Political engagement activity example

“ENGAGEMENT” GLOBAL POLITICS IA

Prepared by Oday

Based on the IB Guide for Global Politics 2017

General Info

The “Engagement” is for both, HL and SL.

Only difference between SL and HL is the percentage of the marks:

For “HL,” Engagement is worth 20% of total IB Grade.

For “SL,” Engagement is worth 25% of total IB Grade.

A total of 20 marks are awarded solely on a written report (Max 2000 words).

Can’t use the same political issues in EE, Engagement, and HL Extensions.

Group Engagements are allowed, but reports and chosen political issues must be done solo.

What is an “Engagement”?

It’s a real-life engagement on a political issue of personal interest, complemented with research.

This means the student has to be personally engaged in something where a political issue can be extracted and studied.

Check the IB Guide for Global Politics, pages 30 to 35, for full text.

What is a Political Issue?

An issue (problem, question, matter) that is of a political nature, is a political issue.

Book-definition of political issue: Any question (issue) that deals with

how power is distributed and how it operates within social organization,

and how people think about (and engage in) their communities and the wider world on matters that affect their lives. ~ (IB Guide page 18)

For example, should the government work harder to enact laws to reduce global warming? And how does global warming affect people’s lives? That’s a political issue that goes under “environment.”

THREE COMPONENTS

Engage

Do Research

Write Report

(Only the written report is marked)

SELECTING AN ENGAGEMENT

The engagement must contain an authentic political issue to count.

So, first identify the political issue that might interest you, and then look for an engagement activity that would include it.

The activity can be a simulation (e.g. MUN). What must be real is the “experience” from which you learn.

EXAMPLES

Engagement Political Issue
Attendance at the full meeting of a city council, followed by interviews with two of its female councilors Campaigning with a city councilor in support of a female candidate running for the national parliament Attendance at a conference to hear a speech by a female member of parliament opposed to quotas for women in politics Participation in a group discussion with a female government minister How does the nature of democracy impact upon representation of women in politics?
Investigation into the value chain of select three products in a local store: a locally sourced vegetable, a nationally sourced drink and an internationally sourced toy, including interviews with the store purchasing manager, the local farmer selling the vegetable, the drink company and an NGO working with consumer awareness issues. How do processes of global politics influence where the products we need in daily life come from and how they are made?
RESEARCH

Research here comes as a follow-up or support to the engagement activity. You might need:

To look up some background information on an NGO or an individual or a country.

To know some recent news related to your activity or political issue.

To know what other experts have said about your political issue, widen your opinion and perspective.

Any other information that might help better explain a political issue.

Remember: the focus is the engagement, not the research.

PRIMARY v. SECONARY SOURCES

Primary sources = from your own experience in the engagement.

Examples: surveys, questionnaires, interviews you conduct, pictures you take.

Secondary sources = Information collected/provided by someone else.

Examples: newspaper and magazine articles, websites, books, videos, audio, surveys and stats done by others.

“It is expected that students will include in-text citations or references of the supporting documents and a bibliography”

“Primary sources significant to the students’ discussion should be included in an appendix, where appropriate.”

REPORT CONTENT

Must identify a political issue you decide to explore through the engagement.

Explain why you chose this political issue and why this engagement activity.

Frame the chosen political issue into a question you intend to answer.

If engagement activity is too broad/large, the report should focus only on the parts of the activity related to the political issue. (No need to describe the entire engagement and all its details).

Analyze the political issue and activity with what you’ve learned in the course.

Then evaluate/synthesize it and conclude.

Word Count

2000 Words maximum.

No marks may be awarded to anything written after 2000 words.

The following are NOT included in the word count:

Acknowledgments, Contents page, Tables of statistical data, Diagrams or figures, Equations, formulae and calculations, Citations (which, if used, must be in the body of the written report*), References (which, if used, must be in the footnotes/endnotes**), Bibliography, Appendices.

*Please note that citation is a shorthand method of making a reference in the body of the report, which is then linked to the full reference in the bibliography.

**Please note that footnotes/endnotes may be used for references only. Definitions of terms and quotations, if used, must be in the body of the work and are included in the word count.

ENGAGEMENT “DO”s & “DON’T”s

If the engagement activity involves conducting interviews, you shouldn’t interview just one person. That would make your information biased.

For HL students, you can use the same topic/research in HL extension, but you can’t use the same “political issue” to discuss in your report.

Please read the ethical guidelines in the IB Guide for Global Politics, pages 34-35

CAS v. ENGAGEMENT

Many CAS activities can overlap with Global Politics “Engagement” activity.

However, you can’t use the same elements of discussion twice in CAS and in GP Engagement. Examples: