NEW IB Course: Environmental Systems and Societies (ESS)

It is indeed very exciting to announce a new Science course being introduced in our IB Diploma Programme here at BIS, starting next academic year. We already offer Biology, Chemistry and Physics in Group 4, with the addition of the ESS component the Programme will be even more diverse, preparing the high school students for further studies.

Through studying Environmental Systems and Societies (ESS) students will be provided with a coherent perspective of the interrelationships between environmental systems and societies; one that enables them to adopt an informed personal response to the wide range of pressing environmental issues that they will inevitably come to face. The teaching approach is such that students are allowed to evaluate the scientific, ethical and socio-political aspects of issues.

The emphasis will be on the scientific details of our local environment with fieldwork and class lab time for hands-on experiences. Students will draw on concepts from the natural sciences and apply this scientific understanding to political and social issues.  Students will be expected to use what they know to establish positions on public policy, to consider diverse environmental perspectives, and to appreciate the international nature of resolving major global issues.

Students will be able to study this course successfully with no specific previous knowledge of science or geography. However, as the course aims to foster an international perspective, awareness of local and global environmental concerns and an understanding of the scientific methods, a course that shares these aims would be good preparation.

Anders Hjelm

Diploma Programme Coordinator

From the Science Department:

I am excited to announce Bali Island School will be offering a new course, Environmental Systems and Societies (ESS), next year! The course offers a unique opportunity for students to study the environment and the human component to environmental issues. This is a fully integrated course involving students making decisions based upon strong scientific facts. Ecosystem studies will focus on various communities, such as, coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass beds, and agricultural lands. Human impact will be studied, including: waste management, sustainability, and other local and global issues.

Students will gear up, put on sunscreen and boots for experiential learning and to conduct authentic research. Throughout this course students will develop their personal environmental ethic and perspective. Students with varying degrees of math and science background knowledge can be highly successful in this course. Interested students and parents are welcome to come talk to me.

Bali offers an incredible environment to study environmental science, and I look forward to teaching and developing this course with input from students, parents and the community at large.

Leif Hopkins

DP ESS/Biology, MYP Sciences Teacher