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THE INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE

Harare International School

2005-2006

ONLINE BROCHURE FOR PARENTS AND STUDENTS

GROUP 3: INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIETIES

ECONOMICS

Economics is the study of the way in which limited resources can be used to best effect. The IB course is designed to give students an understanding of the economic world around them. Students are introduced to the basic tools used by Economists with a view to helping them understand how positions are reached. By the end of the course even if a student engages in no further formal economic study she/he will be in a position to make an objective assessment of whether, for example, a tax cut is a sensible policy option or whether the state of the economy is as good or as bad as is claimed.

No prior knowledge of the subject is assumed and Economics combines well with many other subjects. Only a minority of students will go on to take the subject to degree level but many will find that they have to study some Economics in courses such as Business Studies, Surveying and so on.

Course Objectives:

By the end of the SL or HL course candidates should be able to:

1 understand basic terminology

2 present economic arguments in a clear and logical manner

3 understand and interpret economic data and information

4 understand the diverse nature of world economics

5 understand the role of economic institutions in domestic and international settings

6 perceive that economic variables are interrelated and predict possible consequences arising from changing variables

7 apply economic theory to diverse global events in order to analyze and evaluate possible outcomes.

Syllabus Outline:
The HL syllabus both looks at some topics covered in SL in more depth and introduces some new topics:

1 Introduction to Economics – introduces the basic terminology, themes, ideas and problems

2 Microeconomics – develops section 1 and applies it to businesses whilst providing further tools for analysis in other areas.

3 Macroeconomics – develops section 1 to enable issues relevant to economies such as unemployment and inflation to be considered.

4 International Economics – provides an explanation of why countries trade, what problems countries face and how they are addressed, including exchange rate and protection issues.

5 Development Economics – enables to understand why some countries are less developed than others, the problems these countries face and possible solutions.

Assessment

Standard Level			Higher Level
External Paper 1 (l hour)	1 Extended Response qu. from 4	25%	External Paper 1 (1 hour)	1 Extended Response qu. from 4	20%
External Paper 2 (1 hours)	3 Structured Response qu. from 5	50%	External Paper 2 (1 hour)	3 Short Answer qu. from 6	20%
			External Paper 3 (2 hours)	3 Structured Response qu. from 5	40%
Internal	3 Structured Response qu. from 5	25%	Internal	4 commentaries on (self-chosen) articles each of 650-700 words	20%

HISTORY

History is available at Standard (SL) and Higher Level (HL).

All candidates sit two examinations on World History topics.

Paper 1, worth 20% for HL and 30% for SL, is a document-based paper set on prescribed topics.

Paper 2, worth 25% for HL and 45% for SL, is an essay paper, requiring candidates to write two essays; Standard Level candidates write three.

All candidates are required to write a 2000 word essay on a document-based historical enquiry of their choice. This essay is worth 25% for SL candidates and 20% for HL.

Higher Level candidates will take an extra examination paper in European History, worth 35% of the total marks.

Description: This course is designed to teach each student that history matters because it is concerned with evidence about human beings that have actually lived and how human lives have changed in the 20^th century. Students will experience that history is concerned with explanations and origins and with the contemporary world as much as with the past. History also demands evidence to support statements about human beings, and it depends on skills of reasoning, criticism, and communication. This course will prove to students that history is concerned not with the conveying of accepted facts but with the making of informed judgments, and to the displaying of the evidence on which those judgments are made. The concerns of history are neither narrow nor insular, and without an historical perspective we lack a crucial way of looking at and understanding human society in an international setting. In the end, history conclusively contributes to the personal development of students and to the general education of society.

Topics: The first main topic for higher and standard history is the causes, practices, and effects of war in the 20^th century. The two detailed areas of study for this topic will be the First and Second World Wars and the Vietnam War. The second main topic is the Cold War. It addresses East-West relations from 1945 to 1995. The two detailed areas of study for this topic will be developments in Europe : Germany , especially Berlin , Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan, NATO , USSR policies, east European satellites, COMECON, and the Warsaw Pact. The regional option that has been selected is Europe between the years 1895-1995.