefs and values nurtured in particular societies and the ways they shape individuals, communities and educational systems. They might also explore the tensions that arise when there are conflicts of beliefs and values, and ethics.
Politics, power and justice Students might focus on the ways in which texts explore aspects of rights and responsibilities, the workings and structures of governments and institutions. They might also investigate hierarchies of power, the distribution of wealth and resources, the limits of justice and the law, equality and inequality, human rights and peace and conflict.
Art, creativity and the imagination Students might focus on the ways in which texts explore aspects of aesthetic inspiration, creation, craft, and beauty. They might also focus on the shaping and challenging of perceptions through art, and the function, value and effects of art in society.
Science, technology and the environment Students might focus on the ways in which texts explore the relationship between humans and the environment and the implications of technology and media for society. They might also consider the idea of scientific development and progress.
Possible Global Issues A global issue incorporates the following three properties:
It has significance on a wide/large scale.
It is transnational.
Its impact is felt in everyday local contexts.
You can choose your own global issue that fits within the areas of inquiry, or, you can use the UN Sustainable Development Goals to help narrow your choice.
Narrow the Topic For example, within the field of culture, identity and community, the theme of gender in itself might be unsuitably broad for an individual oral. A student interested in this theme might explore instead how gender bias manifests itself in different contexts; how this can be evidenced in many ways in texts of different sorts; how different authorial choices will determine what is meant by gender bias; whether bias should be viewed positively or negatively, allowing the students to evaluate the writer’s choices and the impact they might have on the different readers’ or viewers’ understanding.
Example
Possible IO for Part 2: Culture, Identity, and Community Question: What is the impact of gendered toys, specifically for girls?
Literary Text: A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen
[Excerpt goes here]
Non-literary Text: Barbie political cartoon by Bob Rogers (reference the body of work on gender issues)
Representation of the global issue in both texts: [Add explanation, notes, or thoughts during study]