Structure of Course  Written paper (25%)  Essay (30%)  Presentation (45%)

 Ethics  Genetic engineering, medical ethics and priorities, standards of living/ quality of life, ethical foreign policy, religious-secular divide. Economics Globalisation of economic activity, migration and work, impact of the Internet, global trade, ethics and economies of food, economic role of women. Environment Science and politics of climate change, industry and pollution, biodiversity, challenge of genetic modification, urbanisation and the countryside. Technology Alternatives to oil, artificial intelligence, technology and intelligent buildings, online and interactive communities. Politics and culture Emerging China, endangered cultures, international law, supra-national organisations, new nationalities, integration and multiculturalism.

 Interrogating information, exploring different perspectives and communicating personal reflections. Deconstruction Reconstruction Reflection Communication

 Analyse and evaluate arguments, reasoning, claims and conclusions. What are the different perspectives represented? What are the key components of the argument? What are the implications of the conclusions, arguments etc? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the arguments? Is there a valid conclusion or claim?

 Critically analyse and interpret the context and evidence of the arguments. What evidence is there to support the different perspectives? What are the sources of the supporting evidence and how credible are they? Does the evidence lead to a single conclusion? What is the context of the arguments? How reliable is the conclusion?

 Explore the impact of the research on personal perspectives. What were the personal viewpoints before undertaking the research? How do these relate to the perspectives identified in the research? What impact has the research had on prior viewpoints and why is this so? What additional research might be useful?

 Present research findings effectively. What is the most effective way to structure the presentation? How can research findings be presented to a non- specialist audience? How can arguments be presented effectively and persuasively? How can research findings be presented reliably?

 NO SET BOOK!  An Introduction to Sociology  Newspapers  Web-sites including wikipedia  mediathatmatters,  ted.com youtube, globalissues.org, hir.harvard.edu.

 Framed as a single question.  Clearly focused on a global issue.  words.  Must include a list of sources and fully referenced.  Title submitted to CIE by end of March.

 Identify different perspectives.  Understand the arguments upon which these perspectives are based.  Offer a critical view of the perspectives.  Reach a personal, supported view.

 Introduction (approx. 250 words) Deconstruct the title, explain importance of question, define key terms.  Literature Review ( words) Present at least two points of view from research. Evaluate on credibility and reliability.  Discussion ( words) Analysis of arguments, strengths and weaknesses.  Conclusion (150 words)  References (not included in word count) 4-8 different sources.

 Learners work in teams of between two and five members to identify a local problem which has global relevance.  Team members collaborate to select the issue or problem. They must work together to plan their work to ensure that individual members research different aspects.  Individual team members then carry out their research and produce an eight-minute presentation of their own work. The presentation must suggest effective and innovative solutions to the problem, based on the research findings.

 Following the presentations, the team comes together to discuss, debate and formulate their preferred team-based solution. This team solution must be detailed in an individual 800-word Reflective Paper submitted by each candidate. The Reflective Paper must also include an evaluation of, and reflection on, the process of collaboration.  Examples of local problems:  What is the best solution to the environmental impacts of urban sprawl?  How can we educate the public to prevent gang violence in the community?  How can we tackle the image of women in the media and its impact on local sub-cultures?

 Delivery Skills- eg. use of language, media, body language, appearance.  Appropriateness- eg. to level of audience, interesting, logically sequenced.  Use of visual aids- slides, powerpoints, music, video clips.  Reliability- eg. authority and credibility of sources, balance in argument.

 Deconstruct arguments. Assess the argument presented; assess claims and evidence for reliability, credibility and justifiability. Do they appeal to a shared belief? Can they be challenged?

 Critically assess presentation skills. Use of Language Body Language Use of Media

 Must be appropriate to the audience (age/ specialism).  Must hold their attention.  Must be logically sequenced.  Must be understood.

 What you wear.  How you stand.  How you project/ engage with your audience.  Use of illustrative tools.

 Must be appropriate to the audience (age/ specialism).  Must be appropriate to the topic.  Must be logically sequenced.  Must be understood.