Extended Essay in Glopo

In the Diploma Programme Global Politics course, a political issue is defined as:

“Any question that deals with how power is distributed and how it operates within social organization, and how people think about, and engage in, their communities and the wider world on matters that affect their lives.” Hence, there is a wide range of questions that are in principle suitable for an EE in Global Politics. Students must narrow their initial topic ideas to a concise question that can be researched effectively within the EE’s 4,000-word scope.

EEs in Global Politics may focus on topics that invite a local to global level of analysis, or on any level in between. Sometimes, it may be interesting to investigate how the same political issue unfolds at different levels of analysis.

The benefit of undertaking research that investigates issues at a global level is the availability of secondary data. Research at a local level may be more effectively investigated using primary methods.

In addition to levels of analysis, different theoretical foundations or the perspectives of varying groups of people or individuals on a political issue may help students to formulate a clear and focused research question.

The IB has several requirements for the way the EE is written and formatted. Please read the items outlined in this link prior to writing the essay. In addition, there is more information on formatting in the section on Criterion D.

• Six required elements of the extended essay (note that there is no abstract):

1. Title page

• • • Must include ONLY the following information:

      • The title of the essay

      • The research question

      • The subject for which the essay is registered (if it is a language, essay, include the Category; if a World Studies essay, include the theme and the two subjects utilized)

      • Word count

2. Contents page

• • • 1. 1. Ensure the table of contents provide a reasonable amount of detail for each section. Some EE examiners have found that the “the structure and layout support the reading, understanding and evaluation of the extended essay” descriptor in Criterion D has been applied to the table of contents.

         2. All pages must be numbered.

3. Introduction

• • • 1. 1. The introduction should tell the reader what to expect in the essay. The introduction should make clear to the reader the focus of the essay, the scope of the research, in particular an indication of the sources to be used, and an insight into the line of argument to be taken. While students should have a sense of the direction and key focus of their essay, it is sometimes advisable to finalize the introduction once the body of the essay is complete.

         2. The introduction is is an appropriate place for several of the required elements of Criterion A to be introduced and as such, it should clearly address them (i.e., identify/explain the topic, research question, methodology and types of resources to be consulted), unless these are given their own individual sections in the essay. The research question must be stated in the introduction of the essay.

4. Body of the essay

• • • 1. 1. Contains research, discussion, analysis, evaluation

         2. Should be broken into sub-sections which can be identified on the table of contents. The specific types of sub-headings will depend on the subject area.

5. Conclusion

• • • 1. 1. Must relate to the research question posed

6. References and bibliography

• (Works Cited page should look something like this or this; any uncertainty regarding citations, please contact the EE Coordinator.) Note that points are awarded here for the formatting and appearance of the citations only; any errors, omissions, incomplete citations, etc. will result in the paper being raised as an “exception” and investigated as a case of suspected academic malpractice.

• By simply ensuring you adhere to the requirements for Presentation (word count, illustrations, tables, appendices, etc.), students can, with relative ease, earn 4 points to help make up for weaker areas of their EE. Here are some of the basics:

  • no abstract (if one has been written, it can perhaps be absorbed into the introduction)

  • 12 point readable font

  • double-spaced

  • include page numbers

  • no student name or school on the title page or anywhere else in the essay

  • word count: If word count is slightly over the 4000 limit, students need to deduct the number of words used in their Table of Contents, Works Cited page, in-text citations/table captions, etc. so that the word count accurately reflects the number of words in their essay; this is the final figure that should appear on their title page. If, after deducting their citations, etc. they still have too many words, they will need to reduce the number of words in the text of their essay.

  • illustrations -- must be properly identified; labels must not include commentary

  • tables -- must be used sparingly

  • headers -- optional; could use for research question to retain focus throughout

  • appendices -- Placed after the body of the essay but before the Works Cited page (in MLA style papers). Note: “Any information that is important to the argument must not be included in appendices or footnotes/end-notes. The examiner will not read notes or appendices, so an essay that is not complete in itself will be compromised across the assessment criteria.”

Start by writing a bullet point plan of your essay in the form of 'sub-headings'. Add a provisional word count for each section.

Introduction- including research question and thesis statement 300 words

Section 1- A paragraph setting the section point followed by several PEEL paragraphs exploring the different aspects of the point. 850 words

Repeat for sections 2-4. 850 words each.

Conclusion- refer back to RQ, thesis statement and Sections 1-4. 300 words

From your provisional plan you can then begin writing the essay, section by section.

Avoid spending too long on the introduction as you should always edit that when you have finished the body of the essay to ensure it matches what you actually talk about.

Never leave referencing to the end. Always keep track of sources of information and cite as you go.

                 Guiding questions for the First reflection:

                 - Why have you chosen this topic as the focus of your RQ?

                 - Why is this RQ worthy of investigation?

                 - What contradictions, concerns or controversies are you already aware of in relation to your RQ?

                 - Is there enough material readily available to support such an essay?

                 - What sources do you think might be useful and why?

                 - What might be some problems in arriving at a conclusion to your EE?

                 - Are there any ethical considerations you need to take into account?

                Guiding questions for the Second reflection:

                - Have you made any adjustments to your RQ since the first reflection? If so, why?

                - What perspectives have you been aware of through your readings?

                - What material have you rejected from your list of sources while completing your draft? Why?

                - What areas you feel need further exploration?

                - Have you had any issues with your time management? How have you addressed them?

                Guiding questions for the Third reflection:

                - What conclusions did you arrive at during the research and writing of your EE?

- What would you consider to be the most [and the least] rewarding aspect of your research and writing 

               process?

                - What have you learned about your topic from researching and writing about it?

                - What unanswered questions are you left with?

                - How successful do you believe you have been with regards to answering your RQ?