What is Global Politics?

The short version

If you have ever argued about a headline with friends, wondered who actually gets heard in your community, or asked why some change sticks and other change stalls — you are already doing Global Politics. The course gives you the vocabulary and the evidence to do it well.

Nature of the subject

Global politics is an interdisciplinary course about how power works — who has it, how it is used, and how it is challenged — across local, national, international and global levels. You will compare different perspectives on real political issues, because power looks different in different places and at different times.

Core ideas include state sovereignty (how far a state's authority reaches) and legitimacy (why people accept decisions), applied to both state and non-state actors in areas like human rights, development, and peace and conflict. You will also examine growing interdependence in a globalized world, the role of international organizations, and how social organizations — NGOs, movements, firms, communities — shape outcomes.

Finally, you will engage with a local or community political issue, building practical insight into how decisions are made, who is affected, and what responsible action can look like. Those are the skills behind thoughtful, active citizenship.

What is the aim of the subject?

To equip you to understand and engage with real-world politics. Specifically, Global Politics aims for students to:

• explore and evaluate power in contemporary global politics;
• understand how state and non-state actors operate and interact within political systems;
• investigate and analyse current issues from multiple perspectives; and
• develop active, ethical global citizenship through collaboration and agency.

What does it explore?

The core — how power works in global politics: the key concepts (power, sovereignty, legitimacy, interdependence), the actors, and the systems they operate in. Always through real cases and contexts.

Three thematic studies, for every student — Rights & justice, Development & sustainability, Peace & conflict.

An integrated approach — linking the core across themes and contexts, rather than teaching topics in isolation.

The HL extension, for higher level only — deeper inquiry into eight global political challenges: Borders, Environment, Equality, Health, Identity, Poverty, Security and Technology, studied through case studies you research yourself.

What makes it compelling?

Global Politics is a live subject. It explores how power shapes everyday life — from school rules to global crises — through up-to-date case studies. Each week you will connect the news to core concepts and learn to argue with evidence. Its scope is wide: local to global, elections to protests, climate justice to digital privacy.

Do I need any prior learning?

No. Global Politics requires no specific prior learning and no subject background. The skills you need are developed inside the course.

Helpful, but not required: curiosity about current affairs, a willingness to read sources you disagree with, and an openness to discussing different perspectives.

Every year a few students hold back in the first weeks because they think everyone else knows more. They don't. Follow the news, say what you think, and the rest is practice.