Humanities 6 - Brian Lettinga
The course strives to introduce the students to the components of the MYP Humanities program while covering the standards set forth in the CIC Humanities curriculum document.
The Five Themes of Geography, Ancient Civilizations of South America, the Dark Ages, Junior Model United Nations, and the Globalization of Sport direct our units of study. Each student leaves this class having proven understanding in these areas through a variety of performance assessments. The course text, The World and Its People (Silver Burdett Ginn), is used as a resource during the school year.
Humanities 7 - Brian Lettinga
The course strives to reinforce to the students to the components of the MYP Humanities program while covering the standards set forth in the CIC Humanities curriculum document.
Climate and Weather patterns, the Renaissance Era, Junior Model United Nations, and the Age of Exploration direct the four units of study in this course. The text book, The World- Past, Present, East and West (McGraw-Hill), is used as reference throughout this course. Students are engaged in a variety of performance assessments to ensure the learning of all students. Students also read the novel, Catherine Called Birdy, as a supplement to our unit on the Renaissance.
Humanities 8 - Natalie Jeffers
This third (full) year MYP humanities course continues the combination of geography and history and prepares students for their transition to our high school Middle Years Program. We emphasize more research and writing and examine, in-depth, these topics: Exploration, Colonialism, The race for Empire, The black civil rights movement, Junior Model United Nations and River, Coastal and Glacial Geography.
Humanities 9 - Natalie Jeffers
This one-year course is designed to give all students an experience of the three major social studies courses through the medium of a combined and thematic humanities course. The key themes of this year are: People and Politics (in depth studies of global and local politics, political evolution and the impacts on population and demography) The relationship between people, resources and their environments, Environmental issues both at a local and global level and world religions.
Humanities 10 - Natalie Jeffers
Each student will study one semester of Geography and one semester of History. This is to give students greater opportunity to study subjects in more depth as part of their preparation for the IB Diploma Program. The Geography component is designed to give students a look at industrial and agricultural change, along with the developmental processes in operation in the world today focusing on Tourism as a diverse, dynamic and dominant industry, its impacts and global inequalities. The History component offers an in depth analysis of conflict on a local, national and global scale, by using a range of case studies to support, contradict and raise debate over future, past and present conflicts students will gain understanding of how and why we co-operate, negotiate and respond to them on many levels. Students will also undertake a sociology/History quarter of topics that look at ‘us as people and our interactions in societies, further developing their knowledge and understanding of conflicts and how humans persecute and the steps that lead from prejudice to persecution.
IB Geography SL/HL 1 - Natalie Jeffers
Our Geography IB course supports, develops and enhances knowledge, understanding and skills gained through the IB Middle Years Program social studies course that all students at CIC undertake. The grade 11 Geography course follows the prescribed IB curriculum and is taught at both Higher and Standard levels. In grade 11 the students concentrate on the following themes: The core unit Population, Resources and Development focus’s on past, current and possible future issues supported with case studies. Students will use higher order skills in order to analyze how/why these three components interrelate, dominate and impact each other. This is then followed by Lithospheric processes and Hazards. The third unit of work is Ecosystems and human interactions. Each student must complete one fieldwork assignment; Students are given the opportunity to undertake a minimum of two pieces of coursework, which enables the best to be submitted in the final year. The course is designed to be current, challenging, diverse, enjoyable and personal in order to provide the students with an opportunity to derive a better understanding of how the interconnected world works from physical, political, socio-economic, cultural and environmental perspectives.
IB Geography SL/HL 2 - Natalie Jeffers
The grade 12 curriculum continues through the IB syllabus for both higher and standard level students. This year involves the study of two optional themes: Coastal environments and their management which supports our grade 12 interdisciplinary field trip to Curacao. Which is then followed by Globalization, this course aims at tackling some of the most powerful current and influential global geographical issues. The end of grade 12 revisits the core unit of study. Population, resources and development which encompasses all units studied and ties together concepts, skills and knowledge and understanding gained through a stringent revision program aimed at allowing our students ample practice before undertaking two IB examinations. Each course is relevant and challenging and designed to provide the students with some in depth understanding of the process at work in the world around them. The senior course is a cross curricular senior trip to Curacao where two field work activities are completed: one on beach processes and formation and the other on tourism and its impacts on the coastal/coral environment. Overall student perceptions and experiences of this course are extremely positive and it continues to be the most popular IB choice from the Social Studies group 3 options. Students undertaking the Geography IB are also offered the opportunity to undertake a personal extended essay based around any of the areas studied throughout the IB diploma.
IB History SL/HL 1 - Tom Sweeting
IB History is designed as a two-year course for students pursuing an IB Certificate or IB Diploma. During one of the two years of the program, CIC offers the course on 20th century World History focused on and structured according to selected Prescribed Subjects and 20th C. World History Topics as indicated in the IB History Syllabus.
Students will gain an in-depth understanding of 1) the Rise and Rule of Single-party States from different regions 2) the Cold War, from the end of WWII to the mid-1990s with special focus on the evolution and development of East-West relations during the period from 1960 to 1979. Students will learn about the complex and changing character of the Cold War and its impact on different areas of the world. As for other 20th century World History Topics selected from the IB Syllabus, students will learn about the origin, dynamics and institutional framework of efforts globally to promote and secure Peace and Cooperation. The focus and overarching theme of this topic addresses positive features of the 20th Century, aiming to give students and understanding of efforts to achieve peace and cooperation through international and regional organizations and consensus government in democratic and multi-party states.
For each of the above areas, students will be conducting detailed investigations and/or presentations of selected major themes and of specific country or comparative case studies appropriate to develop each Topic. The primary text for this course is Palmer & Colton’s A Modern World History supplemented by CNN’s Cold War video series.
IB History SL/HL 2 - Tom Sweeting
IB History is designed as a two-year course for students pursuing an IB Certificate or IB Diploma. During one of the two years of the program, CIC offers the History of the Americas(HOA) course. The HOA course is focused on and structured according to the regional option of the IB History program, specifically for study of the Americas in a comparative, regional framework. The Americas regional option covers the U.S., Canada and Latin America including the Caribbean. The chosen time period for in-depth study covers the 100-year period from the late 19th century to the mid-1990s. Within this option, students will become aware of and gain an in-depth understanding of key political, social economic and cultural events and themes, including patterns and connections over time and across the region, that have had a decisive and enduring impact on the Americas as the region has evolved and developed over the past century. Some of these include: evolution and changes in governments; causes and effects of the Great Depression; different paths to and effects of industrialization; and foreign policies of the region, including their impact and contribution to development and evolution of the legal and institutional bases created to promote hemispheric cooperation. Among the principal topics and themes covered, as prescribed or indicated in the IB syllabus, are economic and social development in the Americas, domestic politics, policies and international relations, U.S. foreign policy in Latin America(LA), the Mexican Revolution- its causes, short-term impact and longer-term consequences domestically and in relations with the US, the Great Depression in the Americas, impact of WWII on the region, and hemispheric cooperation- US/LAC, post-WWII – early 1990s. The primary texts used for this course are Skidmore & Smith’s Modern Latin America and Palmer & Colton’s A History of the Modern World.
IB Economics SL/HL 2 - Tom Sweeting
IB Econ I is the 1st year module of the two-year long IB Econ program taught at CIC. During this first year, incoming Juniors will learn the essential concepts , subject-specific skills, methodologies and "Big Ideas" of leading thinkers in the field of economics. The course proceeds to an in-depth study of Microeconomics, focusing on individual, industry and market aspects of micro. Specific high-level topics studied are Markets, Elasticities, and the Theory of the Firm. The latter encompasses a thorough examination of costs as well as market structures such as monopoly, oligopoly and perfect/monopolistic competition. The Micro section concludes on the themes of economic efficiency and of market failure. Following the comprehensive study of market failure, using real-life examples and solutions, we commence the study of Macroeconomics, or the study of whole economic systems, their structure and processes, on the national, regional and international/global level. First year Macro will focus on introduction to the Macro approach and topic, key concepts and measurement of national income and macroeconomic models including important concepts of aggregate supply, aggregate demand, and full employment equilibrium as well as their linkage to real output and incomes, inflation and price levels and unemployment. Finally, students will have commenced preparation of their IB Internal Assessment requirement of a Portfolio of commentaries based on the above topics studied. The principal text used is Alan Glanville’s Economics From A Global Perspective in addition to the PBS-sponsored video series, Commanding Heights: Battle for the World Economy.
IB Economics SL/HL 2 - Tom Sweeting
IB Econ II is the 2nd year continuation module of the two-year long IB Econ program taught at CIC. During second year, seniors will revisit and review the theory, essential concepts, analytical tools and key topics of Macro such as inflation, unemployment, economic growth. Students will explore market-based and government intervention alternative solutions to Macro problems. The latter highlights demand management and supply-side policies and approaches used by governments to address or respond to problems arising in their quest to achieve desired macroeconomic policy objectives. Following the Macro module, we will explore key aspects of International Economics, covering topics such as trade, theory of comparative advantage, protectionism, trade agreements and regional trade/economic integration arrangements such as the EU and NAFTA and Mercosur. In addition, we will explore foreign investment and the rising role and importance of transnational corporations in foreign investment and trade flows. Other key topics covered are balance of payments, exchange rates, terms of trade and special problems related to balance of payments. The final section of this course relates to Development economics, beginning with an introduction to the concept, its key characteristics, measurement approaches and important development-related issues and challenges. In this section we will concentrate on sources of economic growth and development, alternative growth and development strategies, development obstacles, and negative consequences of growth, particularly as they may impact or put at risk sustainable, long-term development. In the final quarter, the class will commence revision of the full 2-year course syllabus in preparation for final exams in May. The principal text used is Alan Glanville’s Economics From A Global Perspective in addition to the PBS-sponsored video-series, Commanding Heights: Battle for the World Economy.
Theory of Knowledge 1 & 2 - Howard Horowitz / Len Whalen
Theory of Knowledge (TOK) is the foundational course upon which the entire IB curriculum is built. It is designed to be the conduit through which the six IB subject areas are interwoven. Its purpose is simple, yet exceptionally challenging--to develop in students the ability to reflect critically on diverse ways of knowing and areas of knowledge, primarily through the question, "What do you know and how do you know it?"
TOK is essential to every student as it encourages students to become aware of themselves as thinkers and to become aware of the complexity of knowledge. Further, and perhaps most importantly, the course fosters in students an appreciation of the quest for knowledge.
The course is taught over a two-year period and is divided into three main sections.
TOK 2 will cover the third section of the syllabus, Areas of Knowledge, specifically looking at:
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