IB MYP Individuals and Societies: Global contexts in MYP Individuals and Societies – Revision Notes

These revision notes condense the global contexts study guide, which has the full explanations and worked examples. They are for IB MYP Individuals and Societies and follow the IB MYP Individuals and societies guide (for use from September 2014/January 2015; published May 2014, updated April 2021). They suit MYP years 4 and 5, with no SL/HL split.

MYP has no prescribed content list: your school chooses the topics. The global contexts are part of the shared framework, so they apply whatever your units are about.

Links: course hub · printable checklist · practice questions · criteria in practice revision notes

Definitions

• Global context – the real-world setting of a unit. It answers “why does this matter?” for people and the planet.
• Key concept – a broad idea that works across subjects. The four the guide says I&S contributes are change, global interactions, systems, and time, place and space.
• Related concept – a concept rooted in one discipline, used to look at the key concept in more depth (for example causality, disparity, power).
• Statement of inquiry – one transferable sentence that sets the key and related concepts in a global context.
• Inquiry questions – factual, conceptual and debatable questions that come out of the statement of inquiry.

The six global contexts

Global context	What it asks (our summary)	One I&S unit idea
Identities and relationships	Who are people, what do they value, how do groups and nations relate?	German unification and national identity (Empire proclaimed January 1871)
Orientation in space and time	When and where? What were the turning points and connections?	The first US transcontinental railroad (completed May 1869) and shorter journeys
Personal and cultural expression	How do people express ideas and identity, and how are ideas adopted or resisted?	Advertising and consumer culture
Scientific and technical innovation	How do science and technology change societies, and who gains?	The first lasting transatlantic telegraph cable (1866) and faster news
Globalization and sustainability	How are local and global linked, and what are the long-term effects?	Rainforest cleared for oil palm plantations in Indonesia
Fairness and development	Who has rights, access and opportunity? Why is there inequality?	Measuring income inequality; the minimum wage debate

The descriptions are ours. The guide lists the six contexts but gives no fixed list of topics for each.

What the guide requires

• Teachers must identify a global context for each unit, or develop an additional context, to show the relevance of the inquiry.
• Many I&S inquiries focus on orientation in space and time.
• Teachers are encouraged to offer units in the other contexts too.
• Global contexts aim at inquiry into common humanity and shared care of the planet.

The guide’s example statements of inquiry (paraphrased)

The guide’s table of example statements uses each global context once. Learn which pairing goes with which context – several are not what you would guess.

• Globalization and sustainability: views on globalization depend on local circumstances and values (key concept global interactions).
• Identities and relationships: nations make alliances to protect their interests (key concept systems; related concepts conflict and cooperation).
• Fairness and development: absolute and relative location affect development (key concept time, place and space; related concepts scale and disparity).
• Scientific and technical innovation: new communication and transport technology brings opportunities and challenges for minorities (key concept change; culture, diversity).
• Orientation in space and time: people and governments develop strategies to live with hazards over time (key concept global interactions; management and intervention).
• Personal and cultural expression: societies adopt, adapt or resist significant ideas (key concept change; power, significance).

Method in steps: writing a statement of inquiry

1. Pick the key concept        -> e.g. change
2. Pick 1-2 related concepts   -> e.g. causality, interdependence
3. Pick the global context     -> e.g. orientation in space and time
4. Write ONE sentence linking them, with no names or dates
5. Test: could it guide a unit on a different topic? If not, rewrite.

Worked reminder. Topic: the Dust Bowl, 1930s. Key concept: change. Related: causality, sustainability. Context: globalization and sustainability. Statement: “Farming choices that ignore the limits of the land can damage environments and livelihoods for a generation.” Transferable? Yes – it also fits overgrazing or rainforest cleared for plantations.

Method in steps: using the context in Criterion B

1. Start from the context's question ("who has access?", "what changed over time?")
2. Narrow to one place, one period, one measurable thing
3. Check it against the guide's points for a research question:
   relevance, manageability, originality, can be assessed,
   resources available, your interest, link to the discipline
4. Justify relevance in 2-3 sentences that name the context's issue
5. Choose methods that suit the context (compare groups / compare dates / interview people)

Worked reminder. Context: scientific and technical innovation (economics). Question: “How has self-checkout changed the number of staff on a shift at three local supermarkets since they were installed?” Relevance: it tests who gains and loses from a new technology. Data: manager interviews and staff rotas, if shared, plus observation counts.

Must-know distinctions

• Key concept vs global context. “Time, place and space” is a key concept. “Orientation in space and time” is a global context. They sound alike; do not swap them.
• Topic vs context. The topic is what you study (palm oil plantations in Indonesia). The context is why it matters (sustainability, or fairness to communities whose forest land was cleared).
• Statement of inquiry vs research question. The statement frames the whole unit and is not answered directly. The research question is narrow and answered with evidence.
• Statement vs fact. “The Wall Street Crash happened in October 1929” is a fact. “A crisis in one economy can spread across borders” is a statement.
• Must vs encouraged. A context is required for each unit; using all six across the course is encouraged, not required.

Same topic, different context

Topic: Britain’s Slave Trade Act of 1807 and Slavery Abolition Act of 1833.

Context	Inquiry it opens
Fairness and development	Whose rights were denied, and who campaigned to change the law?
Orientation in space and time	Why did abolition take decades, and how did the Atlantic world change?
Personal and cultural expression	How did pamphlets, petitions and boycotts persuade the public?
Globalization and sustainability	How did a global trade system depend on enslaved labour?

Quick self-test

1. List the six global contexts.
2. Which global context does the guide say many I&S inquiries focus on?
3. What must a teacher do about global contexts for every unit?
4. Name the four key concepts the guide says I&S contributes.
5. Which global context is “time, place and space” easily confused with, and what is each?
6. In the guide’s examples, which global context is paired with nations forming alliances?
7. In the guide’s examples, which global context is paired with living with hazards?
8. Give two of the guide’s points for judging a research question.
9. Is this a statement of inquiry? “The Hanseatic League was a trading network of northern European towns.” Explain.
10. Suggest a global context for a unit on Medici patronage in Renaissance Florence and give one reason.
11. Which Criterion B strand does the global context help most, and why?

Answers

1. Identities and relationships; orientation in space and time; personal and cultural expression; scientific and technical innovation; globalization and sustainability; fairness and development.
2. Orientation in space and time.
3. Identify a global context for the unit, or develop an additional context, to show why the inquiry matters.
4. Change; global interactions; systems; time, place and space.
5. Orientation in space and time. “Time, place and space” is a key concept; “orientation in space and time” is a global context.
6. Identities and relationships.
7. Orientation in space and time.
8. Any two: relevance; manageability; originality; ability to be assessed; availability of resources; level of student interest; connection with the discipline.
9. No. It is a fact about one case. A statement of inquiry is a transferable idea, for example “Trading networks grow when members share rules that protect them.”
10. Personal and cultural expression – buildings and paintings expressed the family’s power and values. (Identities and relationships is also defensible.)
11. Strand i, because justifying a research question’s relevance means saying why it matters, which is what the context supplies.

Where marks are usually lost

• Writing “orientation in time and space” or mixing it up with the key concept time, place and space.
• Naming the global context on a cover page but never using it in the analysis or conclusion.
• A statement of inquiry that names a person, place or date, so it cannot transfer.
• A research question that copies the statement of inquiry and is far too broad to answer.
• Justifying relevance with “I am interested” alone, without the wider issue the context points to.
• Choosing methods that do not fit the context: a fairness question with no comparison between groups.
• Assuming a topic has only one possible context.
• Listing all six contexts but unable to give an I&S example of any of them.

Official syllabus

These notes are aligned to the IB MYP Individuals and societies guide (for use from September 2014/January 2015; published May 2014, updated April 2021), published by the International Baccalaureate Organization: its global contexts section, example statements of inquiry, and year 5 Criterion B objectives.