Course Outline - IB Diploma - History

The course aims at giving students an understanding of 20th century political and socio-economic developments as well as instilling them with a critical attitude towards all kinds of sources. Students should be able at the end of the course to present historical explanations from an international point of view, explain cause and effect of historical change and continuity and conduct historical research autonomously.

This course will focus on developments during the 20th century. It will address the following themes:

• “Causes, practices and effect of wars” (HL and SL)
• “The rise and rule of single-party states” (HL and SL)
• (partially) “The Cold War” (HL and SL)

It will focus on the following areas:

• Russia and the USSR from 1894 to 1991 (HL and partially SL)
• Germany from 1918 to 1945 (HL and SL)
• Italy from 1922 to 1945 (HL and SL)
• China from 1946 to 1964 (HL and SL)
• WW I and II (HL and SL)
• the inter-war years (HL)
• wars during the Cold War. (HL and SL)

The various topics are generally discussed more in depth in HL than in SL.

Assessment and Methods of Assessment 11-12 History

The course is assessed both externally and internally in order to arrive at an overall level of 1 to 7 for the subject.

External Assessment - examination at the end of year 12:

• Paper 1 - containing 4 source based questions and all should be answered.
• Paper 2 - containing essay questions of which two have to be answered.
• Paper 3 - containing essay questions of which three have to be answered.

Students will also have to conduct a historical investigation as part of the external assessment, though it will be internally assessed.

Internal Assessment - tests, essays, projects/presentations, source based questions.