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PEACE AND CONFLICT STUDIES

INTRODUCTION

The essay should allow the student to develop and show research, interpretative and presentation skills. It should allow the student to concentrate his/her studies on an area of interest and produce a piece of work of academic merit.

CHOICE OF TOPIC

The choice of topic must be such as to ensure that the various assessment criteria can be satisfied. Avoid topics that are too broad in scope. There are many areas of human interaction in which Conflict and/or Peace can be observed, but purely descriptive essays should be avoided. Topics drawn from more dynamic situations allow the process of change to be studied and the candidate to assess the viability of Peace being achieved or maintained. When choosing a topic, ensure that a variety of sources is available. Candidates may use journalistic or visual/pictorial material or data collected from interviews, but there essays should not be based soley on such sources.

TREATMENT OF THE TOPIC

The subject involves differing interpretations of situations, events, causes and solutions. The better essays will examine a wide variety of opinions, assess their good and bad points, and include an element of personal evaluation. Many essays will involve topics in which the student has direct experience via family and friends, such as the two Koreas. This is not discouraged but, in such cases, care must be exercised to maintain the academic standards of essay writing, particularly with reference to sources, contentious issues and conclusions. Peace and Conflict is an interdisciplinary subject, and essays should reflect this by drawing data from, and integrating it with, statistics, geography, psychology, sociology, history, economics, politics and journalism.

The following examples are intended as guidance only.

The debate on the effects of television violence on pre-teenagers: social and legislative safeguards and their effectiveness is better than Violence on TV.

Racism in x and proposals for its reduction is better than A study of racism.

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
J To what extent does the candidate place the topic within a wide understanding of Peace in society?

Achievement Level

0 The candidate provides no contextual understanding.

1 The candidate provides little, inappropriate, or too much contextual understanding.

2 The candidate provides a fair description of the context of the topic.

3 The candidate provides an appropriate description of the context of the topic.

K To what extent does the candidate demonstrate knowledge and understanding of theories about the causes of peace and conflict?

Achievement Level

0 The candidate does not examine the relevant theories about the causes of peace and conflict.

1 The candidate demonstrates only limited knowledge and understanding of theories about the causes of peace and conflict.

2 The candidate demonstrates a satisfactory knowledge and understanding of theories about the causes of peace and conflict.

3 The candidate demonstrates a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of theories about the causes of peace and conflict.

L To what extent does the candidate demonstrate awareness and understanding of the differing roles, interpretations, and actions of all conflicting parties?

Achievement Level

0 The candidate makes no attempt to understand the roles, interpretation and action of the conflicting parties, or substantially misrepresents them.

1 The candidate demonstrates little awareness of the differing roles, interpretations and actions of all conflicting parties, and fails to reach well informed and substantiated opinions about them.

2 The candidate demonstrates satisfactory awareness of the differing roles, interpretations and actions of all conflicting parties, and shows some ability to reach well informed and substantiated opinions about them.

3 The candidate demonstrates a sound grasp of the differing roles, interpretations and actions of all conflicting parties, and reaches well informed and substantiated opinions about them.

M To what extent does the candidate examine solutions to conflict situations?

Achievement Level

0 The candidate makes no attempt to examine possible solutions to conflict situations.

1 The candidate demonstrates only limited ability to examine possible solutions to conflict situations.

2 The candidate demonstrates a satisfactory ability to examine possible solutions to conflict situations.

3 The candidate presents a clear and realistic examination of possible solutions to conflict situations.
IB Homepage Extended Essay homepage General guidelines General grading criteria Subject grading criteria

J	To what extent does the candidate place the topic within a wide understanding of Peace in society?
Achievement Level
0	The candidate provides no contextual understanding.
1	The candidate provides little, inappropriate, or too much contextual understanding.
2	The candidate provides a fair description of the context of the topic.
3	The candidate provides an appropriate description of the context of the topic.

K	To what extent does the candidate demonstrate knowledge and understanding of theories about the causes of peace and conflict?
Achievement Level
0	The candidate does not examine the relevant theories about the causes of peace and conflict.
1	The candidate demonstrates only limited knowledge and understanding of theories about the causes of peace and conflict.
2	The candidate demonstrates a satisfactory knowledge and understanding of theories about the causes of peace and conflict.
3	The candidate demonstrates a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of theories about the causes of peace and conflict.

L	To what extent does the candidate demonstrate awareness and understanding of the differing roles, interpretations, and actions of all conflicting parties?
Achievement Level
0	The candidate makes no attempt to understand the roles, interpretation and action of the conflicting parties, or substantially misrepresents them.
1	The candidate demonstrates little awareness of the differing roles, interpretations and actions of all conflicting parties, and fails to reach well informed and substantiated opinions about them.
2	The candidate demonstrates satisfactory awareness of the differing roles, interpretations and actions of all conflicting parties, and shows some ability to reach well informed and substantiated opinions about them.
3	The candidate demonstrates a sound grasp of the differing roles, interpretations and actions of all conflicting parties, and reaches well informed and substantiated opinions about them.

M	To what extent does the candidate examine solutions to conflict situations?
Achievement Level
0	The candidate makes no attempt to examine possible solutions to conflict situations.
1	The candidate demonstrates only limited ability to examine possible solutions to conflict situations.
2	The candidate demonstrates a satisfactory ability to examine possible solutions to conflict situations.
3	The candidate presents a clear and realistic examination of possible solutions to conflict situations.