Conor Harrison and
Máirín Wilson
in 80 Lessons
1CitizenshipActiveCHAPTER
New School, New SubjectLesson
1
Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Fáilte Benvenuto Bienvenida hos geldiniz Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Fáilte Benvenuto Bienvenida hos geldiniz Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Fáilte Benvenuto Bienvenida hos geldiniz Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Fáilte Benvenuto Benvenuto Bienvenida hos geldiniz Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Fáilte Benvenuto Bienvenida hos geldiniz Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Fáilte Benvenuto Bienvenida hos geldiniz Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Fáilte Benvenuto Bienvenida hos geldiniz Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Fáilte Benvenuto Benvenuto Bienvenida hos geldiniz Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Fáilte Benvenuto Bienvenida hos geldiniz Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Fáilte Benvenuto Bienvenida hos geldiniz Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Fáilte Benvenuto Bienvenida hos geldiniz Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Fáilte Benvenuto Benvenuto Bienvenida hos geldiniz Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Fáilte Benvenuto Bienvenida hos geldiniz Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Fáilte Benvenuto Bienvenida hos geldiniz Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Fáilte Benvenuto Bienvenida hos geldiniz Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Fáilte Benvenuto Bienvenida hos Fáilte Benvenuto Bienvenue Bem Vindos Fáilte Benvenuto Bienvenida hos geldiniz Welcome FáilteWilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Fáilte Benvenuto Bienvenida hos geldiniz Welcome Wilkommen
Understand what the subject Civic, Social and Political Education is all about.
Know about the seven concepts that you will be
studying over the next three years in CSPE.
Have had a discussion about the CSPE concepts.
Lesson 1: New School, New Subject2
New School, New SubjectLesson
1
By the end of this lesson you will:
Lesson 1: New School, New Subject 3
Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Fáilte Benvenuto Bienvenida hos geldiniz Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Fáilte Benvenuto Bienvenida hos geldiniz Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Fáilte Benvenuto Bienvenida hos geldiniz Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Fáilte Benvenuto Benvenuto Bienvenida hos geldiniz Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Fáilte Benvenuto Bienvenida hos geldiniz Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Fáilte Benvenuto Bienvenida hos geldiniz Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Fáilte Benvenuto Bienvenida hos geldiniz Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Fáilte Benvenuto Benvenuto Bienvenida hos geldiniz Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Fáilte Benvenuto Bienvenida hos geldiniz Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Fáilte Benvenuto Bienvenida hos geldiniz Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Fáilte Benvenuto Bienvenida hos geldiniz Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Fáilte Benvenuto Benvenuto Bienvenida hos geldiniz Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Fáilte Benvenuto Bienvenida hos geldiniz Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Fáilte Benvenuto Bienvenida hos geldiniz Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Fáilte Benvenuto Bienvenida hos geldiniz Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Welcome Wilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Fáilte Benvenuto Bienvenida hos Fáilte Benvenuto Bienvenue Bem Vindos Fáilte Benvenuto Bienvenida hos geldiniz Welcome FáilteWilkommen Bienvenue Bem Vindos Fáilte Benvenuto Bienvenida hos geldiniz Welcome Wilkommen
This is a time of great change for you. Just look at all that is new for you these days. There are so many new things to take in.
Civic, Social and Political Education is usually called CSPE and is one of your new subjects. In CSPE you will learn about:
You will also find out how to:
+ Get involved in issues.
+ Act responsibly.
+ Recognise your rights.
+ Find out information for yourself.
+ Work in groups with others.
+ Examine issues from different points of view and discuss them in class.
Welcome to Civic, Social and Political Education
You as a citizen.
The community.
The country, Ireland, in which you live.
Europe and the wider world.
Europe and the WorldIrelandCommunityIndividual
My School CommunityYou are part of many communities and your school is one of them.
Get some information on your community. Write out the following in your copy and complete the details.
Name of my school: My Year Head’s name:
Address of my school: My Class Tutor’s name:
School telephone number: My Student Council Representative:
School fax number: Number of students in the school:
School email address: Name of my class:
Principal’s name: Number of students in my class:
Deputy Principal’s name: Subjects I am studying:
Lesson 1: New School, New Subject4
What can I as an individual citizen do?
What can we as a community do?
What can we as a society do?
Throughout this book, we will encourage
you to ask the following questions:
What can we as a state do?
What can Europe do?
What can the world do?
ACT
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STO
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Lesson 1: New School, New Subject
The CSPE course is about active citizenship and is built on seven course concepts. These concepts (ideas or topics) are the foundations for the course. This book uses these concepts as a way of covering the entire Junior Certificate CSPE subject. You will understand these concepts as you learn more about each one over the next three years.
Here’s a paragraph on what each concept is about. You might be asked about concepts or issues in your Junior Certificate examination so be sure that you will be able to explain each of these in your own words.
Human DignityEvery human being has human dignity and so has a right to basic needs, like food, health, security, shelter and education. If people’s basic needs are not met, then there is a loss of their human dignity. We must value and respect human beings regardless of their age, colour, gender or religious beliefs. Respecting human dignity means treating all people equally and ending all discrimination.
Human Dignity issues include:
poverty, homelessness, famine,
genocide, education, discrimination
and disability.
Rights and ResponsibilitiesEverybody has human rights simply because they are human; no one is left out. When learning about human rights, you will study the rights of people everywhere, both at home and abroad. Human rights must be protected and guarded. Respecting the rights of others goes hand in hand with having our own human rights. You will learn about these rights and about how we are each responsible for our actions towards other people. Rights and responsibilities go together.
Rights and Responsibilities issues
include: the UDHR, the UNCRC, racism,
bullying, rights of some groups (children’s
rights, women’s rights, travellers’ rights),
asylum seekers and refugees.
5
Rights and ResponsibilitiesHuman DignityDevelopmentStewardshipDemocracy
Law
Interdependence
StewardshipA steward is a person who looks after property or things that do not personally belong to them. Every person born on this planet becomes its steward and is trusted with its care. We have a responsibility to care for the planet – for ourselves and for future generations. In CSPE, we will see how our actions have an effect on the planet. If we do not act responsibly, we could do damage to
the planet that will influence the world for many years to come.
DevelopmentWhen learning about development, we will explore the way improvements happen at different levels in our local community, in Ireland and in the world. This concept in CSPE is about planning for development and about how we can be a part of development in a democratic society. You will also learn about underdeveloped places and how a responsible society plays a part in supporting them.
DemocracyDemocracy is a form of government. In CSPE, we will explore how this type of government works. We will examine how people can get involved at all levels of society and use their power by taking part. In this way, people can make a difference. Living in a democracy – as we do in Ireland – means that we have the right and the responsibility to act on behalf of people who don’t have democratic rights. Democracy respects human rights.
Development issues include:
inventions and innovation, planning for change and development in the developed world and issues in underdeveloped countries like famine, drought, housing and healthcare.
Democracy issues include:
voting and elections, how laws are
passed, political parties, the President,
an Taoiseach, Ministers, TDs, Senators,
Councillors and Student Councils.
Lesson 1: New School, New Subject6
Stewardship issues include:
litter, recycling, carbon footprints,
animal welfare, water conservation,
climate change and saving energy.
LawRules have a very important purpose in any community, society or country. Learning about the law involves finding out about the rules that are recognised by the people in society. The law is there to protect life and property and to keep the peace by finding ways of ending conflicts. The law makes sure that people’s rights are protected and promoted. While studying this concept, we will also explore how people can object to unjust laws.
InterdependenceAll human and natural life is linked, be it at local, national or even global levels. The actions we take can influence people we will never meet and never see, while events that happen elsewhere in the world can affect Ireland. As citizens and consumers, we have responsibilities not to have a negative effect on other people in the world. If we take positive actions, we can make the world a better place for all.
Law Issues include:
the Irish legal system, the courts, the prison system,
different types of laws (e.g. consumer, labour), an
Garda Síochána, road safety, and community watch/
neighbourhood watch.
Interdependence issues
include:
the European Union, the United
Nations, Fairtrade, child labour and
Ireland’s connections with the world.
For homework, find one image that helps to explain what each of the seven CSPE course concepts is about. You may use newspapers, magazines and the internet to find images. Stick these images into your CSPE copy/folder.
Lesson 1: New School, New Subject 7
HO
M
EWORK
New School, New SubjectLesson
1
By the end of this lesson you will:
Know a little about the history of citizenship and the meaning of the word ‘citizenship’.
Have developed and used your thinking and discussion skills.
Have taken part in an activity to
help you understand what being a
responsible citizen is about.
Have read
about some famous and
some not-so-famous citizens and have chosen
some star citizens of your own.
Lesson 2: Being an Active Citizen8
Being an Active CitizenLesson
2
9Lesson 2: Being an Active Citizen
Being a CitizenCSPE is about exploring what it means to be a citizen. The word ‘citizenship’ comes from the Latin word civitas, which means ‘citizens united in a community’. Remember, you are part of a number of communities – your school community, your local community where you live, the Irish community and the worldwide community of people everywhere.
If you are a citizen of a country, then you can usually get a passport for that country. But being a citizen today is not the same as it used to be.
‘One person can make a difference, and every one should try.’ John F Kennedy
Aristotle
Julius Caesar
Queen Elizabeth I
King Louis XIV
When you were younger you might have written your name and address something like this:
In your CSPE copy/folder make out your own envelope and write out your address. The last line should read ‘The World’.
The Greeks believed citizenship was an honour which was inherited or won. Foreigners, slaves, women and peasants could not be citizens.
The Romans saw citizens as people who had special rights, like the right to serve in the army, to vote and to trade. Again, not all people were seen as citizens.
In medieval times people obeyed their king or queen. Some were freemen and some were not. People looked to their rulers to protect them and were called subjects, not citizens.
In modern times, we still believe that all citizens are equal and that being a citizen means that we have certain rights and responsibilities. Today we also think of ourselves as citizens of the world – this is called being a global citizen.
In the age of revolutions, people questioned the way they were ruled and treated. Revolutions, especially in France and America, saw the birth of ideas of freedom and equality. Everyone was seen as an equal citizen.
ACT
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10
The Starfish StoryA young lad was walking down a deserted beach after a major storm. He was astonished by the huge number of starfish that the storm had washed up on the beach. He thought there was nothing he could do because there were so many. In the distance he saw a frail old woman. As he approached her, he saw her bend over, pick up a stranded starfish and throw it back into the sea.
The young lad gazed in wonder as the old woman bent over again and again, picked up stranded starfish and threw them from the sand into the water. He asked, ‘Why do you spend so much energy doing what seems to be a waste of time?’ The old woman explained that the stranded starfish would die if left in the morning sun.
‘But there must be thousands of starfish on this beach alone!’ exclaimed the young lad. ‘How can you make a difference?’ The old woman looked at the small starfish in her hand and, as she threw it to the safety of the sea, she said, ‘I made a difference to that one, didn’t I?’
What does this story tell you about active citizenship?
Why do you think this textbook is called ‘Make A Difference!’
Active Citizen ActivityHere is an activity to help you explore what being an active citizen is all about.
1. Divide into pairs.
2. Copy the following table in your CSPE copy:
Yes No Sometimes We Can’t Agree
3. Look at each Active Citizen picture on the next page and decide which heading it fits under. Write out each sentence under the heading you decide fits best.
4. When you have listed all the pictures under a heading, compare the list you have made with the lists from other groups in your class.
TEAC
HER’S RESOURCE
Lesson 2: Being an Active Citizen
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ACT
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