IBDP English A – Global Issues and Works

Here is a complete list of the prescribed IBDP English A Global Issues, organized under the five fields of inquiry:

1. Culture, Identity, and Community

• Construction and representation of identity.
• Cultural heritage and traditions.
• Impact of culture on individuals and communities.
• Nationalism and xenophobia.
• Migration and displacement.
• Diversity and multiculturalism.
• Gender roles and expectations.
• Class and social hierarchy.
• Family dynamics and relationships.
• The role of language in shaping identity.
• Indigenous cultures and rights.
• Globalization and cultural homogenization.

2. Beliefs, Values, and Education

• Religious beliefs and spirituality.
• Secularism and the role of religion in society.
• Ethical dilemmas and moral values.
• The influence of ideology on beliefs.
• The role of education in shaping beliefs and values.
• Propaganda and the manipulation of beliefs.
• Human rights and social justice.
• Tolerance and intolerance.
• Personal versus collective values.
• The role of literature and the arts in exploring beliefs.
• The impact of media on beliefs and values.
• Education systems and their influence on society.

3. Politics, Power, and Justice

• The nature and exercise of power.
• Governance and political systems.
• Corruption and its impact on society.
• Social justice and equality.
• Human rights and civil liberties.
• Oppression and resistance.
• Colonialism, post-colonialism, and neocolonialism.
• War, conflict, and peace.
• Law, justice, and the rule of law.
• Propaganda and political manipulation.
• The role of the individual in challenging or upholding power.
• Global governance and international relations.

4. Art, Creativity, and the Imagination

• The role of the artist in society.
• Censorship and freedom of expression.
• The relationship between art and politics.
• Creativity and innovation.
• The power of imagination in shaping reality.
• The impact of technology on the arts.
• The commercialization of art and culture.
• Artistic movements and their influence on society.
• The representation of reality in art and literature.
• The function of art as social commentary.
• The intersection of art, culture, and identity.
• The preservation and destruction of cultural heritage.

5. Science, Technology, and the Environment

• The ethical implications of scientific advancements.
• The impact of technology on society and the individual.
• Environmental sustainability and climate change.
• The relationship between humans and the natural world.
• The consequences of technological progress.
• Biotechnology, genetics, and the ethics of life.
• The role of science in shaping human understanding.
• The digital age and its effects on human interaction.
• Environmental degradation and conservation efforts.
• The representation of nature in art and literature.
• The role of science and technology in warfare.
• The exploration of space and its implications for humanity.

These global issues serve as thematic frameworks that students use to analyze texts and media in the IBDP English A course. They encourage students to make connections between literature, the arts, and real-world contexts, fostering critical thinking and global awareness.

Here’s a comprehensive list linking the IBDP English A prescribed global issues (PRLs) and bodies of work (BOWs) with the global issues primarily discussed in each:

1. Culture, Identity, and Community

PRLs:

1. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe: Identity, culture clash, community traditions.
2. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan: Cultural identity, generational differences, immigrant experience.
3. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini: Identity, family, and community in the context of Afghanistan’s history.
4. Beloved by Toni Morrison: African-American identity, the legacy of slavery, family, and community.
5. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy: Indian cultural identity, social hierarchies, family dynamics.
6. A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen: Gender roles, family dynamics, societal expectations.

BOWs:

1. Works by Zora Neale Hurston (e.g., Their Eyes Were Watching God): African-American identity and community.
2. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez: Latin American identity, cultural traditions.
3. Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys: Post-colonial identity, cultural conflicts.
4. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros: Latino identity, community, and gender roles.

2. Beliefs, Values, and Education

PRLs:

1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee: Moral values, justice, the role of education in shaping beliefs.
2. The Crucible by Arthur Miller: Religious beliefs, extremism, societal values.
3. Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller: The American Dream, personal values versus societal expectations.
4. The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro: Duty, honor, personal values, and the impact of education.
5. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury: Censorship, the role of education, moral dilemmas.

BOWs:

1. 1984 by George Orwell: Ideology, propaganda, manipulation of beliefs.
2. The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky: Religious and ethical dilemmas, morality.
3. Life of Pi by Yann Martel: Spiritual beliefs, survival, and education.
4. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley: The influence of societal beliefs, education, and values.

3. Politics, Power, and Justice

PRLs:

1. Antigone by Sophocles: State power, individual conscience, justice, and resistance.
2. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood: Power dynamics, oppression, justice.
3. Macbeth by William Shakespeare: The corrupting influence of power, ambition, and justice.
4. The Trial by Franz Kafka: The arbitrariness of power, justice, and oppression.
5. Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel García Márquez: Honor, justice, and social power structures.
6. The Outsider by Albert Camus: Alienation, power, justice, and societal norms.

BOWs:

1. Macbeth by William Shakespeare: Ambition, power, justice, and tyranny.
2. A Grain of Wheat by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o: Colonialism, resistance, power, and justice.
3. Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare: Political power, manipulation, justice.
4. Waiting for the Barbarians by J.M. Coetzee: Empire, power, oppression, and justice.

4. Art, Creativity, and the Imagination

PRLs:

1. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde: The role of art, morality, and aestheticism.
2. The Tempest by William Shakespeare: Art, creativity, magic, and power.
3. Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie: The role of storytelling, imagination, and history.
4. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut: The blending of reality and imagination, the impact of war on creativity.
5. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka: The surreal and the imaginative, identity through transformation.

BOWs:

1. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf: Creativity, stream of consciousness, the imaginative portrayal of inner life.
2. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka: Imagination and surrealism.
3. The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov: The intersection of art, imagination, and political critique.
4. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison: The imaginative exploration of identity and society.

5. Science, Technology, and the Environment

PRLs

1. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley: Ethics of scientific progress, humanity vs. nature.
2. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley: Technology’s impact on society, dehumanization.
3. Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood: Genetic engineering, environmental destruction.
4. The Road by Cormac McCarthy: Post-apocalyptic environment, survival, human nature.
5. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells: Technological progress, human evolution, environmental consequences.

BOWs:

1. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells: Exploration of technology, progress, and its consequences.
2. Solaris by Stanisław Lem: Human interaction with technology, ethical dilemmas in science.
3. The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells: Science, technology, and human vulnerability.
4. The Drowned World by J.G. Ballard: Environmental change, human adaptation, and survival.

This list provides a detailed connection between the global issues and the works that discuss them, helping to align studies with IBDP English A requirements.