GEOGRAPHY
GEOGRAPHY
The great challenges of the 21st century are geographical in their formulation, analysis and consequence, and they transcend the physical / social divide
Geography has never been more important than it is now. Humans have never been more networked, and we have never known so much about the natural world. Three core concepts – global interactions, sustainability and equality – sit at the heart of 21st century geography.
The Geography course integrates physical, environmental and human geography, and ensures that students acquire elements of both socio-economic and scientific methodologies. Geography takes advantage of its position to examine relevant concepts and ideas from a wide variety of disciplines. This helps students develop life skills and have an appreciation of, and a respect for, alternative approaches, viewpoints and ideas. There are four key concepts framing the IB Geography Course. These are Place, Process, Power and Possibilities and two organising concepts of Scale and Spatial interaction.
Distinction between Standard and Higher Level Students at SL and HL study optional geographic themes( two at SL and three at HL) and a common Global Change core. HL students also study Global Interactions.
At both HL and SL, students acquire a range of transferable skills including digital mapping, infographics, statistical calculations, extended writing, data research, processing, interpretation and the application of ICT including GIS.
Syllabus content Core Geographic Perspectives – Global Change( SL and HL) is an overview of the key global issues of our time – population dynamics, climate change and resource consumption issues. Topics include forced migration, ageing societies, gender equality, the demographic dividend, the global energy balance, the effects of global climate change, adaptation and mitigation strategies for global climate change, the growth of the“ new global middle class”, the water-food-energy nexus, international flows of waste, population and resource consumption trends and resource stewardship.
Geographical Themes Oceans and Coastal Margins( HL and SL) Topics include: the physical characteristics and processes of the atmosphere-ocean linkage, eg ENSO and tropical storms issues, oceans as resource bases, strengths and weaknesses of initiatives to manage ocean pollution, the geopolitics of international security and contested ownership of strategic ocean places and sovereignty rights of nations.
20 THE IB AT SEVENOAKS | GROUP THREE