IB Higher Level Social Anthropology is a two-year course of study which meets the requirements of the IB program. Social and cultural anthropology is the comparative study of culture and human societies. Students explore the general principals of social and cultural life and apply these principles to specific societies and cultures. Topics of anthropological inquiry include social change, kinship, symbolism, exchange, belief systems, ethnicity, and power relations. Social and cultural anthropology examines urban as well as rural society and modern nation states. Anthropology contributes to an understanding of contemporary issues such as war and conflict, the environment, poverty, injustice, inequality, and human and cultural rights. Higher Level students will study an additional part of the syllabus, theoretical perspectives in anthropology. Students are expected to incorporate a theoretical framework in their responses to paper 1 (questions 2 and 3), paper 2 and paper 3 questions. Higher Level students will conduct and report a field study, whereas SL students conduct, report, and critique an observation.
Prerequisites
Recommendation of the previous social studies teacher or permission of the instructor. Open to all W-L Grade 11 students.
This course is year 1 of a two-year sequence and prepares students for the required Higher Level IB assessments at the end of the course of study. Students will complete an Internal Assessment and sit for External Assessments (papers/exams). This IB course is weighted by applying an additional 1.0 quality point value assigned to the final grade upon completion of the course.