Cambridge Pre-U Global Perspectives and Research Syllabus

Global Perspectives and Research syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Global Perspectives and Research in Cambridge Pre-U, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Global Issues and Critical Thinking

   3 topics

   • Analysing Global Issues
     • Identifying contestable global problems
     • Local, national and global perspectives
   • Perspectives and Bias
     • Recognising assumptions and viewpoints
     • Cultural, political and economic lenses
   • Evaluating Argument
     • Identifying claims, reasons and evidence
     • Assessing credibility and reasoning flaws
2. 2

   Selected Global Themes

   4 topics

   • Environment and Sustainability
     • Climate change and resource use
     • Sustainable development debates
   • Conflict, Peace and Human Rights
     • Causes of conflict
     • Human rights and humanitarian intervention
   • Economy and Development
     • Globalisation and trade
     • Poverty and inequality
   • Science, Technology and Ethics
     • Ethics of emerging technologies
     • Health and disease as global concerns
3. 3

   The Research Skills and Report

   3 topics

   • Research Methodology
     • Formulating a research question
     • Selecting and evaluating sources
     • Avoiding plagiarism and referencing correctly
   • The Independent Research Report
     • Planning and structuring an extended report
     • Synthesising evidence into argument
     • Drawing justified conclusions
   • Communication and Reflection
     • Presenting findings clearly
     • Reflective evaluation of the research process

Global Perspectives and Research flashcards for Cambridge Pre-U

22 of 51 cards from the Global Perspectives and Research deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. In Global Perspectives, what are the three 'perspectives' through which any global issue must be examined?

   The personal perspective, the national/local perspective, and the global perspective. Each issue is analysed from individual, national, and worldwide viewpoints to build a rounded understanding.

2. What is the difference between a global 'issue' and a global 'problem' in Global Perspectives?

   An issue is a topic of debate that affects many countries and invites multiple viewpoints (e.g. migration), whereas a problem implies a single agreed difficulty needing a solution. Global Perspectives treats issues as contestable, not as fixed problems.

3. Define 'perspective' as used in Cambridge Pre-U Global Perspectives.

   A perspective is a coherent, structured worldview or way of seeing an issue, shaped by underlying values, assumptions and evidence, and shared by an identifiable group rather than being merely one person's opinion.

4. Distinguish between a 'perspective' and an 'argument'.

   A perspective is a broad worldview held by a group (a lens on the whole issue); an argument is a specific reasoned claim with conclusion and supporting evidence advanced within a debate. A perspective contains many arguments.

5. What is the difference between 'bias' and 'perspective'?

   A perspective is a legitimate, reasoned viewpoint that acknowledges other views; bias is a distortion—an unbalanced inclination that selectively presents evidence, ignores counter-arguments, or misrepresents to favour one side.

6. Name four common types of bias a student should detect when evaluating sources.

   Selection bias (cherry-picking evidence), confirmation bias (favouring data that fits a belief), cultural/national bias, and vested-interest bias (where the author profits from a conclusion).

7. What is a 'vested interest' and why does it matter when judging credibility?

   A vested interest is a personal, financial or political stake an author has in an issue. It matters because it can motivate the author to distort or selectively present evidence, reducing the source's reliability.

8. List the components used to assess the credibility of a source (a common mnemonic).

   RAVEN: Reputation, Ability to perceive/see, Vested interest, Expertise, and Neutrality. Each criterion raises or lowers how much weight a source's claims deserve.

9. In argument analysis, what is the difference between a 'claim' and 'evidence'?

   A claim is an assertion put forward as true (it may be the conclusion or an intermediate point); evidence is the factual support—data, examples, statistics or testimony—offered to make the claim believable.

10. What is an 'assumption' in an argument, and why identify it?

    An assumption is an unstated premise taken for granted that is needed for the conclusion to follow. Identifying it exposes hidden weaknesses—if the assumption is false, the argument collapses.

11. Name three logical fallacies a Global Perspectives student should be able to identify.

    Ad hominem (attacking the person not the argument), straw man (misrepresenting an opponent's view to refute it), and post hoc (assuming that because B followed A, A caused B). Others include slippery slope and false dilemma.

12. What is the 'post hoc ergo propter hoc' fallacy?

    The fallacy of assuming that because one event followed another, the first caused the second—confusing correlation/sequence with causation.

13. What is a 'slippery slope' fallacy?

    Arguing that one small first step will inevitably lead to a chain of negative consequences, without evidence that the chain reaction will actually occur.

14. Distinguish 'correlation' from 'causation'.

    Correlation means two variables vary together statistically; causation means one variable actually produces a change in the other. A correlation can arise from coincidence, reverse causation, or a hidden third (confounding) variable, so it does not prove causation.

15. What is a 'confounding variable' in research?

    A third variable that influences both the supposed cause and the supposed effect, creating a misleading apparent relationship between them and threatening the validity of a causal claim.

16. Define the 'three pillars' of sustainable development.

    Economic sustainability, social sustainability, and environmental sustainability—often summarised as profit, people and planet. Genuine sustainable development balances all three simultaneously.

17. What is the most widely cited definition of 'sustainable development' (Brundtland, 1987)?

    Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

18. What is a 'carbon footprint'?

    The total amount of greenhouse gases, expressed as carbon-dioxide equivalent ($\ce{CO2}$-eq), produced directly and indirectly by an individual, organisation, activity or product.

19. Write the balanced equation for the complete combustion of methane, a key greenhouse-gas source.

    $$\ce{CH4 + 2O2 -> CO2 + 2H2O}$$

20. What is the 'greenhouse effect' in one sentence?

    The process by which atmospheric gases such as $\ce{CO2}$, $\ce{CH4}$ and water vapour absorb and re-emit infrared radiation, trapping heat and raising Earth's surface temperature.

21. Distinguish 'renewable' from 'non-renewable' energy resources, with one example of each.

    Renewable resources replenish naturally on a human timescale (e.g. solar, wind, hydro); non-renewable resources exist in finite stocks that deplete with use (e.g. coal, oil, natural gas).

22. What is the 'tragedy of the commons'?

    A situation in which individuals, acting in their own self-interest, overuse and deplete a shared, unregulated resource (e.g. fisheries, the atmosphere), producing collective harm that is against everyone's long-term interest.

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