An extended essay (EE) in one of the subjects in individuals and societies gives students an opportunity to undertake an in-depth investigation into a topic of particular interest to them. Students working on the individuals and societies EE must demonstrate in-depth analysis of the subject matter studied, be it geography, global politics, history, psychology, and others. This understanding must be shown in the form of:
Students working on an individuals and societies EE should be advised that each subject area poses its own unique set of challenges and that the approach to topic investigation should be different for each subject area. However, across all the subject areas, the topics chosen should encourage the systematic and critical study of:
Additionally, their topics should enable students to recognize that the content and methodologies of the subjects are contestable and that their study requires critical thinking.
Students should have logical and coherent reasons for selecting a particular topic for the EE. They need also to identify a well-thought-out research question and to adopt an approach that allows for the development of a reasoned argument. Their choice of topic should offer enough scope to provide material for substantial and informative writing, and require students to examine, analyse and evaluate existing views, or propose new perspectives. (IBO Individuals and Societies Introduction)
For more information, continue reading HERE.
Helpful Websites for History EE Students:
IB History Subject Specific Guide - Use tabs on the left under History: Subject Specific Guide for more information.
Gale In Context: World History - takes learners from the ancient world to today's headlines, delivering a chronicle of the great cultures and societies that have formed the history of the human race. Rare primary sources, reliable reference, and multi-media content put this vast topic into context for students.
National Geographic Virtual Library (Gale Databases) - National Geographic Virtual Library brings the National Geographic Society to the library in a cross-searchable platform that fits the way today's students and patrons conduct their research. With standard library features and functionality common to many Gale resources, National Geographic Virtual Library is a powerful tool for research through the 100+ years of quality publications.
Best of History Websites - Best of History Web Sites is an award-winning portal that contains annotated links to over 1200 history web sites as well as links to hundreds of quality K-12 history lesson plans, history teacher guides, history activities, history games, history quizzes, and more.
** Use links on right side of homepage to access specific areas of interest.
Learning How to do Historical Research
“A Primer on How to Frame a Researchable Question” This is an excellent site to learn how to develop questions for historical research. Developing good research questions is an essential first step of every research project, because good research questions focus your work and provide direction for your next steps. The purpose of this page is to help you learn how to create research questions from general topics, and to give you useful tips for refining your questions during the research process.
Japanese American Evacuation and Resettlement: A Digital Archive
Medicine and Murder in the Third Reich
Visual material, posters, caricatures, etc.
U.S produced posters
Digital photographs, books, maps, news footage, oral histories, personal letters, museum objects, artwork, government documents, and more
Explore 51,990,182 artworks, artefacts, books, videos and sounds from more than 3,500 museums, galleries, libraries and archives across Europe.
1000s of images, photographs and documents about all aspects of U.S. history
The official archive for the UK government with over 1,000 years of iconic national documents.
Helpful websites for Psychology EE Students:
IB Psychology Subject Specific Guide - Use tabs on the left under Psychology: Subject Specific Guide for more information.
Psychology Magazine - From their about page: “Psychology Today is devoted exclusively to everybody’s favorite subject: Ourselves. On this site, we have gathered a group of renowned psychologists, academics, psychiatrists and writers to contribute their thoughts and ideas on what makes us tick. We’re a live stream of what’s happening in ‘psychology today’.”
American Psychological Association - From Their website: APA is the leading scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States, with more than 115,700 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students as its members.
Psych Central - From their about page: “Psych Central is the Internet’s largest and oldest independent mental health social network. Since 1995, our award-winning website has been run by mental health professionals offering reliable, trusted information and over 250 support groups to consumers.”
Neuroskeptic from Discover Magazine - From their website: “Neuroskeptic is a British neuroscientist who takes a skeptical look at his own field, and beyond. His blog offers a look at the latest developments in neuroscience, psychiatry and psychology through a critical lens.”
Scientific American Mind - From Wikipedia: “Scientific American Mind is a bimonthly American popular science magazine concentrating on psychology, neuroscience, and related fields. By analyzing and revealing new thinking in the cognitive sciences, the magazine tries to focus on the biggest breakthroughs in these fields.”
Pacific Standard - From their Facebook page: “Pacific Standard is the award-winning magazine for affluent and influential readers interested in working toward forward-looking changes to private behavior and public policy. By combining research that matters with ambitious narrative and investigative reporting, Pacific Standard tells stories across print and digital platforms about society’s biggest problems, both established and emerging, and the people attempting to solve them.”
Science of Us - From their Facebook page: “Science of Us is a smart but playful window into the latest science on human behavior, with the goal of enlightening, entertaining and providing useful information that can be applied to everyday life. The site’s daily mix of columns, news stories, and visual features will translate research from psychology, sociology, genetics, and other fields for a general audience.”
Research Digest - From their about page: “We digest at least one new psychology study every weekday. Published by the British Psychological Society since 2005, this blog aims to demonstrate that psychological science is fascinating and useful while also casting a critical eye over its methods.”
Psyblog - From their about page: “This website is about scientific research into how the mind works. The studies I cover have been published in reputable academic journals in many different areas of psychology.”
Mind Hacks - From WikiPedia: “Mind Hacks is an ongoing psychology and neuroscience blog that publishes daily news and commentary on mind and brain issues. It won a Scientific American Science and Technology Web Award in 2005 and was listed as a Top 30 science blog by The Times in 2010.”
National Institute of Mental Health News Page - From their about page: “The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is the lead federal agency for research on mental disorders. NIMH is one of the 27 Institutes and Centers that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the nation’s medical research agency. NIH is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).”
The Association for Psychological Science News Page - From their about page: “The Association for Psychological Science (previously the American Psychological Society) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of scientific psychology and its representation at the national and international level.”
The Public Library of Science's Mind and Brain Blog - From Wikipedia: “PLOS (for Public Library of Science) is a nonprofit open access scientific publishing project aimed at creating a library of open access journals and other scientific literature under an open content license.”
Helpful Websites for Geography EE Students:
IB Geography Subject Specific Guide - Use tabs on the left under Geography: Subject Specific Guide for more information.
National Geographic Virtual Library (Gale Databases) - National Geographic Virtual Library brings the National Geographic Society to the library in a cross-searchable platform that fits the way today's students and patrons conduct their research. With standard library features and functionality common to many Gale resources, National Geographic Virtual Library is a powerful tool for research through the 100+ years of quality publications.
FactMontster Countries of the World- Geography · Maps · Flag · History · Current ruler · Area · Population · Capital · Largest cities · Languages · Ethnicity/race · Religion · Literacy rate · Economy · Government
World InfoZone - "with its international perspective for education, WIZ is an invaluable, interactive resource for schools and colleges." World InfoZone (WIZ) has been acknowledged by many international juries.
Country Studies from the US Library Of Congress - Contains the electronic versions of 80 books previously published in hard copy as part of the Country Studies Series by the Federal Research Division. Intended for a general audience, books in the series present a description and analysis of the historical setting and the social, economic, political, and national security systems and institutions of select countries throughout the world. Most books in the series deal with a single foreign country, but a few cover several countries or a geographic region. The series includes several books on countries that no longer exist in their original configuration—such as Czechoslovakia, East Germany, the Soviet Union, Sudan, and Yugoslavia. These books remain in the series because they continue to offer valuable historical information and perspective. In some cases, studies on successor states are also part of the series.
Geography - Offers an online exploration to various places in the world, provides details of the areas
Helpful Websites for Global Politics EE Students:
IB Global Politics Subject Specific Guide - Use tabs on the left under Global Politics: Subject Specific Guide for more information.
Gale Database: Opposing Viewpoints - With over 20,000 pro/con viewpoints, approximately 19,000 reference articles, interactive maps, infographics, and more, students will be prepared to argue any side of the issue. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints is cross-searchable with Gale In Context: Global Issues.
POLITICS - USEFUL WEBSITES: A range of high-quality resources for Politics are available on the web.
World Politics Review - publishes in-depth news and expert analysis on global affairs to help our readers identify and make sense of the events and trends shaping our world. Guided by a commitment to integrity, quality and intellectual honesty, we serve as a forum for creative ideas about how to tackle the world’s most important challenges.
Suggested Websites for IB Global Politics - These resources provide a good starting point for all of your research in Global Politics as well as helping you keep on top of current affairs and developing world news.
International Baccalaureate Organization. "Individuals and Societies: An
Introduction." International Baccalaureate, xmltwo.ibo.org/publications/DP/
Group0/d_0_eeyyy_gui_1602_1/Individuals%20and%20societies.pdf. Accessed 7
Dec. 2023.