With so many different courses offered junior year, one of the biggest challenges a student may face as a sophomore is scheduling.
GlenOak boasts a vast array of opportunities including College Credit Plus, Advanced Placement and the International Baccalaureate (IB) program.
This year, sophomores are presented with yet another opportunity, and a choice to make, with the introduction of a new science course: IB Environmental Systems and Societies (ESS).
The IB program describes the course as interdisciplinary, encompassing both sciences and individuals and societies. The course has a focus on environmental science, but looks at it through a much broader lens.
“It looks at how the environmental issues that the students are going to study impact societies across the globe including their structures and systems that are in place,” IB coordinator Jennifer Austin said.
“It looks at how the environmental issues that the students are going to study impact societies across the globe including their structures and systems that are in place.”
— Jennifer Austin
The course exists at the standard level (SL) and higher level (HL). Both variants of the course aim to develop an understanding of the environment and its impacts. The course aims to develop a global perspective as well as critical thinking.
“For example, if you were to study an oil spill that happened in another country, how does that also impact their water system, their transportation system and so on,” Austin said.
The course is not only unique to GlenOak, but the IB program as a whole.
The course encompasses not only true environmental science but also social sciences. This means students who choose to do the Full Diploma Programme, can have ESS serve as their group three (social studies) requirement when paired with another IB science course.
“It’s also different because it’s very contemporary,” Austin said. “It’s similar to Global Politics in the sense that it looks a lot at current environmental issues.”
The course is split into eight different topics, beginning with foundations of global perspectives, systems and sustainability. Later on, these foundations are built upon by learning about biodiversity, conservation, climate change, urban systems and more. At the HL level, students also study environmental law and ethics.
According to Austin, over the two years, students who are in ESS wil complete a unique project conducting an environmental investigation of their choice.
“It’s meant to be a passion project,” Austin said. “It’s about something that they’re really interested in and then that line of inquiry will drive the project and the written reflection and paper that go with it.”
There is uncertainty about whether or not GlenOak will offer the course at both the SL and HL levels, since that decision has to be driven by student course requests.
“When students turn in their packets on April 2, I’ll tally up everyone who requested the course,” Austin said. “If we have enough students to run both sections, then we will.”
Sophomore Hannah Pace is just one of the many students who plans to take ESS next year.
“I think it’s a really interesting idea because there is an AP or honors option for every other IB class but there’s no other way to take something like Environmental Systems and Societies,” Pace said.
Pace says that she is excited for something new, and knows a handful of students who feel the same way.
“I’ve heard from a lot of the people who are in honors biology or honors chemistry that they’re interested in it,” Pace said. “It’s a lot of people who have taken all of the things that have been offered to them so far.”
Environmental Systems and Societies will be taking the place of IB Physics. Only juniors who are already in the IB Physics class will continue with the IB Physics program next year. Students who are interested in a more advanced Physics class can still enroll in AP or honors Physics.
