Forbhreathnú ar an Siollabas

describe the process of decision-making and the roles of different groups such as teachers, principal, parents, students, management body, patron, statutory bodies, government, in relation to:

• one aspect of school rules related to safety, for example policies on fighting or bullying
• one aspect of school rules not related to safety, for example school uniform rules

drawing on these examples, come to a conclusion as to which of these people or groups have the most and least influence on school rules.

• Samplaí de Chomhthéacs

  Examples in Context (test)

drawing on these examples, come to a conclusion as to which of these people or groups have the most and least influence on school rules

apply in their own words and to their own environment the following arguments about rules and the process of making rules:

• rules provide protection for weaker members of the  community  from  stronger  members  and provide a framework for orderly engagement in learning at school
• those who have the most knowledge and wisdom should play the strongest role in making rules
• there should be very few rules and then only concerned with keeping people safe; any more than that is an infringement on people’s freedom
• those who have the most power or influence can make rules that suit their own interests and not the interests of everyone in the community
• there is a danger of those with power enforcing rules arbitrarily
• it  is  compliance  to  norms  and  values,  not enforcement of rules, that maintains a sense of order

engage with different viewpoints and, where appropriate, evaluate and use evidence to come to a conclusion as to which of these arguments are most supportable

identify which of these arguments would be associated with a ‘left-wing’ position, which would be associated with a ‘right-wing’ position, and which could be associated with either

illustrate the following dimensions of the concept of power with respect to their own environment:

• getting people to act  in  ways they would not otherwise act in
• being able to set rules or practices that bring benefit to some groups over others
• being able to shape ideas so that people think of a particular way of doing things as the best or only way (ideology)
• power can be exercised by a range of people or groups in a society, including those that appear institutionally ‘powerless’

summarise research evidence on the extent to which some groups are, or are not, under- represented in decision-making processes in schools

engage with different viewpoints and models of participation and evaluate and use evidence to come to a conclusion about whether decision-making processes in schools are appropriate

describe the process of decision-making at national level and how this relates to a policy that impacts upon young people, making reference to the roles of:

• civil society bodies or groups
• statutory bodies
• the civil service
• the social partnership process
• the relevant Minister and the government
• political parties
• the Houses of the Oireachtas
• the European Union
• supranational agreements such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

present an overview of the operation of the executive, the legislative and the judicial branches of government

describe the voting systems for the Houses of the Oireachtas, including eligibility for and limitations to voting franchise

describe the way in which the Taoiseach and Government are selected, and their roles

describe the way in which the Northern Ireland Executive is selected, and the ministers' roles

describe the way in which the European Commission is selected, the way in which the European Parliament is selected, the way in which the Council of the European Union (Council of Ministers) is constituted, and their respective executive roles

describe the way in which the executive is put in place in an example of a non-democratic country

compare these four approaches for selecting an executive, identifying the strengths  and weaknesses of each

define what is meant by ‘social class’

illustrate the view that, in capitalism, social class is an important way of categorising who has and who has not got power

critically evaluate the view that in capitalism, social class is an important way of categorising who has and who has not got power

define what is meant by patriarchy and illustrate the view that, in a patriarchy, gender is an important way of categorising who has and who has not got power

critically evaluate the view that modern Irish society is a patriarchy

identify to what extent the arguments and ideas discussed in topic 1.2 and 1.3 are relevant at national level

summarise research evidence on the effectiveness of the Irish system of elections in representing the will of all the Irish people

engage with different viewpoints and evaluate and use evidence to come to a conclusion as to whether the Irish system of government is effective in representing the will of all the Irish people

critically evaluate a piece of qualitative or quantitative research—that they have not previously seen—on an aspect of representation in decision-making, making reference to the quality of the evidence and of the conclusions drawn in this study

explore the changing nature of contemporary media, identifying:

• the characteristics of different types of media
• the control of information in different types of media
• the challenges for regulators of media

describe what is meant by ‘the freedom of the press’ and ‘the social responsibility of the press’ and ‘the accountability of the press’

identify the roles which these three concepts are thought to play in a democratic society

drawing on the ideas outlined in 1.3, describe the power of various types of media with respect to:

• ownership and control of media
• the role of advertising in media
• the power of those who work in the media
• the targeting strategies adopted by the media
• the origination of media content
• the global reach and influence of the media

describe in brief and general terms the contribution of Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Robert Nozick, Sylvia Walby, Karl Marx, Kathleen Lynch and Noam Chomsky to the discussions in this strand and the contexts in which they made their contributions

describe in general terms the way in which people, from Ireland and the wider world, have sought what they saw as a positive impact on their society, including:

• someone who has engaged in charity, voluntary or community work 
• someone who has run for political office 
• someone  who  has  chosen  to  work  in  public service  such  as  a  teacher,  nurse  or  social worker
• someone who used the law
• someone who used civil disobedience such as Gandhi
• someone who proposed the use of violence against an undemocratic state such as Nelson Mandela

critically evaluate the appropriateness of the strategy these individuals adopted

identify the personal qualities which are associated with being effective in having a positive impact on society

make contact with initiatives, groups or organisations that are involved in politics, human rights, cultural diversity or sustainable development

gather information relevant to their own participation in the organisation, group or initiative

• Príomhchoincheapa

  KeyConcepts

• Teagasc agus Foghlaim

  TeachingLearning

• Measúnú

  Assessment

undertake a form of action agreed with an initiative, group or  organisation that is involved in politics, human rights, cultural diversity or sustainable development or develop a new initiative, group or organisation working in one of these areas

justify the form of action which they have chosen to undertake in light of available alternatives

set  realistic  personal  and  collective  goals  and targets to be achieved within a time frame

construct action plans to help reach the targets and identify methods for monitoring how well the plans are working

cooperate with other members of the group to identify collective goals

cooperate with group members to identify how different roles can contribute to the overall goals

communicate ideas and needs within the group

identify any help and resources that will be needed
to implement the plans and reach the targets

within a specific time frame, evaluate the extent to which the targets have been reached and engage in personal reflection on the process of setting goals and targets

recognise  that  new  situations  are  likely  to  be uncertain and present personal challenges

take  the  initiative  on  some  occasions  and  not always leave it to others

be  flexible  and  be  prepared  to  try  a  different approach

be  reliable  in  following  through  with  tasks  and undertakings

set time aside to take stock of current achievements and, with the help of others, to engage in an honest appraisal of their strengths and weaknesses

show resilience to receive and make sense of feedback

describe their rights to express their views and be heard on matters that affect them (article 12) to seek, receive and impart ideas and information (article 13 and article 17) as per the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

summarise research evidence on whether these rights are enjoyed equally by everyone in Ireland

engage with different viewpoints and evaluate and use evidence to come to a conclusion as to whether these rights are enjoyed in Ireland equally by everyone

identify that they are both a right holder and a duty bearer in relation to these rights, and that skills in listening, communicating and in accessing and evaluating information can play a role in ensuring everyone can realise these rights

participate in a 'small group’ process through being able to:

• make points clearly and succinctly
• listen carefully to other points of view
• develop empathy and see alternative perspectives
• express emotion in appropriate ways
• help others to feel included in the group
• help motivate the group to persist in the face of difficulties
• celebrate the achievements of the group

deal with conflict in the group through being able to:

• respect the rights and views of others in the group
• develop  empathy  by  imagining  the  situation from other peoples’ point of view
• separate personal and relational issues from the issue under discussion
• use techniques to help explore alternative solutions and options such as brainstorming, visualisation, listing positive/negative/interesting attributes

• identify areas of agreement and disagreements among the different positions
• make suggestions about possible compromises and alternative ways forward

• predict the likely consequences of options and alternatives and systematically examine the pros and cons of each
• recognise the impact of real-world constraints
• evaluate outcomes of solutions and decisions both in the short and long term
• appreciate   the   likely   bias   in   analysing   by ‘hindsight’ 
• agree ways to resolve conflict

seek and evaluate ideas and information received from traditional media, new media and directly from other people in a reasoned way, through being able to:

• access information from a range of contemporary media, and through being able to identify appropriate people to ask
• elicit opinions, views and emotions from others through the appropriate use of questioning and responding strategies
• understand the difference between opinion, reasoned judgment and fact
• judge the credibility of an information source using criteria such as authorship, currency, potential bias
• recognise components of an argument such as assumptions, reasons, counter-arguments and conclusions
• be sufficiently open-minded and curious to engage in speculation and argument
• recognise the effects of using emotive words in arguments
• recognise the role of emotion as well as logic in swaying people’s judgements
• evaluate their own written and verbal communications on the basis of these criteria

identify how the skills of democratic participation in small groups could be appropriately used in local, national, European and wider-world contexts

identify their rights to education as described in Bunreacht na hEireann

identify their rights to education (articles 28 and 29), as per the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

identify the relationship between the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Universal Declaration on Human Rights

identify in this context what is meant by the terms ‘rights holder’ and ‘duty bearer’

using the concepts of ‘immediate obligation’ and ‘progressive realisation’, identify what it means for states to agree to act to implement rights 'to the maximum extent of their available resources'

explain what it means to see human rights as being

• universal
• inalienable
• indivisible

distinguish between

• civil and political rights
• economic, social and cultural rights

explain what it means for a right to be seen as being

• absolute
• limited
• qualified

explain what it means for a right to be seen as being

• a negative right
• a positive right

describe what it means for people to be entitled to rights without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status

describe the grounds under which discrimination is illegal in Irish law (gender, family status, marital status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race, membership of the Traveller community) and the role of the equal status acts in prohibiting discrimination.

making reference back to the ideas addressed in 1.3, illustrate the distinction between direct and indirect discrimination

describe patterns of diversity which exist on the island of Ireland, including:

• ethnic diversity and membership of the Traveller community
• language diversity 
• religious diversity 
• diversity of sexual orientation 
• diversity of ability and disability

apply in their own words and to their own environment the following arguments about human rights:

• rights provide a framework that protects us all from powerful groups in society
• rights provide a basis for ensuring equality in society
• positive rights are unfair as they make some people pay to implement the rights of other people
• sometimes the rights of the individual have to be set aside to protect the rights of the majority
• rights don’t go far enough because they only provide equality of access and opportunity, not for equality of outcome

engage with different viewpoints and, where appropriate, evaluate and use evidence to come to a conclusion as to which of these arguments are supportable

identify which of these arguments would be associated with a ‘left-wing’ position, which would be associated with a ‘right-wing’ position, and which could be associated with either

discuss the roles and functions of human rights bodies in both jurisdictions on the island of Ireland

summarise research evidence on whether the right to education is enjoyed equally by everyone in Ireland

engage with different viewpoints and evaluate and use evidence to come to a conclusion as to whether the right to education is enjoyed equally by everyone in Ireland.

describe in brief and general terms the contribution of John Locke, Robert Nozick, Paulo Freire, Martha Nussbaum and Kathleen Lynch to the discussions in this topic and the contexts in which they made their contributions

summarise research evidence on the extent to which the following rights outlined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child are implemented around the world:

• the right to survival and development (article 6)
• the right to freedom of thought, conscience and to have and manifest their religion or beliefs (article 14)
• the right to protection from physical or mental violence, injury, neglect or abuse (article 19)
• the right to rest, leisure, play and recreation (article 31)

summarise the main rights outlined in the European Convention on Human Rights, and the mechanisms through which people can seek to have these rights implemented.

critically evaluate a piece of qualitative or quantitative research, that they have not previously seen, on the implementation of human rights, making reference to the quality of the evidence and of the conclusions drawn in this study

identify to what extent the arguments and ideas discussed in topic 5.2 are relevant in the wider world

in addition, apply in their own words the following arguments about human rights:

• human rights are a western idea, and imposing this idea upon non-western countries is a form  of cultural imperialism
• political rights can be set aside for a period in order to enable a country to develop so that it can provide for its citizens

engage with different viewpoints and, where appropriate, evaluate and use evidence to come to a conclusion as to which of these arguments are supportable

identify what it means for states to agree to implement economic, social and cultural rights within the framework of international cooperation

identify the main elements of the UN Declaration on the Right to Development

Summarise research evidence and engage with different viewpoints on the ways in which Irish identity is formed within Ireland, North and South

draw on examples from their own environment and from qualitative and quantitative research data to illustrate the idea that cultures are the product of a process of mixing and adaptation and that they do not stay static across time

draw on examples from their own environment and from qualitative and quantitative research data to explore the role of information and communication technology and of the media in the process of cultural mixing and adaptation

draw on examples from their own environment and from qualitative and quantitative research data to explore the role of migration and travel in this process of cultural mixing and adaptation

examine the significance of ethnic and cultural diversity within the European Union including:

• ethnic diversity within states and within the European Union
• language diversity
• religious diversity

apply in their own words and to their own environment the following arguments about culture and identity:

• national  groups  and  ethnic  groups  are  those that  share  a  common  culture  (which  implies common values, beliefs, ways of doing things, and may imply a common history and language)
• national groups and ethnic groups are ‘imagined communities’; social constructs which involves the imagining of an ‘us’ and a ‘them’, something which can have significant consequences for how people understand and interact with those seen to be in the ‘other’

engage with different viewpoints and evaluate and use evidence to come to a conclusion as to which of these arguments are supportable

identify the positive and negative effects of developing a sense of ethnic identity including:

• the benefits associated with achieving a secure and confident sense of one’s own ethnic identity
• the risks related to an insecure or threatened sense of ethnic identity

apply in their own words, drawing on evidence from the wider world, the following arguments about culture and identity in the wider world:

• the west has historically constructed itself (‘us’) in opposition to the non-western world (‘them’) and, in doing so, has imagined itself to be rational, civilised and mature and has imagined the non-western world as  irrational, depraved and child-like
• processes of globalisation such as travel, commerce and ICT are breaking down national cultures    and    identities    and    creating    a cosmopolitan culture and a cosmopolitan identity
• there are a number of major civilisations in the modern world that are culturally fundamentally different and are in competition with each other
• if the west does not protect its culture of human rights and rational thought from other world civilisations then western culture will be wiped out

engage with different viewpoints and, where appropriate, evaluate and use evidence to come to a conclusion as to which of these arguments are supportable

critically evaluate a piece of qualitative or quantitative research, that they have not previously seen, on cultural change or identity, making reference to the quality of the evidence and of the conclusions drawn in this study

critically examine the role of intergovernmental/supranational bodies (including, where appropriate, the International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organisation, World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme) in process of decision-making in relation to a policy that impacts upon young people

evaluate the argument that power is moving from national governments to  supranational bodies

describe in brief and general terms the contribution of Thomas Hylland Eriksen, Kwame Anthony Appiah, Benedict Anderson, Edward Said and Samuel Huntington to the discussions in this topic and the contexts in which they made their contributions

Consider the role of each of the following in achieving sustainable development:

• individual and local community efforts
• corporate/ business sector
• civil society groups, including trade unions
• governments
• international agreements

describe how their own purchases contribute to or address environmental justice, global poverty or underdevelopment through ethically traded or through terms of trade dominated by western companies

describe how their own energy use contributes to climate change, and the impact of climate change on people in less-developed countries

apply in their own words the following arguments about sustainable development:

• underdevelopment is caused by people in less developed countries not having the knowledge, technology and industry of people in developed countries
• underdevelopment is caused by unfair terms of trade imposed by the west in collaboration with local leaders in developing countries
• underdevelopment is caused by corrupt local elites in less-developed countries
• industrialisation in less developed countries has driven women, who were the traditional environmental stewards in societies, into a position of powerlessness and poverty and has damaged the environment
• technology and the laws of the free market will solve our environmental problems
• development in harmony with nature requires a move away from big industries and urbanisation and towards small scale, self-reliant communities using renewable resources

engage with different viewpoints/development theories and evaluate and use evidence to come to a conclusion as to which of these arguments are most supportable

identify which of these arguments would be associated with a ‘left-wing’ position, which would be associated with a ‘right-wing’ position, and which could be associated with either

critically evaluate a piece of qualitative or quantitative research, that they have not previously seen, on development, making reference to the quality of the evidence and of the conclusions drawn in this study

describe in brief and general terms the contribution of André Gunder Frank, Vandana Shiva and Seán McDonagh to the discussions in this topic and the contexts in which they made their contributions