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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.

1. Environment
2. Poverty
3. Health
4. Identity
5. Borders
6. Security

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 practise 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 Guide > Internal assessment.

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. Ten
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.

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Figure 4
Possible HL extension workflow

Researching the case study

The case study selected for each chosen topic should allow for a thorough and detailed exploration of a
global political challenge, in a particular real-life situation. The free choice of case studies is intended to
allow students to explore political issues that they find particularly interesting or particularly revealing. It
may be that students wish to explore local cases, or cases that are otherwise of particular personal interest.

Each case study selected and the political issue investigated therein should be contemporary, clearly
relevant and explicitly linked to one of the global challenges listed as well as to the core units of the course.
Students should ask themselves how each case they suggest to investigate relates to the wider context of
global politics and how they can bring the knowledge and understanding they have gained elsewhere in
the course to bear on the cases. The political issue selected for exploration should be focused and specific.
For example:

• rather than a broad topic such as “water supply”, an appropriate case study and political issue would
be “the 2011 drought and the Yangtze river in China—viability of China’s water diversion plans”
• rather than a broad topic such as “terrorism”, an appropriate case study and political issue would be
“the 2008 Mumbai bombings—motivations for terrorism in India”.

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The following list indicates questions students should explore during their research. While researching, they
should already be thinking about connections between the discrete pieces of information they collect so as
to build towards an oral presentation.

1. Data, background and political issues

• What data exist on the case, how valid is the data analysed and to what extent is the data
contestable?
• Who are the principal actors and stakeholders?
• What is happening?
• Which terms are central to understanding the case?
• What are the indicators that this case is a global political challenge?
• Which other similar cases are relevant for understanding this case?
• Which political issues manifest themselves in the case? On which issue should I focus my
presentation?
2. Causes, impact and responses to the political issue
• What factors are causing this situation?
• What are the political, social and economic impacts of the issue at various levels of global politics
on various actors and stakeholders?
• What are the responses to the issue at various levels of global politics by various actors and
stakeholders?
• How do interpretations of the issue vary by actor and stakeholder?
• What considerations influence how the issue will play out?
3. Reflection
• How can I use the key concepts, theories, ideas and examples I have learned in the core units to
analyse this case and political issue?
• In what ways is this case a manifestation of the chosen global political challenge?
• Which wider issues or developments in global politics are relevant in understanding this case?
• What is the particular significance of this case?
• What other interpretations of or points of view on the case are possible?
Students’ research can be based on primary and secondary material, though the emphasis is likely to be
on secondary sources. Newspaper, magazine and journal articles, textbooks, carefully selected websites,
images and audio-visual materials are all legitimate secondary sources. Good research practice requires that
the sources represent a balance of views.

A coversheet for each presentation must be submitted along with the recording. The coversheet includes a
bibliography. All sources used in preparation of the presentation must be included in the bibliography.

Preparing for presenting the case study

Once they have completed sufficient research into the case and their selected political issue, students
should think about how they are going to present their case study. For each case study, a 10-minute oral
presentation, which is recorded as a video, is prepared.

The structure and format of the presentation are not prescribed. Therefore, students should plan carefully
and creatively how they will best engage their audience. In planning their presentations, students should

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bear in mind that in addition to research skills, the HL extension aims to develop their skills to deliver a
thought-provoking and informative presentation to a professional audience. In the real world, professionals
may not base their presentations around a set of research prompts such as those given above; rather, they
would attempt to create an original and creative delivery of their arguments. With this in mind, students are
encouraged not to use the given questions for research as a set structure for their presentation. Clearly the
presentation needs to address the more factual aspects of the case, but this should occur when pertinent
to understanding the political issue rather than as a list at the beginning of the presentation. Given the
objectives of the task and the assessment criteria, the structure and format chosen should be such that
the presentation is centred on analysis and evaluation of the case and the political issue. This includes
establishing clear links to the core units and reflecting on the wider implications of the case.

Students should be particularly wary of the pitfall of focusing on the historical aspects of the case; the
analysis and evaluation should concentrate on contemporary aspects of the political issue.

The following general questions are likely to be helpful for students’ preparations.

• How will I set the stage?

• Which points and perspectives do I want to communicate?
• How will I conclude?

As for many other larger pieces of work, it is likely to be helpful for them to formulate a central question,
closely linked to their chosen political issue that they attempt to answer in the course of their presentation.

A coversheet for each presentation must be submitted along with the recording. The coversheet includes a
written outline of the presentation.

Visual aids, such as PowerPoint® slides, are only permitted for showing visual information (for example,
tables, diagrams, maps, photos) and should be carefully employed only when they enhance the argument or
audience engagement. Students may use limited notes or prompt cards when delivering their presentations,
but the content may not be written out and read aloud.

Teacher guidance
Although it is recognized that the teacher and students are likely to have several one-to-one interactions
during the HL extension work, two individual meetings on each of students’ case studies are prescribed: one
before students start researching their case study and another before they start preparing for presenting it.
Students note down the outcomes of these meetings on a coversheet submitted along with the recording of
each presentation. The content of these individual meetings is flexible, but the following teacher guidance
is expected.

With the teacher’s support, students should choose two case studies of two global political challenges.

The teacher should approve students’ choice of case studies before work is started, to ensure that they are
suitable for investigation and allow access to all levels of the marking rubric. It is highly advisable that every
student is supplied with a copy of the marking rubric. Teacher help is particularly valuable at this early stage,
when students identify their political issues, the ways in which the cases they suggest to investigate are
instances of global political challenges and how they tie into the core units. The teacher should also guide
students in selection of appropriate sources.

Throughout the case study work, students and the teacher should engage in dialogue supportive of
students’ work. The teacher should help students in, and provide feedback on, development of their
presentation skills and discuss with students their ideas for how to present their case studies.

The teacher may comment once on students’ written outline for each presentation but may not edit it.

Each presentation may only be performed once for the video recording.

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Topic 1: Environment
This topic provides an opportunity to explore political issues connected to the environment through a case
studies approach.

Many of the topics, political issues and key concepts encountered in the core units of the course are also
central to discussions of the environment. Many environmental problems transcend national boundaries,
and the activities of one country can have direct impact on multiple countries. Mitigation of, and responses
to, climate change and other such global environmental challenges involve and require international
political cooperation and action. The use of natural resources in the face of growing populations and
increasingly resource-heavy lifestyles across the globe raises many political issues—and is increasingly a
source of political tensions. The compatibility of economic growth and sustainable development is debated
at all levels of politics.

Learning outcomes
• Knowledge and understanding of a specific case study and a specific political issue related to the
environment
• Application of relevant key concepts, theories and ideas from the core units to analysis of the case
• Evaluation of the case study from different perspectives and in the wider context of global politics
• An experience of having carried out a self-directed, teacher-supported research process and
communicating the conclusions of this process through an oral presentation

Suggested examples
Students must undertake a detailed case study relating to the global political challenge presented by the
environment, and deliver an oral presentation focused on a political issue embedded in the case. The case
studies and political issues below are examples only.

• Arctic melt—opportunities of and threats to regional political cooperation between Russia and
Northern European states
• The 2011 drought and the Yangtze river in China—viability of China’s water diversion plans
• Deforestation in the Gadchiroli district of India—constraints on correcting for an environmental
failure in a developing country
• Shale gas production in the USA—influence of environmental NGOs on congressional decision-
making
• The carbon offsetting policy of airline A—the role of political decisions at different levels of global
politics to bring about such a policy

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Topic 2: Poverty
This topic provides an opportunity to explore political issues connected to poverty through a case studies
approach.

Many of the topics, political issues and key concepts encountered in the four core units of the course are
also central to discussions of poverty; for example, the impact of globalization and economic integration
on poverty, or cooperation between states and non-state actors in initiatives to address poverty. There
are particularly strong links to the unit on development, with its emphasis on the concept of inequality.
However, experience of poverty can also be approached from a human rights perspective, and poverty
plays a significant role in some conflicts.

Learning outcomes
• Knowledge and understanding of a specific case study and a specific political issue related to poverty
• Application of relevant key concepts, theories and ideas from the core units to analysis of the case
• Evaluation of the case study from different perspectives and in the wider context of global politics
• An experience of having carried out a self-directed, teacher-supported research process and
communicating the conclusions of this process through an oral presentation

Suggested examples
Students must undertake a detailed case study relating to the global political challenge presented by
poverty, and deliver an oral presentation focused on a political issue embedded in the case. The case studies
and political issues below are examples only.

• Child labour in the “Smokey Mountain” rubbish dump in Manila, the Philippines—effectiveness of a
local versus national political approach
• Boko Haram and child soldiers—role of poverty in driving the phenomenon
• Poverty within the Aboriginal community in Queensland, Australia—why do the state’s policies
continually fail?
• “Relative poverty” in the UK—at which level of politics is this most effectively tackled?
• The Global Poverty Project and the campaign “Live Below the Line”—the role of empathy in the fight
against poverty

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Topic 3: Health
This topic provides an opportunity to explore political issues connected to health through a case studies
approach.

Many of the topics, political issues and key concepts encountered in the four core units of this course are
also central to discussions of health; for example, the function and impact of local and national initiatives
to improve public health compared with the role of global actors such as the World Health Organization
or international NGOs. Epidemics travel across borders and require international cooperation. Health is an
important determinant of quality of life, and the health issues from which people suffer in different parts of
the world are indicative of wider socio-economic developments.

Learning outcomes
• Knowledge and understanding of a specific case study and a specific political issue related to health
• Application of relevant key concepts, theories and ideas from the core units to analysis of the case
• Evaluation of the case study from different perspectives and in the wider context of global politics
• An experience of having carried out a self-directed, teacher-supported research process and
communicating the conclusions of this process through an oral presentation

Suggested examples
Students must undertake a detailed case study relating to the global political challenge presented by
health, and deliver an oral presentation focused on a political issue embedded in the case. The case studies
and political issues below are examples only.

• Syrian refugees in Jordan—the role of different political actors in arranging health care provision in
refugee camps
• HIV/AIDS in rural South Africa—to what extent are poverty and the spread/contamination of the
epidemic linked?
• Drug addiction and access to health care in Florida—how are “quiet voices” heard in American
politics?
• Leprosy in Nepal—efficacy of international NGOs versus governmental health care
• Ebola outbreak in Liberia—the state’s consideration (or lack thereof) of civil liberties

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Topic 4: Identity
This topic provides an opportunity to explore political issues connected to identity through a case studies
approach.

Many of the topics, political issues and key concepts encountered in the four core units of this course are
also central to discussions of identity. In a more interconnected, complex world, people become arguably
more conscious of, and interested in, their own identity, also in ways that have political implications. For
example, since 9/11 there has been increased attention on the significance of cultural and religious identity
in global politics. Women and ethnic minorities’ identity can be similarly political, with debates in many
societies about the appropriate line between the private and public spheres of life. The media coverage of
treatment of cases of genocide and ethnic violence in institutions of international justice point towards the
role identity can play in some of the most horrific conflicts of recent times. There are particularly strong links
between this topic and the unit on human rights.

Learning outcomes
• Knowledge and understanding of a specific case study and a specific political issue related to identity
• Application of relevant key concepts, theories and ideas from the core units to analysis of the case
• Evaluation of the case study from different perspectives and in the wider context of global politics
• An experience of having carried out a self-directed, teacher-supported research process and
communicating the conclusions of this process through an oral presentation

Suggested examples
Students must undertake a detailed case study relating to the global political challenge presented by
identity, and deliver an oral presentation focused on a political issue embedded in the case. The case studies
and political issues below are examples only.

• Religion in Bhutan—role of identity politics in the peaceful evolution from absolutist monarchy to
democracy
• Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) marches in eastern Europe from Belgrade in 2010 to
present day—are attitudes changing? How and why?
• Class identity in South Africa—how is the role of the working class changing in labour-related
politics?
• Race and incarceration in the USA—what are the reasons for, and the effects of, racial profiling in
American policing?
• National identity in Hungary—the Fidesz-led government’s use of national identity as a method to
rally public support for its policies

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Topic 5: Borders
This topic provides an opportunity to explore political issues connected to borders through a case studies
approach.

Many of the topics, political issues and key concepts encountered in the four core units of this course are
also central to discussions of borders. Borders may be physical borders between countries, but they can
also be less concrete but equally influential borders of, say, social class, ethnicity or gender. Sometimes,
it is not the existence of borders that is problematic, but rather a lack thereof, such as could be argued
in the case of cross-border movement of capital or treatment of labour. Migration is closely linked to the
concept of globalization, as physical borders between nations are increasingly reduced. Immigration is a
controversial and topical issue in many countries, and political backlashes to immigration on the face of
changing and unstable economic conditions are widespread. Many conflicts have a dimension that has to
do with borders of various kinds, and often human rights are violated in crossing borders, as for example, in
human trafficking.

Learning outcomes
• Knowledge and understanding of a specific case study and a specific political issue related to borders
• Application of relevant key concepts, theories and ideas from the core units to analysis of the case
• Evaluation of the case study from different perspectives and in the wider context of global politics
• An experience of having carried out a self-directed, teacher-supported research process and
communicating the conclusions of this process through an oral presentation

Suggested examples
Students must undertake a detailed case study relating to the global political challenge presented by
borders, and deliver an oral presentation focused on a political issue embedded in the case. The case studies
and political issues below are examples only.

• The 2014 Scottish referendum for independence—the role of various borders between England and
Scotland in strengthening the “yes” campaign
• The USA–Mexico border fence—the effect of new migration legislation in the USA on the principles
and practice of operations on this border
• Forced relocation and ancestral land conflict between the government and Bushmen in Botswana—
do claims emphasizing a different way of life hold any force in modern land conflicts?
• Migration in Europe—the role of national versus regional (EU) policies in facilitating youth migration
from the south to the north
• Gender borders—the role of Islam in shaping women’s rights in Egypt

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Topic 6: Security
This topic provides an opportunity to explore political issues connected to security through a case studies
approach.

Many of the topics, political issues and key concepts encountered in the four core units of this course are also
central to discussions of security. For example, discussions of sovereignty, military power, wars between and
within states, arms proliferation and the activities of non-state actors all have clear links to security. There
are particularly strong links between this topic and the unit on peace and conflict. However, security also
has cultural, social and economic dimensions. Issues such as food, water and energy security are developing
increasingly concrete ramifications in global politics. Human rights violations can be viewed as attacks
on individuals’ fundamental sense of security. Furthermore, in an uncertain world, political actors may
sometimes try to benefit from people’s sense of insecurity.

Learning outcomes
• Knowledge and understanding of a specific case study and a specific political issue related to security
• Application of relevant key concepts, theories and ideas from the core units to analysis of the case
• Evaluation of the case study from different perspectives and in the wider context of global politics
• An experience of having carried out a self-directed, teacher-supported research process and
communicating the conclusions of this process through an oral presentation

Suggested examples
Students must undertake a detailed case study relating to the global political challenge presented by
security, and deliver an oral presentation focused on a political issue embedded in the case. The case studies
and political issues below are examples only.

• Israel and Palestine—how has the acquisition of longer-range weapons by groups in the Gaza Strip
affected Israel’s security policy in the last 10 years?
• The 2012 case of Joseph Kony in Uganda—to what extent can social media be a catalyst for social
change?
• Counterterrorism legislation and civil liberties in the UK before and after the 2005 London
bombings—to what extent does breach of security “at home” affect security policies?
• Territorial issues in Antarctica—why do far-away land areas matter?
• The 2014 Hong Kong protests—what was at stake?

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