INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE DIPLOMA PROGRAMME

All La Paz students take Language and Literature in both Spanish and English. These courses expands what the definition of a 'text' is, either literary or non-literary. It allows the student to explore language through its cultural development and use, its media forms and functions, and its literature.

Through each course, students will develop:

• A personal appreciation of language and literature
• Skills in literary criticism using a range of texts from different periods, styles and genres
• An understanding of the formal, stylistic and aesthetic qualities of texts
• Strong powers of expression, both written and oral
• An appreciation of cultural differences in comparative perspective
• An understanding of how language challenges and sustains ways of thinking.

The emphasis of the language courses is on the acquisition and use of language in a range of contexts and purposes while promoting an understanding of another culture through the study of its language.

Students can take Business Management (SL or HL), and they can also choose between Global Politics (SL or HL) or Visual Arts (SL or HL).

These courses provide for the development of a critical appreciation of:

• Human experience and behavior
• The varieties of physical, economic, and social environments that people inhabit
• The history of social and cultural institutions

Students can choose between Biology SL and HL.

The science is taught practically. Students have opportunities to design investigations, collect data, develop manipulative skills, analyze results, collaborate with peers, and evaluate and communicate their findings. The investigations may be laboratory based or they may make use of simulations and databases. Students develop the skills to work independently on their own design, but also collegiately, including collaboration with schools in different regions, to mirror the way in which scientific research is conducted in the wider community.

La Paz offers the course of Analysis and Approaches (SL and HL).

This course aims to enable students to:

• Develop mathematical knowledge, concepts and principles
• Develop logical, critical and creative thinking
• Employ and refine their powers of abstraction and generalization

The course is intended for students who wish to pursue studies in Mathematics or subjects with a large mathematical content at university. It is for students who enjoy developing mathematical arguments, problem solving and exploring real and abstract applications, with and without technology.

Students can choose between Visual Arts and Theatre.

VISUAL ARTS: The course encourages students to challenge their own creative and cultural expectations and boundaries. It is a thought-provoking course in which students develop analytical skills in problem-solving and divergent thinking, while working towards technical proficiency and confidence as art-makers. In addition to exploring and comparing visual arts from different perspectives and in different contexts, students are expected to engage in, experiment with, and reflect upon a wide range of contemporary practices and media.

THEATRE: Theatre is a dynamic, collaborative and live art form. It is a practical subject that encourages discovery through practical inquiry, experimentation, risk taking and the presentation of ideas to others. Theatre is a form of expressive communication to others, and students are therefore required to think about the responsibilities of theatre-making, considering carefully what they wish to communicate and how to best present their ideas. (IBO, 2023)”