Individuals & Societies Notes

Time, Place, and Space; Causality; Perspective

Orientation in Space and Time: Our perspective changes over time, and reflection helps us understand the causes and impacts of events across different times and places.
How Perspective Changes: Reflection allows us to understand how our perspectives evolve over time, especially when considering the causes and impacts of events in various contexts.
Examples of Perspective-Changing Scenarios:
- Exploring the world can broaden one's perspective.
- Historical artifacts, like pieces of the Berlin Wall, serve as reminders of past events.
- Waste from more economically developed countries (MEDCs) can become a source of income in less economically developed countries (LEDCs).
- The coexistence of shanty towns and wealthy areas in cities highlights disparities.

Key Questions and Skills

Factual Questions:
- What have you learned so far?
- What additional knowledge is needed?
- How does this knowledge align with the aims of MYP Individuals and Societies?
- How will this knowledge prepare you for Diploma courses?
Conceptual Questions:
- What approaches to learning (ATL) skills are required next?
- How do we gather our own data?
- How do we develop research questions based on current issues?
- How do our perspectives change as we learn through different subjects?
- How do we assess the truthfulness of information?
- How do we answer exam-style questions?
- How is your understanding of Individuals and Societies transformed?
Debatable Question: Can we ever be certain that we have mastered the topics we have learned?
Chapter Objectives:
- Assess the extent of learning and identify areas needing revision.
- Explore appropriate courses in Individuals and Societies.
- Consider the ethical, moral, and social implications of Individuals and Societies.

Approaches to Learning (ATL) Skills

Communication skills
Organization skills
Collaboration skills
Critical-thinking skills
Research skills
Information literacy skills
Media literacy skills
Reflective Learning: Connecting new discoveries to existing understanding enriches and deepens learning.
Learner Profile Attribute: Reflective.
Assessment Criteria:
- Criterion A: Knowing and understanding
- Criterion B: Investigating
- Criterion C: Communicating
- Criterion D: Thinking critically
Key Vocabulary: dataset, hypothesis, primary source, research question, secondary source.
Visible Thinking Routine:
- I used to think that …
- Now I think that …
- What I would like to know next is …

Gathering Data: Urban Heat Island Effect

Research Skills: Process data and report results.
Urban Heat Island (UHI) Effect: An urban area that is significantly warmer than its surrounding rural areas due to human activities.
Temperature Gradient: As distance from the city center decreases, temperature increases.
$L a t e \ a f t e r n o o n \ t e m p e r a t u r e$

Figure 12.2 Illustrates an urban heat island profile contrasting temperatures in rural, suburban, and urban areas.

Discussion Points:
- Why are urban areas generally hotter than rural areas?
- What factors contribute to this temperature difference?

Fieldwork Investigation: Urban Heat Island Effect

Task: Conduct a fieldwork investigation in an urban area to study the UHI effect.
Assessment: The resulting report will be assessed based on all four MYP Individuals and Societies assessment criteria.

Steps for the Investigation

Initial Research: Investigate the UHI effect, including its causes and examples of affected locations.
Develop a Research Question: Formulate a research question related to UHIs.
Justify Relevance: Explain why the research question is important.
Preliminary Judgement/Hypothesis: Predict the answer to the research question based on the urban heat island profile (Figure 12.2).

Methodology

Planning: Collaborate with your teacher to plan the fieldwork as a class.
Data Collection: Divide the city into zones along a transect (north-south or east-west).
- Assign groups to collect data in each zone.
- Share the collected data to create a comprehensive picture of the city.
Data Types: Collect both primary and secondary data, as well as qualitative and quantitative data.
Equipment: Use available equipment (e.g., from the science department) or smartphones to gather data.

Data Collection

Variables to Measure: Temperature, humidity, noise pollution, traffic count, pedestrian count, percentage of concrete, percentage of vegetation, and the function of the area.
Report: Include the location of the fieldwork investigation.
Map: Provide a map of the data collection locations.
Visuals: Use photos to represent the area, equipment, or relevant aspects of the study.
Methods: Describe, justify, and evaluate the methods used and the quality of the data collected.

Advice on Maps

Value-Added: Add value to maps by using them as base maps to display additional information.
Acknowledgement: Cite the source of the map.
Elements: Include a title, scale (or indication of ‘not to scale’), key/legend, and border.

Extensions

Sampling Techniques: Research and discuss different sampling techniques.
Statistical Tests: Explore statistical tests for data display with the help of your math teacher.

Conclusion

Summary: Summarize findings and provide a clear answer to the fieldwork question.
Consistency: Ensure the conclusion aligns with the analysis.
Recommendations: Suggest realistic improvements.
Modifications: Propose suggestions for modifying the fieldwork question.
Bibliography: Compile a bibliography of sources used.

Assessment

Criteria: This activity assesses Criterion A (Knowing and understanding), Criterion B (Investigating), Criterion C (Communicating), and Criterion D (Thinking critically).

Data Presentation and Analysis

Integration: Integrate data presentation (graphs) with written analysis.
Appropriate Techniques: Use the most suitable techniques to treat and display data.
Knowledge and Understanding: Demonstrate knowledge of the investigation by interpreting the collected information.
Results: Describe, explain, and analyze results, including any anomalies.

Framing an Investigation

Criterion B: Investigation is dedicated to investigation skills.
Core Principles: Investigations share core principles across different subjects, though sources may vary.
Activity: Practice core principles of investigating, drawing on concepts from Chapter 5 (sustainability in ecosystems}.
Strands of Criterion B: Formulating a research question, creating an action plan, conducting effective and relevant research, and reflecting on the process.

Activity: Sustainability Investigation

Organization Skills: Planning short- and long-term assignments, meeting deadlines, creating plans for summative assessments.
ATL: Conduct an investigation into sustainability in an ecosystem of your choice.
Report/Presentation: Produce a report or presentation that answers your research question.
Assessment: This may be assessed using Criteria A, C, and/or D in addition to Criterion B.

Topic Selection

Ecosystem Options: Savanna grassland, polar, marine, rainforest, freshwater, or another ecosystem of interest.

Formulating the Research Question

Initial Research: Conduct quick research to identify issues faced by the chosen ecosystem (human impact or natural phenomena).
Research Question ‘Must Haves’:
- Clear: Does it make sense?
- Focused: Does it identify the what, where, when, and who?
- Un-Googleable: Does it require information from multiple sources?
- Relevant: Is it connected to the task itself?

Explain Your Choice

Questions to Answer:
- Why did you choose this focus?
- Does it fit the research question 'must haves’?
- Does it allow you to meet the task requirements?

Research Methods

Table 12.1: Questions, Notes, and Sources

Guiding Questions: Identify questions to guide your research.
Notes: Information you find that answers the key questions (copied from sources).
My Notes: Your own words (bullet points).
Sources: List the sources you have used.

Report or Presentation Structure

Word/Time Limit: 1,000-word limit or 8-minute time limit.

Introduction (100 words/1 minute)

Identify the purpose of your investigation.
Identify and explain your research question.

Overview (250 words/2 minutes)

Include core facts and information about the ecosystem and your focus area (evaluating sustainability).
Answer the 5Ws + H (how) regarding sustainability (positive and negative actions) on your chosen ecosystem.
Use visuals to show/demonstrate information (maps, graphs, photos, quotations).

Analysis (400 words/4 minutes)

Answer/respond to your research question.
Identify three main points.
Use evidence from your research to support each point.
Include multiple perspectives in your explanations.
Use visuals.

Conclusion (150 words/1 minute)

Summarize your main points using your research question as your basis.
Give a concise response to your research question.

Structure Requirements

Cover/title page/slide
Four main sections with sub-headings
Bibliography
Use relevant pictures/photos, graphs, tables, diagrams, statistics, and maps with explicit references.
Minimal words on presentation screens with useful images and a bibliography on the last slide.

Reflection

Evaluate the process and results of your investigation.
Questions to consider:
- What interested you about the topic?
- Which resources were especially helpful and why?
- What was difficult about the process?
- Did you find it difficult or easy to follow your action plan? Why?
- What did you enjoy about the investigation? What didn’t you like?
- What new skills did you develop during this investigation?
- What problems did you encounter and how did you fix them?
- What will you do differently in your next investigation?
- What did you think of the product you made? Is it your best work? Why/why not?

Assessment

Criteria: This activity assesses Criterion A (Knowing and understanding), Criterion B (Investigating), Criterion C (Communicating), and Criterion D (Thinking critically).

Developing Research Questions Based on Current Issues

Austerity: Does it Do More Harm Than Good?

Information Literacy Skills: Collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions.
ATL: Austerity refers to government policies involving cuts in spending or tax increases (or both) to reduce borrowing.
- These policies affect aggregate demand but may be necessary to prevent larger economic issues.
- Countries that have implemented austerity: Brazil, Greece, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom, Latvia.
Task: Write a 1,200–1,500-word essay arguing for or against austerity in one of the listed countries.
- Select a narrow focus and develop a research question.

Preliminary Research

Topics to Research:
- How do governments borrow money? (Government bonds)
- What are 'bond yield’ and ‘bond price’?
- Why do bond prices rise and fall?
- Why do bond yields rise and fall?
- How do governments raise more revenue?
- How do governments cut their spending?

Research Question

Characteristics: Open-ended, debatable, and not indicating the answer.
Narrow Focus: Investigate a specific industry or aspect of life in the country.
Evidence: Gather enough data, quotes, and credible sources before writing.
Approval: Submit your research question to your teacher for approval and revise as needed.

Research and Planning

Time Investment: Allocate sufficient time for research.
Process: The research process includes:
- Gathering data from reliable sources (e.g., government statistics).
- Reading newspaper articles from the relevant period.
- Finding quotes from economists or politicians to support arguments.
Planning Arguments: Base each argument and essay section on evidence gathered.
Essay Outline: Submit an essay outline to your teacher including:

Introduction

Background: Provide background on the country’s economy during the period (GDP, main industries, timeline).
Relevance: Justify the relevance of the research question.
Preliminary Judgement: Make a preliminary judgement (prediction/hypothesis).

Three Main Sections to Your Argument

Structure: Organize sections to enable the reader to follow your argument with credible evidence.
Paragraph Structure (PEEL):
- Point: Clear point in the first sentence.
- Explain: Develop the point, explaining economic theory or cause-and-effect relationships.
- Evidence: Present evidence to support the point from credible sources.
- Link: Explicitly link the point to the research question.

Conclusion

Answer: Present your answer to the question.
Clarity: Clearly state why your answer is stronger than counter-arguments.

Assessment

Criteria: This activity assesses Criterion A (Knowing and understanding), Criterion B (Investigating), Criterion C (Communicating), and Criterion D (Thinking critically).

Educating Citizens of a Country or the World?

Activity Overview

Organization Skills: Create plans to prepare for summative assessments.
ATL: Education policy is a debated topic with questions such as:

Key Questions in Education Policy

What is the purpose of education?
What skills should students leave school with?
Should we prioritize some learning/subjects over others?
What proportion of the government’s budget should be spent on education?
Should there be private schools?
Should there be standardized testing? At what ages?

Task

Imagine you are a university lecturer researching education policy.
Investigate the effectiveness of education systems for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Select one of the OECD countries (see OECD.org), and carry out an investigation into the successes and weaknesses of its education system.

Preliminary Research

Keep an active notebook containing all your research and noting sources.
Submit an action plan to your teacher, using a copy of Table 12.2.

Report Requirements

An outline of the education system that currently exists in the country.
A section that analyzes the effectiveness of current practices, including statistics for attainment, literacy, and shares of the population who leave education with qualifications.
A section that explains the current government’s plans for improvement.
A section that discusses government plans and suggests other approaches that might be used.

Assessment

Criteria: This activity assesses Criterion A (Knowing and understanding), Criterion B (Investigating), Criterion C (Communicating), and Criterion D (Thinking critically).

Table 12.2 Action plan

Task
Resources: eg. books, specific webpages, databases
Due date
Complete
Date to submit completed work

How Our Perspectives Change As We Learn Through Different Subjects

Overview

Individuals and Societies involves the study of social relationships through different subjects.
Each subject has its own methodology and looks at different conceptual relationships within the same social events.
Each subject provides a different set of understandings or answers.

Example: The Wall Street Crash of 1929

Causes

Historians’ Perspective:
- Renewed optimism since the First World War
- New industrial age of steel and electricity
- Rapid growth in incomes
- Increasing use of the radio in the home
- Changing tastes in music, fashion and leisure activities
- Protectionism during the interwar period that contributed to an increase in manufacturing
- Republican government policies supported business growth and investment
Economists’ Perspective:
- Market optimism and overconfidence
- Rise of American Consumerism leading to the overproduction of consumer goods that were attained as a result of easy credit schemes
- Stock market boom and the ‘long bull market’ which led to the system of buying stocks ‘on margin’ with loans from stock brokers
- Fall in demand for consumer products and the unequal distribution of wealth across America
- Weaknesses in the American banking system
- Panic-selling of massive amounts of stocks and shares

Effects

Geographers’ Perspective:
- High levels of unemployment
- Bankruptcies
- Suicides
- Starvation
- Migration
- Evictions and wage cuts that led to the Great Depression
- Reduction in trade between countries (higher trade barriers)
Historians’ Perspective:
- Breakdown in communication between countries, generating suspicion
- Countries become insular (forcing people to buy national goods in order to create jobs and rebuild the economy)
- Global nature of the crisis results in a loss of confidence in democracy and a rise in extremist groups promising to solve a nation’s problems, e.g. Nazism in Germany (Hitler), Fascism in Italy (Mussolini) and Spain (Franco)
- A cause of the Second World War

Taking a Viewpoint

Activity Overview

Media Literacy Skills: Seek a range of perspectives from multiple and varied sources
ATL: Choose any twentieth-century event and analyze the event in two clear sections: causes and effects.

Project Sections

Research question and justification – 100 words
Action plan – 200 words
Investigation essay – 1,000 words
Reflection – 200 words
References

Assessment Criteria

A - Knowledge and Understanding
B - Investigating
C - Communication
D - Thinking Critically

1. Research Question and Justification

Formulate your own research question.
Include a short paragraph to justify the relevance of the topic and question as being important to investigate.

2. Action Plan

Formulate an action plan for how you will complete the investigation from start to finish. Include a time frame for how long you think each section might take you.
Describe the methods you will use to find the information you require.

3. Investigation Essay

a. Describe the event and give it context.
b. Analyze the causes from the different perspectives.

Identify the opinions of academics who have a view on the causes.

c. Analyze the consequences from different perspectives.

Identify the opinions of academics who have a view on the consequences.

d. Conclusion

Summarize the key points of your investigation.
Evaluate what the most influential cause and most impactful consequence was, based on the weight of evidence.

In this section, you should:

Use a wide range of terminology in context
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of subject-specific content and concepts through developed descriptions, explanations, and examples
Communicate information and ideas effectively using an appropriate style for the audience and purpose
Structure information and ideas in a way that is appropriate to the specified format
Discuss concepts, issues, models, visual representation, and theories.

Evaluation of Sources

You should choose two sources that you used most prominently and, with reference to their origin, purpose, and content, discuss the values and limitations of each source. You may wish to structure your evaluation like this:

Source A

Values paragraph

The origin is of value because …
The purpose can be considered a value to an individual studying the Wall Street Crash because …
The content of the source is valuable due to …

Limitations paragraph

The origin can be seen as a slight limitation due to …
The purpose is limited because …
The content has limitations because of … which requires the individual to seek out further sources.

Source B

Follow the same structure as the Source A values paragraph

Source B Limitations paragraph

Follow the same structure as the Source A limitations paragraph

In this section you should:

Synthesize information to make valid, well- supported arguments
Analyses and evaluate a wide range of sources/data in terms of origin and purpose, examining values and limitations
Interpret different perspectives and their implications

4. Reflection

Explain why the chosen research question and topic were relevant and appropriate.
Explain the research methods you used to collect and record appropriate, varied, and relevant information.
Evaluate the process and results of your investigation.

5. References

Your investigation should include in-text citations (Harvard) or footnotes (MLA) as well as a bibliography to show that you have documented sources of information using a recognized convention. It is very important to reference your work in order to:

Demonstrate to your readers that you have conducted a thorough and appropriate literature search and reading
Acknowledge that you have used the ideas and written material belonging to other people/authors in your own work.

Assessment Opportunities

This activity has practiced skills that are assessed using Criterion A: Knowing and understanding, Criterion B: Investigating, and Criterion D: Thinking critically.

Table 12.3 Framework with assessment criteria.

Column one: Criteria being assessed
Column two: Section name and guidance
Column three: Score/ 8

Framework table sections

B i Research question and justification: Identify your research question / the title of your investigation. Explain why you believe your question to be appropriate to investigate.
B ii & iii Action plan: Formulate an action plan for how you will complete the investigation from start to finish. Include a time frame for how long you think each section might take you. Describe the methods you will use to find the information you require.
C i & ii Investigation essay: Communicate your information in a clear and concise manner ensuring you follow a structure of regularly paragraphing and linking back to the question at the end of each paragraph. You may wish to use the PEEL paragraph structure: Point: make it clear. Evidence: ensure you support your point with evidence from academic sources. Explanation: explain how the evidence supports the point you made. Link: this should point back to the main question and show how the paragraph has helped to partly answer it (or give a perspective on it).
A i & ii Where appropriate, use technical vocabulary and write in detail, but remember you are writing an analytical piece not a narrative one.
D i Identify the author’s opinions and concepts as part of your analysis.
D ii Bring together your knowledge gained from this book and the course as a whole, as well as the opinions of academics, to help you support the points and opinions you are trying to make.
D iv Explore the different perspectives: economic, geographical and historical, as well as those of academics, and identify what they are implying in relation to your question.
B i Evaluation of sources: Identify and name the two sources that were most prominent in your investigation. Evaluate and justify why they were so prominent in your investigation
D iii Analyse and evaluate the two sources (separately) in terms of their values and limitations, linking these to their origin and purpose
B iv Reflection: Evaluate what went well in your investigation and how you could have made it even better
C iii Bibliography: Document all the sources that you used in your investigation. Ensure this is done using either the Harvard or MLA system – use the same one throughout

Competing Claims

Activity Overview

Collaboration Skills: Build consensus
ATL: Imagine you are leading a committee of two members (one from the USA and one from Canada) that has been set up to evaluate the proposed building of a new ski resort on the US–Canadian border

Task Description

Build a ski resort on the US–Canadian border, linking the Cascade Range in the US and the Coast Mountains in Canada at coordinates 49°N, 120°W (as denoted by the blue square in Figure 12.4).
The proposed site for the resort is on Native American land (belonging to the Sanpoils, Salish and Shuswaps) and the plans are to build the resort to a state-of-the-art specification that would allow the town to bid for the Winter Olympics in 2030.
Conduct a debate in class in which the main issues of building such a resort are discussed. Your teacher will allocate you to a side of the debate.
During the debate, everyone should take notes on what is being said and what evidence is used.
After the debate, you will individually write a summary of the issues, and the different arguments set out by each side during the debate. You will finish your summary with a conclusion in which you justify your own view.

Research

Prior to beginning the debate, you should conduct some research into:
- The physical geography of the area – rainfall, snowfall, days of sunshine per year, topography
- The population of the area
- The economics of the area in terms of percentage unemployment, money currently received in tourism, any other major industries
- The history of the area, particularly relating to the activities of the Sanpoils, Salish, and Shuswaps tribes and how they view the land
- The multiplier effect
- Diversification in tourism

Assessment Opportunities

This activity has practised skills that are assessed using Criterion A: Knowing and understanding, Criterion B: Investigating, and Criterion D: Thinking critically.

Figure 12.4 Native American tribal territories across North America

The Role of the News Media Today

Activity Overview

Critical-Thinking Skills: Identify obstacles and challenges.
ATL: Read the following extract from an interview with a British television news producer in 2018.

Task Description

Create a 6–8 minute presentation describing and analysing the role that the news media play in shaping public opinion and keeping governments to account and how you, as students, can use your research skills to validate the legitimacy of what you read, see, and hear.

Presentation Requirements

Using a formal definition of ‘fake news’ , justify why it is important to address this issue.
Describe and explain how this issue has come to our attention in recent years.
Evaluate the role that the news has played in recent times and in some example countries.
Explore how we can ensure we identify the differences between credible and untrustworthy sources, and find out the real facts, for use in our written work.
Identify the methods we can use to find out where a source comes from.
Use a conclusion to summarize your key recommendations on how to validate the legitimacy of information in the era of fake news.
Document the sources you have used in a bibliography at the end of your presentation.

Important Considerations

The topic of ‘fake news’ overlaps with recent political events that have caused some contention between people in their countries.
We must always remember that people’s political views are their own, and that there are ways to engage in debate with people without upsetting them (see the Guardian, 2019, ‘The science of influencing people: six ways to win an argument’).
It is important to remain objective and balanced when discussing such issues.

Assessment Opportunities

This activity has practised skills that are assessed using Criterion A: Knowing and understanding, Criterion B: Investigating, Criterion C: Communicating, and Criterion D: Thinking critically.

Answering Exam-Style Questions

Activity Overview

Communication Skills: Use appropriate forms of writing for different purposes and audiences.
ATL: This activity below relates to the population topics covered in Chapter 6.

Population Questions

a. Define the term ‘population density’.[1 mark]
b. Define the term ‘population distribution’. [1 mark]
c. Explain the meaning of the term ‘densely populated’. [2 marks]
d. Using examples of places you have studied, describe the physical factors that may cause areas to be sparsely populated. [6 marks]
a. Define the term ‘birth rate’. [1 mark]
b. Define the term ‘death rate’. [1 mark]
c. Explain why LEDCs often have a high birth rate. [3 marks]
d. On a copy of the diagram below (the demographic transition model) draw three lines to represent the birth rate, death rate and total population. (Make sure you label them or use different colors.) [3 marks]

Depiction of a demographic transition model goes here

a. Look the population pyramid below. State whether it shows Sweden or India. [1 mark]

Pyramid graph goes here

b. Examine the pyramid and explain what you can identify about the country from its structure. [5 marks]

Assessment

This activity has practiced skills that are assessed using Criterion A: Knowing and understanding.

Assessment opportunities

Reflection

Chapter Summary

In this chapter, we have practiced all the skills required to be successful in an MYP Individuals and Societies course.
- We have explained complex concepts and problems
- gathered research to support our writing with evidence
- Evaluated claims and constructed counter-arguments
- Considered ideas from multiple perspectives and analyzed the implications of those views.
- We know how to cite our sources in-text and how to construct our reference list at the end of our work.

Reflection Table

Use this table to reflect on your own learning in this chapter.

Questions we asked
Answers we found
Any further questions now?

Question Prompts

What approached learning skills did you use in this chapter?
- Description – what new skills did you learn?
- How well did you master the skills?
  - Novice, learner, practitioner, expert
Reflect on the importance of being reflective for your learning in this chapter.
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*   Reflective
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Answering Exam Questions

Read the question carefully!
Pay close attention to the command term at the start of the question as this is your biggest clue as to what the examiners are wanting you to do.
If you are asked to explain, give reasons and say why something is the case.
If you are asked to describe, you should use the information in front of you (often in a graph, table, or photograph) and simply say what you see.
Look at how many marks each question is worth to guide you as to how much detail is needed.
Generally in Individuals and Societies subjects, for each point you make you are awarded 1 mark and if you develop that point, it could gain you a further mark.
Your teacher will be able to advise you on how much time you should spend on specific questions and sections of assessments as this differs between the Individuals and Societies subjects, but it is important to get into the habit of paying attention to time so that you allow yourself enough time to complete all the tasks.